"Not at all."
"You don't mean that, Master Jasper?"
"Yes, I do."
"Are you going to school?"
"No; I'm going out West."
"Out West?" exclaimed Tom Forbes, stopping work in surprise.
"Yes, Tom, I'm going out there to seek my fortune."
"But there ain't any need of that, Master Jasper. Didn't your father leave you a fortune?"
"I'm not to have it till I'm twenty-one, and till then my step-mother is my guardian. Now, I put it to you, Tom, can I stay at home to be treated as you saw me treated this morning?"
"No, you can't, that's a fact. Master Jasper, I wish you'd take me with you as your servant."