“All or nothing!”
“Yes. Oh, he made a separate provision for Miss Starkweather; she’ll never go hungry; but the bulk of the estate depends on what you do with the business in the next year. And strictly between ourselves, your uncle expected you to finish with a bit to spare.”
“I know this much; if it’s anything he doped out for me, it’s an even bet. It’s to make ten thousand dollars?”
“Yes, and without any outside help except straight commercial loans––if you can get ’em. No favours from anybody, and no free keep from your families.”
“What building is it, Mr. Archer?”
The lawyer paused to wipe his glasses. 59 “It’s one your uncle took over on a mortgage last winter.... You see, Henry, he’d figured out what he was going to do with you, and it would have been this same thing even if he’d lived. He picked out what he thought would do you the most good––get you in touch with different people––break down some of your (excuse me for being blunt) class prejudice––teach you how many dimes there are in a dollar. And for that reason he expressly stipulated that you’ve got to keep your own books. That’ll give you more of a respect for money than anything else would, I guess.”
“Keep my own books?”
“That’s the way Mr. Starkweather began––only in his case, he kept somebody else’s. But I warned you to expect something out of the ordinary.”
“Oh, yes,” said Henry. “I was all set for some kind of a low-brow job. What is it––a garage?”
“I’m afraid you’ll think a garage is fashionable, compared with it.”