"Oh, yes! Then we were making a start!" But now this wretched work of his had got him worse than ever before--and she blamed his partner for that.

She recalled how Nourse had disliked her, she remembered what Amy used to say about the man's worship of business.
Yes, with his detestable greed for money, only money, Nourse was doubtless driving Joe.

"You're making him just a business man, without a thought or a wish in his head for anything beautiful, really fine, ambition, things he dreamed of and told me about when he was mine--things that would have led us both to everything I wanted--" She set her lips and whispered: "All right, friend Bill, then it's you or it's me!" And all the rest of the summer she set herself determinedly to breaking up the partnership.
"Joe, dear," she said pleasantly, when he had come out for the week end, "why don't you ever bring your partner with you over Sunday ?" And at his quick look of surprise, "It seems too bad, I think," she added, "never to have him with us." "I thought you didn't like him," he said.

Ethel gave a frank little smile.
"I didn't--but that was a year ago.

And besides, he didn't like me, you see.