"Bah, he is a spy, sure enough," ejaculated Hammerditch, in disgust. "Jean, we have played into the hands of our enemies."
"Zat is so, but it shall do zem no good," answered the Canadian. "We haf better git back to Timberville as soon as possible," he added, in a whisper.
"I reckon you are about right," said Hammerditch. He bowed himself toward the door.
"Yes, we are going. You have played us for a pair of fools," replied the Englishman.
He ran down the stairs, with Le Fevre at his heels. Soon both were outside and stalking up the street rapidly. Robert began to laugh.
"They are a pair of rascals," he remarked. "I am awfully glad I outwitted them."
"And I am glad, too," said Nettie, with a bright smile. "But if I were you I wouldn't lose any time in getting to Timberville with the map."
"I will leave this afternoon," answered the boy.
Robert found that the afternoon boat for Muskegon left at half past three, so there was still time left in which to get back to Mrs. Gibbs' house for a late dinner.
At the boarding house he found a short note from Livingston Palmer.
"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.