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till they condescend to rise to the fly you've been
dangling before them； and an elegant svelte figure … 〃
〃Think of the otter hounds；〃 interposed Amanda； 〃how
dreadful to be hunted and harried and finally worried to
death！〃
〃Rather fun with half the neighbourhood looking on；
and anyhow not worse than this Saturday…to…Tuesday
business of dying by inches； and then I should go on into
something else。 If I had been a moderately good otter I
suppose I should get back into human shape of some sort；
probably something rather primitive … a little brown；
unclothed Nubian boy； I should think。〃
〃I wish you would be serious；〃 sighed Amanda； 〃you
really ought to be if you're only going to live till
Tuesday。〃
As a matter of fact Laura died on Monday。
〃So dreadfully upsetting；〃 Amanda complained to her
uncle…in…law； Sir Lulworth Quayne。 〃I've asked quite a
lot of people down for golf and fishing； and the
rhododendrons are just looking their best。〃
〃Laura always was inconsiderate；〃 said Sir Lulworth；
〃she was born during Goodwood week； with an Ambassador
staying in the house who hated babies。〃
〃She had the maddest kind of ideas；〃 said Amanda；
〃do you know if there was any insanity in her family？〃
〃Insanity？ No； I never heard of any。 Her father
lives in West Kensington； but I believe he's sane on all
other subjects。〃
〃She had an idea that she was going to be
reincarnated as an otter；〃 said Amanda。
〃One meets with those ideas of reincarnation so
frequently； even in the West；〃 said Sir Lulworth； 〃that
one can hardly set them down as being mad。 And Laura was
such an unaccountable person in this life that I should
not like to lay down definite rules as to what she might
be doing in an after state。〃
〃You think she really might have passed into some
animal form？〃 asked Amanda。 She was one of those who
shape their opinions rather readily from the standpoint
of those around them。
Just then Egbert entered the breakfast…room； wearing
an air of bereavement that Laura's demise would have been
insufficient； in itself； to account for。
〃Four of my speckled Sussex have been killed；〃 he
exclaimed； 〃the very four that were to go to the show on
Friday。 One of them was dragged away and eaten right in
the middle of that new carnation bed that I've been to
such trouble and expense over。 My best flower bed and my
best fowls singled out for destruction； it almost seems
as if the brute that did the deed had special knowledge
how to be as devastating as possible in a short space of
time。〃
〃Was it a fox； do you think？〃 asked Amanda。
〃Sounds more like a polecat；〃 said Sir Lulworth。
〃No；〃 said Egbert； 〃there were marks of webbed feet
all over the place； and we followed the tracks down to
the stream at the bottom of the garden； evidently an
otter。〃
Amanda looked quickly and furtively across at Sir
Lulworth。
Egbert was too agitated to eat any breakfast； and
went out to superintend the strengthening of the poultry
yard defences。
〃I think she might at least have waited till the
funeral was over；〃 said Amanda in a scandalised voice。
〃It's her own funeral； you know；〃 said Sir Lulworth；
〃it's a nice point in etiquette how far one ought to show
respect to one's own mortal remains。〃
Disregard for mortuary convention was carried to
further lengths next day； during the absence of the
family at the funeral ceremony the remaining survivors of
the speckled Sussex were massacred。 The marauder's line
of retreat seemed to have embraced most of the flower
beds on the lawn； but the strawberry beds in the lower
garden had also suffered。
〃I shall get the otter hounds to come here at the
earliest possible moment；〃 said Egbert savagely。
〃On no account！ You can't dream of such a thing！〃
exclaimed Amanda。 〃I mean； it wouldn't do； so soon after
a funeral in the house。〃
〃It's a case of necessity；〃 said Egbert； 〃once an
otter takes to that sort of thing it won't stop。〃
〃Perhaps it will go elsewhere now there are no more
fowls left；〃 suggested Amanda。
〃One would think you wanted to shield the beast；〃
said Egbert。
〃There's been so little water in the stream lately；〃
objected Amanda； 〃it seems hardly sporting to hunt an
animal when it has so little chance of taking refuge
anywhere。〃
