122 Buz. 



near me ; so I don't know which of us would get the 

 worst of it in the end." 



" I do," returned the spider, " and you will before 

 long." 



He said this with such a sneer, that Buz's brave 

 little spirit rose, and she answered quite sharply : 

 "You seem very well satisfied with your own opinion, 

 Mr. Spider ; but mine may be just as good — perhaps 

 better. And I say that I can go quite as long with- 

 out food as you can, and that you dare not come 

 near me. No, you daren't, you brute ! " she con- 

 tinued, as the spider again half opened his mouth 

 without speaking. 



"You hungry-looking wretch!" she went on, "if 

 you were not afraid of me, you would have rushed 

 upon me long ago, and dragged me into your den ; 

 but you are afraid, you sneaking coward ! " 



" If I could only put him in a passion," she thought, 

 " so as to make him come at me, we might fight it 

 fairly out, and I could bear whatever happened ; but 

 to lie helplessly here is dreadful." 



" My plan is " remarked the spider, after a 



long silence. " By the way, would you like to know 

 what it is ? " 



" Not I ! " cried Buz disdainfully. " What are 

 your plans to me ? " 



