“I didn’t want to say anything about it before,” he explained. “It might have been years before we came into the money. And now it may not be nearly so much as I said. We only have old Mr. Tyler’s word for it, but both Syd and Dr. Martin seemed to think he was telling the truth.”
“Does mother know?” asked Rex in a low voice. He seemed to be quite changed since he had heard the wonderful news. His manner had become quiet, subdued, more like Roy’s.
“No, nobody knows but you, and Syd and Dr. Martin.”
“But you will tell mother as soon as you get back?”
“Yes, I suppose I had better.”
“I can’t realize it yet, Roy. Half a million! That’s five hundred thousand dollars. And now we live on an income of about two thousand!”
Rex brought his eyes down from the sky where he had been allowing them to soar, and fixed them on his last summer’s tan shoes. They were whole yet, but had lost their freshness. He could have new ones now, he reflected, without waiting for these old ones to wear out.
“How did he come to do it, Roy?” he went on, “Hasn’t he any relatives, or anybody of his own?”
“I don’t know. Syd can tell you more about it than I can. Come, we had better be getting home.”
The boys rose and resumed their walk. Presently Rex remarked: