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 municative host had withdrawn, Jos Larkin made half-a-dozen little entries in his pocket-book, with " State- ment of Mr.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.