Amory fellows generally, but
especially when they're of the Junior School--some of your tribe scuttled
his punt for him on the moat, didn't you?--I thought you would not mind
humouring the man's amiabilities. The Coon and he talk rot--sporting
rot--and it would only bore you to listen to it."
Jack said, "It does not matter in the least. I'd as soon look at the
ducks as listen to Hill. It's a bit _infra dig._, though, that _he_
should object."
As a matter of fact, young Hill received letters for Acton which dealt
with many things, the burden of most of them being "betting," and the
other sweet things of the sporting shop. Acton was, as you will have
seen, not the very green innocent who would come to much harm in this
lovely form of diversion.
[Illustration: A LITTLE YELLOW, EAR-TORN DOG BUSTLED OUT OF SOME SHED.]
About a fortnight after the visits to the Lodestone had commenced, the
Coon brought down with him a long-legged, thin-faced, horsey-looking
individual, who introduced himself to Bourne as Raffles of Rotherhithe,
and who laid himself out to be excessively friendly to Jack. He took,
evidently, quite a professional interest in the sparring, and told Acton
that "his left was quite a colourable imitation of the Coon's."
"Not colourable, anyhow," said Acton, with a wink at Jack.
"What do you think, sir, of Alabama's 'blind hook'?"
Jack, who had not the remotest idea what a "blind hook" was, said it "was
simply stunning.
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