"Nonsense,” said Mrs. Ramsay, with greatseverity. Apart from the habit of exaggerationwhich they had from her, and from the implica-tion (which was true) that she asked too manypeople to stay, and had to lodge some in the town,she could not bear incivility to her guests, toyoung men in particular, who were poor as churchmice, “exceptionally able”, her husband said, hisgreat admirers, and come there for a holiday.Indeed, she had the whole of the other sex underher protection; for reasons she could not explain,for their chivalry and valour, for the fact that theynegotiated treaties, ruled India, controlled finance;finally for an attitude towards herself which nowoman could fail to feel or to find agreeable,something trustful, childlike, reverential; whichan old woman could take from a young man with-out loss of dignity, and woe betide the girl—prayHeaven it was none of her daughters!—who didnot feel the worth of it, and all that it implied, tothe marrow of her bones.