"Mr. Gray is going to go into business again," it read; "with one office here and another in New York. He is going to take me back and he says you can return too, if you desire."
"That's nice," thought Robert. "But I'll have to see Dick Marden before I decide upon what's best to do next."
While waiting for dinner he penned a hasty reply to the note, and also a letter to his mother. In the latter he mentioned that he had seen Palmer, and that his step-father had called upon him, and urged her to keep her financial affairs entirely under her own control. He was careful to send the letter in care of Mr. Blarcomb, for personal delivery only.
"She'll get that, I know," he said to himself. "And I hope it does some good."
At the proper time our hero went down to the dock and boarded the Arrow, as the steamer was named. He found about two hundred passengers besides himself bound for Muskegon and other points along the Michigan shore. Besides passengers the Arrow carried a large quantity of baggage and freight.
The distance from Chicago to Muskegon is about one hundred and twenty-five miles. The Arrow was rather a slow boat and did not reach the latter point until some time in the early morning, so that Robert must spend a night on board. This being so, he lost no time in obtaining a berth.
He had just turned away from the clerk's office when he saw two men approaching. They were Hammerditch and Le Fevre.
"Hullo, they are going too," he thought, and was about to step out of sight, when the Englishman espied him.
"Humph! so you are going with us," said the man, with a scowl.