r tried to outdo
it by the recital of some still more brilliant piece of mischief which
he had either been guilty of in the past or was prepared to attempt
some time in the future. As might be expected, nothing could have been
more calculated to vex and provoke Liddle, who, we could see, often
found it difficult to restrain himself from vindicating his outraged
vanity by pounding with clenched fists the person of his presumptuous
follower.

"Pooh!" said Rigby. "When d'you expect you're going to ride a horse
round that field? They can see it from the house, and you'd have some
one after you within five minutes. I'll bet you'll never try it."

"What'll you bet?" demanded Liddle, bristling up in a moment.

"I won't bet anything on such a stupid thing. I know you won't do it."

"I'll do it any time you like to mention."

"Well, do it now," answered Rigby, suggesting what he considered to be
impossible.

"All right; I will," returned Liddle recklessly. "Wait till the lights
have been put out and the coast is clear, and I'll go and ride the nag
to-night. But look here, my boy," continued the speaker, with a
malicious twinkle in his eyes: "if I go you'll have to come too, as a
witness, or Maggers won't believe I've won my wager."

"I never said I'd do anything of the kind," answered the other, rather
drawing in his horns.

"Ho, ho!" sneered Liddle, perceiving his advantage, and proceeding to
make the most of it; "you're funky. You try to make out that other
people haven't the spirit to do a thing when really you're afraid to
try it yourself."

"I'm not afraid," was the reply; "I only say it can't be done, so
what's the good of gabbing about it any further?"

"It _can_ be done," asserted Liddle. "All you have to do is to wait
till there's no one about, then get out of this window on to the roof
of the shed, creep along that, and down by the water-butt, then hop
over the wall, and there you are. Come; you've as good as dared me to
do it, and I say I'll go and ride the horse if you'll come and see me
do it. Now, will you go, or will you not?"

"There's no sense in it," grumbled Rigby.

"Pooh! you mean you haven't got the pluck."

There was a general laugh. Rigby found himself in a trap of his own
making. If he drew back he stood a good chance of being exposed to
ridicule as an empty boaster, besides practically confessing himself
Liddle's inferior in daring. His face twitched with excitement and
vex