158
WYLDER'S HAJVD.
municative host had withdrawn, Jos Larkin made
half-a-dozen little entries in his pocket-book, with " State-
ment of Mr. William Johnson," and the date of their
conversation, at the head of the memorandum.
So the lawyer, having to run on as far as Charteris by
the goods-train, upon business, walked down to the station,
where, having half-an-hour to wait, he fell into talk with
the station-master, whom he also knew, and afterwards with
Tom Christmas, the porter; and in the waiting-room he
made some equally business-like memoranda.
By the time his little book was again in the bottom of
his pocket, the train had arrived, and doors swung open
and clapt, and people got in and out to the porter's accom-
paniment of "Dollington — Dollington — Dollington!"
and Lawyer Larkin took his place, and glided away to
Charteris, where he had a wait of two hours for the
r,
return train, and a good deal of barren talk with persons
at the station, rewarded by one or two sentences worth
noting, and accordingly duly entered in the same little
pocket-book.
Thus was the good man's day consumed; and when he
mounted his dog-cart, at Dollington, wrapped his rug
about his legs, whip and reins in hand, and the ostler
buckled the apron across, the sun was setting redly behind
the hills; and the air was frosty, and the night dark, as
he drew up before his own door-steps, near Gylingden. A
dozen lines of one of these pages would suffice to contain
the fruits of his day's work; and yet the lawyer was
satisfied, and even pleased with it, and eat his late dinner
very happily; and went to bed after a calm and pleased
review of his memoranda, and slept the sleep of the
righteous.