"The Belmont Academy," Mr. Slocum suggested. "That will fit you for the university--"
Dick shook his head decidedly.
"And take three years to do it. So would a high school. I intend to be in the University of California inside one year. That means work. But my mind's like acid. It'll bite into the books. I shall hire a coach, or half a dozen of them, and go to it. And I'll hire my coaches myself--hire and fire them. And that means money to handle."
"A hundred a month," Mr. Crockett suggested.
Dick shook his head.
"I've taken care of myself for three years without any of my money. I guess. I can take care of myself along with some of my money here in San Francisco. I don't care to handle my business affairs yet, but I do want a bank account, a respectable-sized one. I want to spend it as I see fit, for what I see fit."
The guardians looked their dismay at one another.
"It's ridiculous, impossible," Mr. Crockett began. "You are as unreasonable as you were before you went away."
"It's my way, I guess," Dick sighed. "The other disagreement was over my money. It was a hundred dollars I wanted then."
"Think of our position, Dick," Mr. Davidson urged. "As your guardians, how would it be looked upon if we gave you, a lad of sixteen, a free hand with money."
"What's the Freda worth, right now?" Dick demanded irrelevantly.
"Can sell for twenty thousand any time," Mr. Crockett answered.
"Then sell her. She's too large for me, and she's worth less every year. I want a thirty-footer that I can handle myself for knocking around the Bay, and that won't cost a thousand. Sell the Freda and put the money to my account. Now what you three are afraid of is that I'll misspend my money--taking to drinking, horse-racing, and running around with chorus girls. Here's my proposition to make you easy on that: let it be a drawing account for the four of us. The moment any of you decide I am misspending, that moment you can draw out the total balance. I may as well tell you, that just as a side line I'm going to get a business college expert to come here and cram me with the mechanical side of the business game."
Dick did not wait for their acquiescence, but went on as from a matter definitely settled.
"How about the horses down at Menlo?--never mind, I'll look them over and decide what to keep. Mrs. Summerstone will stay on here in charge of the house, because I've got too much work mapped out for myself already. I promise you you won't regret giving me a free hand with my directly personal affairs. And now, if you want to hear about the last three years, I'll spin the yarn for you."