she 'd daydreamed of ways she could get rid of him ; an unblunted sword used in practice , a momentary slip and an accidental , too well aimed thrust ; a dish of mushrooms ; a thistle under his horse 's saddle , which might work , or might not , and could always be explained as a practical joke , or a practical joke gone wrong , depending on whether it was fatal or merely humiliating ; a statue falling from a temple 's pediment , a lump of stone from a building site ... and yet , practically , it was too difficult to move against him .