"Then I have some money saved up, and did not know it."
"That is right, and it is quite a sum. But, of late, the rents have been falling off, until they are only about half what they were when your mother owned the property."
"Why is this?"
"The agent says it is because the property has gone down in value, but I can not see how that is, as it is in a good part of New York, and that city is certainly not getting smaller."
"How do you account for the rents being less, then?"
"That is just the point. I can't account for it, and, to tell you the truth, I am suspicious of this real estate man."
"Who is he?"
"His name is Caleb Annister."
"What do you propose doing, dad? Can't you get a lawyer to see him, and find out if he is cheating you?"
"I suppose I could, but I have thought of a different plan. It came to me when I was lying sick here, and I decided to put it into operation, so as to straighten out my affairs as well as your own."