Rupert read the letter with mingled pleasure and surprise. The lots had cost but one thousand dollars each. That they should have increased in value to such an extent was hardly credible.
He did not feel like deciding the matter until he had a chance to consult with Mr. Packard, and he so wrote Mr. Crossman. Now that his mother had lost her position he felt that this stroke of good luck was particularly timely.
He went out in the afternoon to see his mother and Grace. He found that Mr. Strathmore was dead, and that his funeral had taken place.
"I don't know what we shall do, Rupert," said Mrs. Rollins anxiously. "It may be some time before I can obtain another position where I can support myself and Grace. However, I have saved seventy-five dollars, so that for a time I shall not be a burden upon you."
"Don't talk of being a burden, mother. You never can be that."
"But how can your small earnings support three persons?"
"You forget, mother, that I have property."
"To what do you refer, Rupert?"
"To the two lots Mr. Packard gave me."
"I had not supposed them of much value."