"As a race, no. I believe in a very few individual women. But Harwich believed in women because they were women. That is always a mistake. He believed in them as a good Catholic believes in the Saints. And he was punished for it."
"You mean after Nigel's mother died? That Mrs.--what was her name?--Mrs. Alstruther?"
"Yes, Mrs. Alstruther. She treated Harwich abominably. Even if she had been free, she would never have married him. He bored her. But he worshipped her, and thought to the end that her husband ill-used her. So absurd, when Paul Alstruther could call neither his soul nor his purse his own. Nigel Armine has his father's look. He, too, is born to believe in women."
She paused; then she added: "I must say it would be rather nice to be the woman he believed in."
"Tell me something about this Mr. Armine, Doctor Isaacson," said Lady O'Ryan, who was sitting on the Doctor's other side, and had caught part of this conversation. "You know I am always in County Clare, and as ignorant as a violet. Who is he exactly?"
"A younger brother of Harwich's, and the next heir to the title."
"That immensely rich Lord Harwich whose horses have won so many races, and who married Zoe Mulligan, of Chicago, more than ten years ago?"
"Yes. They've never had any children, and Harwich has knocked his health to pieces, so Armine is pretty sure to succeed. But he's fairly well off, I suppose, for a bachelor. When his mother died, she left him her property."
"And what does he do?"
"He was in the army, but resigned his commission when he came into his land."
"Why?"
"To look after his people. He had great ideas about a landlord's duties to his tenants."
"O'Ryan's tenants have enormous ideas about his duties to them."
"That must be trying. Armine lived in the country, and made a great many generous experiments--built model cottages, started rifle ranges, erected libraries, gymnasiums, swimming baths. In fact, he spent his money royally--too royally."
"And were they sick with gratitude?"
"Their thankfulness did not go so far as that. In fact, some of Armine's schemes for making people happy met with a good deal of opposition. Finally there was a tremendous row about a right of way. The tenants were in the wrong, and Armine was so disgusted at their trying to rob him of what was his, after he had showered benefits upon them, that he let his place and hasn't been there since."
"That's so like people, to ignore libraries and village halls, and shriek for the right to get over a certain stile, or go down a muddy path that leads from nothing to nowhere."