That man’s a well-known scallywag and deserves to be taught a lesson, I called out from my carefully-judged position at the back of the crowd. I didn’t know the fellow from Adam but I wasn’t going to let that sway me. The crowd’s mood had turned decidedly ugly and it had to be safely directed in some direction or other or else it would be the worse for me. My morals may not be the best I admit but my wits are sharp and my ability to improvise top notch! Now was my chance to make my escape. Or maybe I should egg the crowd on a little bit more, it occurred to me. Just to be sure. That man’s an out-and-out scoundrel and he deserves to be taken down a peg or two I screamed, my voice going all weak and quavery in my excitement. Faces turned to look in my direction, eyes were hardening in suspicion. I had over-played my hand, I realized. I had over-stepped the mark. I had misjudged the moment. More and more faces turned to look in my direction and I could hear voices muttering. My strategy was backfiring badly on me and I knew I had to do something to turn things around before the situation got out of hand. He’s a pervert nonce, let’s skin him alive I screeched, my voice high and unmanly. Let’s hurt him real bad and make him pay! This did the trick and the crowd surged towards the mark, the latent sense of menace breaking out into a sudden surge of movement. Hands roughly grabbed hold of me and I found myself at the centre of a ring of angry people. What’s this about you being a nonce, an ugly, hate-filled voice roared in my face, you look like a filthy nonce to me. Other voices joined in then: Is it true – are you a nonce? You look like a dirty nonce. What have you got to say for yourself, nonce? The shocking awareness came to me: the mark I had fingered was myself! My strategy had rebounded. I had set myself up. I’d done the dirty on myself. I’d soiled my own nest. Row after row of unfriendly faces turned to look at me, all of them eager for violence. A voice, all thin and quavery, broke out from the back of the crowd, that man’s a well-known scallywag and deserves to be taught a lesson. He’s a known offender! I had been fingered, and by an expert too, I realized. I had been hoisted on my own petard. He’s a nonce let’s get him the voice screamed excitedly and I could hear other voices joining in. I could feel my chances of escape grow slimmer every second. That man’s an out-and-out scoundrel and he deserves to be taken down a peg or two I screamed, my voice going all weak and quavery in my excitement