A Philanthropist

In Short

This is a character-driven study of a collision between two incompatible temperaments: a rigid, well-meaning village philanthropist and a cynical, indolent aesthetician. Set in a traditional New England village, the plot follows their uneasy alliance as they attempt to balance local charity with a mutual, growing attraction. It has lasted because of its sharp, unsentimental observation of how different people attempt to "improve" one another, capturing the peculiar, often humorous compromises that define long-term intimacy between opposites.

The Story

Miss Gould is a woman of formidable virtue and fixed habits, a pillar of her community who spends her days directing the lives of the town’s less fortunate. Her life changes when Mr. Welles, a wealthy and relentlessly idle man of refined tastes, rents half of her ancestral home. What begins as a nuisance—a clash over her moralizing versus his laziness—evolves into a daily ritual. Welles, amused by Miss Gould’s intensity, uses his charm and his money to insert himself into her world, convincing her that her "duty" involves allowing him to stay. He becomes a fixture in her life, a "butterfly" in white flannels who observes her efforts at social reform with a mixture of polite mockery and genuine, if grudging, admiration.

As their intimacy grows, the conflict shifts from the house to the village itself. Miss Gould seeks to reform the local ne’er-do-wells, while Welles, purely for his own amusement and to provide his benefactor with a "mission," helps her establish a new headquarters for her charity work. He furnishes this space with his eclectic collection of art and antiques, inadvertently scandalizing the local mothers and the very people Miss Gould intends to save. The villagers, led by the wily Tom Waters, begin to view the pair with confusion and suspicion. They recognize that Welles is not a convert to the "moral order" but rather a man who has managed to dismantle Miss Gould’s austerity by simply refusing to take it seriously.

The breaking point arrives when Miss Gould’s attempts to lecture the villagers lead to a public humiliation. She realizes that her efforts have become a source of ridicule and that she has lost her grip on the community’s respect. Confronted with the failure of her social programs and the gossip surrounding her relationship with her lodger, she demands that Welles change his ways. Welles, rather than reform, maneuvers the conversation toward a proposal of marriage. He frames his offer with typical flippancy, citing practical reasons—more room for his collections and a desire for companionship—but beneath the lighthearted tone lies a sincere recognition of her character. Miss Gould, shaken by the realization that her life’s work has been upended, finds herself unable to reject the man who has managed to see past her stern exterior. The story concludes with her still struggling to maintain her sense of duty, while Welles, entirely unchanged, prepares to escort her into a future where he will continue to "reform" her by providing a gentle, necessary counterweight to her own relentless nature.

How It Unfolds

The lodger arrives Miss Gould complains to Mr. Welles about a local "tramp" who caused a scene in her cellar, only to discover that Welles finds her entire life of professional philanthropy to be a grand, absurd joke. He challenges her to justify her continued efforts in the face of such repeated, predictable failures.

The moral compromise Welles manipulates Miss Gould into allowing him to remain in her house by appealing to her own sense of duty, presenting his presence as a project for her to "improve." She reluctantly agrees, hoping to turn his indolence into something productive, while he secretly enjoys the irony of his influence over her.

The new headquarters The pair opens a new charity office, which Welles fills with questionable art and luxurious touches that alienate the very people the room was intended to serve. The villagers are baffled by the spectacle of their benefactress being accompanied by a man who seems to spend more time playing the guitar than doing good.

The public failure Tom Waters, a frequent target of Miss Gould's moralizing, turns the tables on her, questioning how she can justify her own existence while harboring an idle man. Miss Gould, realizing she has lost her moral authority, demands that Welles find a serious occupation to redeem her standing.

The final arrangement Welles proposes marriage as a way to solve their shared social problems and satisfy his own desire for her company. Miss Gould, though still clinging to her role as a reformer, realizes that she has been fundamentally altered by his presence and accepts the offer, leaving her past life behind.

The People

Miss Gould is a woman of "firm, full figure" and rigid, unwavering moral principles. She seeks to mold the world to her expectations, measuring everyone by their productivity and culture. Ultimately, she discovers that her own life is not as impenetrable as her principles, and she learns to accept a partner who refuses to be molded.

Mr. Welles is an indolent, wealthy bachelor defined by his "lazy grace" and an irresistible, cynical sense of humor. He seeks only his own comfort and the amusement of observing the "absurdities" of others. By the end, he remains unchanged in his habits, yet he reveals a surprising, quiet devotion to the woman he has spent his time teasing.

Tom Waters, a local man who is a perennial subject of Miss Gould's reform efforts, serves as the mirror for her hypocrisy. He is the first to point out the inconsistency of her friendship with the idle Welles, ultimately forcing the confrontation that brings their relationship to a head.

In Its Own Voice

“He looked very much like that Tom Waters that I had at the Reformed Drunkards' League last year.”

Miss Gould describes her latest frustration to her lodger, setting the stage for her misguided attempts at social work.

“I should certainly marry her to reform her,” he said to the birch log that spluttered on his inimitable colonial fire-dogs.

Welles reflects on his landlady, revealing the private, amused affection that drives his behavior toward her.

“Then welcome each rebuff / That turns earth's smoothness rough, / Each sting that bids nor sit nor stand, but go!”

Miss Gould quotes Browning to lecture Welles, only for him to compare the profound moral sentiment to a tack stuck in the seat of a chair.

What It's Really About

The central argument concerns the tension between the "moral life" and the "aesthetic life." The book explores whether one can truly improve another person, or if such efforts are merely a form of vanity. Beneath the courtship plot lies a skeptical look at the era’s enthusiasm for organized charity, suggesting that such systems often fail because they ignore the messy, human realities of the people they intend to save. The story questions if a sense of humor is a requirement for a complete life, or if it is merely a distraction from the serious work of being "useful."

Why Read It Today

This book is a quiet delight for readers who appreciate character studies that refuse to be simple. It captures the specific, dry atmosphere of a New England village where social hierarchy and moral judgment are the primary occupations. You will likely enjoy it if you find pleasure in the witty, intellectual sparring between people who are completely mismatched yet profoundly drawn to each other.

The writing is precise, warm, and often very funny, though the reader should be prepared for the period’s casual assumptions about "reform" and the class dynamics of the time. The characters are not always likable in the modern sense—Miss Gould can be insufferable and Welles can be patronizing—but they are consistently fascinating to watch. What stays with you is the realization that their union is not a victory of one morality over another, but a strange, human compromise where each partner is allowed to remain exactly who they are. It is a slow, thoughtful read that rewards patience with a deeply satisfying, unsentimental look at how people actually live together.