You've got to drop this plan of yours." One evening that same week when Nourse had come to dinner, she led the talk by slow degrees to that other plan of Joe's--the one with terrace gardens.

Soon she had Nourse talking about it, and seeing her husband grow morose she grew cheerily interested.
"Oh, I'm very dull, I suppose," she said at the end with a quizzical smile, "but I'm afraid I can't get it clear.

Couldn't you draw it ?" Nourse smiled at this, for he saw what she was driving at.
"No, I'm poor at that," he said.
"Then, Joe, you sketch it out for me." Joe put down his paper and began in surly fashion.

But as he sketched more and more rapidly, she saw the thing take hold of him.

With little exclamations and questions Ethel drove him on.