dollars--"

"Ten thousand dollars!"

"It happens to be your own. It was left to me in trust for you by your
mother. By a miracle your father did not happen to spend it."

John caught the bitter note which the other could not keep out of his
voice, and made one last attempt to probe this mystery. As a boy he had
tried more than once before he realized that this was a forbidden
topic.

"Who was my father?" he said.

Mr. Westley blotted the check carefully.

"Quite the worst blackguard I ever had the misfortune to know," he
replied in an even tone. "Will you kindly give me a receipt for this?
Then I need not detain you. You may return to the ball-game without any
further delay. Possibly," he went on, "you may wonder why you have not
received this money before. I persuaded your mother to let me use my
discretion in choosing the time when it should be handed over to you. I
decided to wait until, in my opinion, you had sense enough to use it
properly. I do not think that time has arrived. I do not think it will
ever arrive. But as we are parting company and shall, I hope, never
meet again, you had better have it now."

John signed the receipt in silence.

"Thank you," said Mr. Westley. "Good-by."