“She was an exquisite painter. She made her living restoring Renaissance paintings for art museums. She travelled extensively because of her work. She was…highly intelligent, optimistic about the human condition. Usually consider it a sign of stupidity but with Irene it seemed…almost convincing. She was, to me, The Woman. To me, she preclipsed and predominated the whole of her gender. The only one I ever—”

(Source: lastisle, via oodlyenough)