locate her through the telephone;
the numbers were not all recorded in the book, and Central was not
allowed to divulge the location of any of them. However, he would try
to reach her again over the wire in the morning. If unsuccessful at
this, he must wait for her letter. In the meanwhile he would have
plenty to do in pursuing further investigation into the history and
topography of the country covered by his map. Of course, a great
difficulty ahead of him was lack of funds. But, if worse came to
worse, he thought it might be possible to interest someone in the
project. There were always men readier to finance a venture of this
sort than a surer and less romantic undertaking. He would feel better,
however, to investigate it alone if possible, even if it cost him a
great deal of time and labor. All those problems, however, were for
the future--its present worth lay in the influence it gave him with
Sorez.

He came down the library steps and started to cross the square with a
view to walking, but he found his legs weak beneath him. The best
thing he could do now, he thought, was to devote some attention to the
recovery of his strength. He still had the change from his ten
dollars, and with this recollection he felt a fresh wave of gratitude
for the man who had helped him so opportunely. He must look him up
later on. He boarded a car and, going down town, entered a restaurant
on Newspaper Row. Here he ordered beefsteak, potatoes, and a cup of
coffee. He enjoyed every mouthful of it and came out refreshed but
sleepy. He went up town to one of the smaller hotels and secured a
room with a bath. After a warm tub, he turned in and slept without
moving until he awoke with the sun streaming into the room. He felt
the old springiness in his body as he leaped out of bed, and a courage
and joy beyond any he had ever known at thought of Jo and the
treasure. These two new elements in his life came to him in the
morning with all the freshness and vividness of their original
discovery. In the full glare of the morning sun they seemed even more
real than the night before. He drew the parchment from beneath his
pillow, where he had hidden it, and looked it over once more before
dressing. No, it was not a dream; it was as real a thing as the
commonplace furnishings of the room.

He took a plunge in cold water and hurried through his dressing in
order to reach the post-office as soon as possible. He could not
believe his eyes when he c