He went on to plan the rest of the house, and he showed
himself such a master in regard to all the practical
details that Mrs. Lapham began to feel a motherly affection
for the young man, and her husband could not deny in his
heart that the fellow seemed to understand his business.
He stopped walking about the room, as he had begun to
do when the architect and Mrs. Lapham entered into the
particulars of closets, drainage, kitchen arrangements,
and all that, and came back to the table. "I presume,"
he said, "you'll have the drawing-room finished in
black walnut?"

"Well, yes," replied the architect, "if you like.
But some less expensive wood can be made just as effective
with paint. Of course you can paint black walnut too."

"Paint it?" gasped the Colonel.

"Yes," said the architect quietly. "White, or a little
off white."

Lapham dropped the plan he had picked up from the table.
His wife made a little move toward him of consolation
or support.

"Of course," resumed the architect, "I know there has been
a great craze for black walnut. But it's an ugly wood;
and for a drawing-room there is really nothing like
white paint. We should want to introduce a little gold
here and there. Perhaps we might run a painted frieze round