If Peter's director was made of money and intent on throwing it away; and if a blast furnace or a steel plant, or whatever could turn worthless rock into pruning-hooks and ploughshares, should by some act of folly be built in the valley at the foot of the hill he owned, why something might come of it.

But, then, so might skies fall and everybody have larks on toast for breakfast.

Until then his concern was with Garry.
He realized that the young architect was too broken down physically and mentally to decide any question of real moment.

His will power was gone and his nerves unstrung.

The kindest thing therefore that any friend could do for him, would be to step in and conduct the fight without him.
Garry's wishes to keep the situation from Corinne would be respected, but that did not mean that his own efforts should be relaxed.