Personally she would do him credit (a wife, of course, must be presentable, though in the husband appearance did not matter), and her obvious social qualities would be useful.

Yet he had had no serious thought of proposing to her.

For one thing, she was not rich enough.
The change began when he observed the impression made by her upon Trafford Romaine.

This was startling.

Romaine, the administrator of world-wide repute, the man who had but to choose among Great Britain's brilliant daughters (or so his worshippers believed), no sooner looked upon Irene Derwent than he betrayed his subjugation.