304 WYLDER'S HAND.
It was destined to illustrate the correspondence, and
Larkin sat down before it and surveyed, with a solemn
stare, the wide scene of Mark Wylder's operations, as a
general would the theatre of his rival's strategy.
Referring to the letters, as he proceeded, with a sharp
pen in red ink, he made his natty little note upon each
town or capital in succession, from which Wylder had da-
ted a despatch. Boulogne, for instance, a neat little red
cross over the town, and beneath, "12th October, 1854;"
Brighton ditto "20th October, 1854;" Paris, ditto,
"17th November, 1854;" Marseilles, ditto, "26th No-
vember, 1854;" Frankfort, ditto, " 22nd February,
1855;" Geneva, ditto, "10th March, 1855;" Genoa,
ditto, "20th March, 1855;" Venice, ditto, "28th
March, 1855."
I may here mention that in the preceding notation I
have marked the days and months exactly, but the years
fancifully.
Now Mr. Larkin was going into this business as he did
into others, methodically. He, therefore, read what his
gazetteer had to say about these towns and cities, stand-
ing, for better light, at the window. But though, the type
being small, his eyes were more pink than before, he was
nothing wiser, the information being of that niggardly
historical and statistical kind which availed nothing in his
present scrutiny. He would get Murray's handbooks, and
all sorts of works — he was determined to read it up.
H^was going into this as into a great speculative case, in
r.Sfich he had a heavy stake, with all his activity, craft,
and unscrupulousness. It might be the making of him.
His treasure — his oracle — his book of power, the la-
belled parcel of Wylder's letters, with the annotated map
folded beside them — he replaced in their red-taped liga-
ture in his iron safe, and with Chubb's key in his pock-