〃Good gracious！〃 fumed Egbert； 〃I'm not thinking
about sport。 I want to have the animal killed as soon as
possible。〃
Even Amanda's opposition weakened when； during
church time on the following Sunday； the otter made its
way into the house； raided half a salmon from the larder
and worried it into scaly fragments on the Persian rug in
Egbert's studio。
〃We shall have it hiding under our beds and biting
pieces out of our feet before long；〃 said Egbert； and
from what Amanda knew of this particular otter she felt
that the possibility was not a remote one。
On the evening preceding the day fixed for the hunt
Amanda spent a solitary hour walking by the banks of the
stream； making what she imagined to be hound noises。 It
was charitably supposed by those who overheard her
performance； that she was practising for farmyard
imitations at the forth…coming village entertainment。
It was her friend and neighbour； Aurora Burret； who
brought her news of the day's sport。
〃Pity you weren't out； we had quite a good day。 We
found at once； in the pool just below your garden。〃
〃Did you … kill？〃 asked Amanda。
〃Rather。 A fine she…otter。 Your husband got rather
badly bitten in trying to 'tail it。' Poor beast； I felt
quite sorry for it； it had such a human look in its eyes
when it was killed。 You'll call me silly； but do you
know who the look reminded me of？ My dear woman； what is
the matter？〃
When Amanda had recovered to a certain extent from
her attack of nervous prostration Egbert took her to the
Nile Valley to recuperate。 Change of scene speedily
brought about the desired recovery of health and mental
balance。 The escapades of an adventurous otter in search
of a variation of diet were viewed in their proper light。
Amanda's normally placid temperament reasserted itself。
Even a hurricane of shouted curses； coming from her
husband's dressing…room； in her husband's voice； but
hardly in his usual vocabulary； failed to disturb her
serenity as she made a leisurely toilet one evening in a
Cairo hotel。
〃What is the matter？ What has happened？〃 she asked
in amused curiosity。
〃The little beast has thrown all my clean shirts
into the bath！ Wait till I catch you； you little … 〃
〃What little beast？〃 asked Amanda； suppressing a
desire to laugh； Egbert's language was so hopelessly
inadequate to express his outraged feelings。
〃A little beast of a naked brown Nubian boy；〃
spluttered Egbert。
And now Amanda is seriously ill。
THE BOAR…PIG
〃THERE is a back way on to the lawn；〃 said Mrs。
Philidore Stossen to her daughter； 〃through a small grass
paddock and then through a walled fruit garden full of
gooseberry bushes。 I went all over the place last year
when the family were away。 There is a door that opens
from the fruit garden into a shrubbery； and once we
emerge from there we can mingle with the guests as if we
had come in by the ordinary way。 It's much safer than
going in by the front entrance and running the risk of
coming bang up against the hostess； that would be so
awkward when she doesn't happen to have invited us。〃
〃Isn't it a lot of trouble to take for getting
admittance to a garden party？〃
〃To a garden party； yes； to THE garden party of the
season； certainly not。 Every one of any consequence in
the county； with the exception of ourselves； has been
asked to meet the Princess； and it would be far more
troublesome to invent explanations as to why we weren't
there than to get in by a roundabout way。 I stopped Mrs。
Cuvering in the road yesterday and talked very pointedly
about the Princess。 If she didn't choose to take the
hint and send me an invitation it's not my fault； is it？
Here we are： we just cut across the grass and through
that little gate into the garden。〃
Mrs。 Stossen and her daughter； suitably arrayed for
a county garden party function with an infusion of
Almanack de Gotha； sailed through the narrow grass
paddock and the ensuing gooseberry garden with the air of
state barges making an unofficial progress along a rural
trout stream。 There was a certain amount of furtive
haste mingled with the stateliness of their advance； as
though hostile search…lights might be turned on them at
any moment； and； as a matter of fact； they were not
unobserved。 Matilda Cuvering； with the alert eyes of
thirteen years old a