CHAPTER XXIII.
A SECRET CONFERENCE.
The affairs of Florence Douglas are so interwoven with the fortunes of my young hero that I find myself obliged to devote a part of my space to their record. I confess that I have no pleasure in detailing the schemes of Orton Campbell, who seems to me a very disagreeable character, but it seems necessary.
After leaving the presence of Miss Douglas he took a walk, to consider the situation and decide what it was most expedient to do. He was spending considerable time and money in the effort to recover his father's ward, and he did not like to fail. Yet it was not easy to decide upon any plan which would bring success. It was not a matter in which he could invoke the assistance of the law. The young lady's manner convinced him that she would not of her own free will consent to accompany him back. What, then, was to be done?
On the principle that two heads are better than one, he resolved to take his companion, Jones, into his confidence and ask him to make a suggestion.
"How did you find the young lady, Mr. Orton?" asked his follower on his return to the hotel.
"Very offish, Jones."
"Then she wasn't glad to see you?" said Jones, with a grin.