Back and forth

Esther 2:11 - Every day he walked back and forth near the courtyard of the harem to find out how Esther was and what was happening to her.

I wonder what Mordecai did for a living. How did he have time to pace back and forth in front of the harem every day? Esther's beauty treatments lasted a year. I wonder if he really tried to check up on her every day for that whole time. Maybe it wasn't all day and maybe it wasn't without its benefits, but I wonder if there wouldn't have been another way to get the info he wanted about Esther.

I wonder what exactly it was that he hoped to learn about her. Did he need or want to know how her training was going? I doubt he had to worry about her health or safety -- she was in the king's care -- how much better could it get?

I wonder how close to the palace and harem Mordecai lived. Did he have to travel far each day to check on his cousin?