. Take Dan Raffles' word for it."

"Now look here, Raffles; I'll give you sixpence for every rabbit I shoot,
and I'll pay you for the cartridges. You'll keep all the rabbits, but you
will lend me the gun."

"Very good, sir," said Raffles, smartly.

"And, Raffles," said Jack, eyeing over that individual with a curious
mixture of amusement and dislike, "you needn't be too beastly friendly
and chummy. I'm going to pay you for what you do, and don't fancy I'm
going an inch further than I feel inclined. I'm paying the piper, and I'm
going to choose all the tunes."

"Orl right," said Raffles, considerably taken aback by the ultimatum.
"I'll not be friendlier than I can 'elp."

"Don't," said Jack.

CHAPTER XIII

"EASY IS THE DOWNWARD ROAD"

Aided by Raffles of Rotherhithe, young Bourne went royally through half
the rules of the school. He called the tune to that extent. In the first
place, one may believe that when he called in the aid of that horsey
gentleman he had no further idea in his head than that of passing away
those dull half-hours which Hill inflicted upon him.

But, like many a wiser man, young Bourne found it was easier to conjure
up a spirit than to lay one, and, having once accepted the aid of
Raffles, he found it beyond his power to dispense with it, despite his
brave word. So, unheedful of his brother's advice, he not merely put his
innocent feet into the stream of forbidden pleasures, but waded in
whole-heartedly up to the chin.

Raffles, as promised, turned up on the next occasion provided with a
ferret and a gun, and all difficulties were smoothed over with the
farmer. Thus Jack Bourne took his post as the noble British sportsman
just behind the Lodestone Moat, whilst Raffles, with his ferret, worked
the bank, which was honey-combed with rabbit-holes. As the rabbits
scurried out before the ferret, Jack blazed away noisily, and
occasionally he had the pleasure of seeing a rabbit turning a somersault
as it made its last bound. Certainly, Jack was not a dead shot, but when
he contemplated the slain lying stark on the flanks of the bank, he felt
the throaty joy of the slaughtering British schoolboy. He counted out to
his worthy henchman four sixpences for the four slain with all the pride
of the elephant-hunter paying his beaters yards of brass wire and calico.
Raffles was properly grateful, of course.

Then, as their acquaintance progressed, there were little competitions
between Jack and