The next morning Mark commenced work in earnest, and for two months visited all the worst slums of London in company with one of the Bow Street men.

Both were generally in disguise, but Mark's companion sometimes went openly to some of the houses inhabited by men well known as criminals.

On such occasions Mark remained within call, ready to go in if assistance should be required; but there was small fear of this, the men who were visited were all personally known to the officer, and generally greeted him with "You aint wanting me, are you ?" "Not at all; what I am wanting is a little information for which I shall be quite willing to pay the first man who enables us to lay hands on the gentleman I want to find." Then he would describe Bastow's appearance.
"He has taken to the road, I fancy, and has given us a good deal of trouble; if it is the man I think it is, he has been away from London for some years, and came back eight or ten months ago." The reply was always to the same effect: "I don't know of such a man, and never heard of him.

For my part, I would not split on a pal, not for anything; but I should not mind earning five guineas to put you on a cove who is not one of us.

Besides, it aint only the money; you know, you might do me a good turn some day." "Quite so; well, I can tell you it is a good deal more than five guineas that would be earned if you could put me in the way of laying my hand on his shoulder.