- Michael Anthony: [Anthony enters the study to see Tipton, seated in a high backed chair at his desk, building a house of playing cards. Only Tipton's hands are visible to viewers] You sent for me, sir?
- John Beresford Tipton: Mike, you ever build card houses?
- Michael Anthony: [Slightly smiling] I haven't for some time, sir.
- John Beresford Tipton: Men's lives are built like this.
- [Tipton's hands are seen placing cards atop a bottom base of cards]
- John Beresford Tipton: First, a foundation of habit and training, growing precariously upward
- [Tipton places some more cards on the house]
- John Beresford Tipton: by layers of ambition and determination.
- [Anthony grows a bit apprehensive as the house of cards grows higher. Tipton places the last card on top]
- John Beresford Tipton: And there it is.
- [Tipton chuckles and Anthony smiles]
- John Beresford Tipton: Only sometimes, uh, winds blowing from an unexpected direction can change the entire shape of it.
- [Tipton blows and the house of cards falls]
- John Beresford Tipton: Let's see
- [Tipton hands an envelope to Anthony]
- John Beresford Tipton: what this windfall will do.
- Michael Anthony: Yes, sir.
- John Beresford Tipton: Watch her closely.
- [Anthony places the envelope into his breast pocket and turns to depart]
- [first lines]
- Michael Anthony: [to the viewers] Oh, hello. My name is Michael Anthony. For some years, I was executive secretary to the late John Beresford Tipton, a man of many millions and many properties - one of them, Silverstone: 60,000 acres of valuable land, his favorite estate, where he lived much of the time, carrying on his innumerable interests and hobbies. His most remarkable hobby was giving away $1,000,000, tax-free, to people he didn't know.