Your own proposal."
"Orl right," said Raffles, resignedly. "I think I know them ropes."
"Good!" said Acton. "Then you can scuttle now to Rotherhithe, or where the
deuce else you like. I'm off."
Acton wheeled out his bicycle and melted into the gathering dark, and his
jackal lurched off to the station and reached Rotherhithe to dream of his
seven guineas which he was going to get. Raffles felt sure of those seven
guineas.
CHAPTER XV
GRIM'S SUSPICIONS
As I said before, Jack Bourne, after the first bloom of his forbidden
pleasures had worn off, rather repented of the Raffles' connection, and
would gladly have exchanged it for the old, easy, open, and above-board
society of his chums. Grim, Rogers, Wilson, Poulett, etc., were, on their
side, rather sore at Jack's continual desertion of them and their causes.
They had just seen him pedalling easily after Acton, throwing them a
rather mirthless joke as he ran past, and they had, naturally, held a
council to consider matters.
"Wherever can the beggar get to is what I want to know," said Wilson.
"Can any one tell me what he wants with Acton?" said Grim.
"I think that it's Acton that wants him," said Rogers. "Come to think of
it, Grimmy, you're Acton's man. Why doesn't he lag you?"
"Grimmy's not to be trusted. He'd read the _billet-doux_"
"I don't believe that there's any notes, Wilson," said Grim,
impressively, "in this business. It's something deeper than that.
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