closely, they
must have seen my face lengthen; for should old Smiley or one of his
men happen to pick up the cap, it was as good as if they had caught the
owner, and my share in the horse-chasing adventure would certainly be
discovered.

CHAPTER VII.

TRIED AND SENTENCED.

Every thoughtful person will have remarked how the important events in
life are often led up to by some incident or mischance of the most
trivial kind; and so this story of mine would, in all probability,
never have been written if it had not been for the accidental dropping
of my cap in the course of that senseless night adventure.

"Had you got it on when you crossed the brook?" asked Miles, when I
explained what had happened. "D'you think you dropped it climbing up
to the window?"

In answer to these inquiries I could only shake my head. From the time
the farmer surprised us in the field I could only recall a vague
impression of our wild scamper through the darkness.

"Oh, it's all right," said Rigby. "I expect it fell off when we were
hauling you from the roof of the shed. If so, you can easily get it in
the morning."

With that the talk ended, and we scrambled into bed. We had certainly
silenced our enemies, and covered ourselves with a questionable kind of
glory, by our escapade, for even Liddle admitted that our pluck could
no longer be doubted. Yet, as I continued to lie broad awake, staring
into the darkness long after my companions had fallen asleep, I was far
from easy in mind or satisfied with the result of the adventure.

If I had dropped my cap in the fields and old Smiley found it, he was
sure to take it at once to Dr. Bagley and state what had happened.
Unfortunately, not more than a month before there had been a
passage-at-arms between this same man and us boys, about a broken gate
which he declared to have been our doing, though in that instance I
think he was mistaken. Still, a formal complaint was made to the
headmaster, who addressed us on the subject in the big schoolroom,
warning us that in the event of any fresh instances of trespass and
damage done by us to neighbouring property being brought under his
notice, the culprit would be punished with the utmost severity. All
this did not tend to ease my mind as I lay picturing up the possibility
of a terrible interview in the doctor's study. There was only one
thing I could decide to do, and that was to make search as early as
possible on the following day