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tempted to show what Siberian magic can accomplish in the hands of
someone who really understands it。 I yielded to that temptation。 May
I have some brandy？ the effort has left me rather faint。〃
If Leonard Bilsiter could at that moment have transformed Clovis
into a cockroach and then have stepped on him he would gladly have
performed both operations。
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LAURA
〃YOU are not really dying； are you？〃 asked Amanda。
〃I have the doctor's permission to live till Tuesday；〃 said Laura。
〃But to…day is Saturday； this is serious！〃 gasped Amanda。
〃I don't know about it being serious； it is certainly Saturday；〃 said
Laura。
〃Death is always serious；〃 said Amanda。
〃I never said I was going to die。 I am presumably going to leave
off being Laura； but I shall go on being something。 An animal of some
kind； I suppose。 You see； when one hasn't been very good in the life
one has just lived； one reincarnates in some lower organism。 And I
haven't been very good； when one comes to think of it。 I've been petty
and mean and vindictive and all that sort of thing when circumstances
have seemed to warrant it。〃
〃Circumstances never warrant that sort of thing；〃 said Amanda
hastily。
〃If you don't mind my saying so；〃 observed Laura； 〃Egbert is a
circumstance that would warrant any amount of that sort of thing。
You're married to him … that's different； you've sworn to love； honour；
and endure him： I haven't。〃
〃I don't see what's wrong with Egbert；〃 protested Amanda。
〃Oh； I daresay the wrongness has been on my part；〃 admitted Laura
dispassionately； 〃he has merely been the extenuating circumstance。 He
made a thin； peevish kind of fuss； for instance； when I took the collie
puppies from the farm out for a run the other day。〃
〃They chased his young broods of speckled Sussex and drove two
sitting hens off their nests； besides running all over the flower beds。
You know how devoted he is to his poultry and garden。〃
〃Anyhow； he needn't have gone on about it for the entire evening and
then have said； ‘Let's say no more about it' just when I was beginning to
enjoy the discussion。 That's where one of my petty vindictive
revenges came in；〃 added Laura with an unrepentant chuckle； 〃I turned
the entire family of speckled Sussex into his seedling shed the day after
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BEASTS AND SUPER…BEASTS
the puppy episode。〃
〃How could you？〃 exclaimed Amanda。
〃It came quite easy；〃 said Laura； 〃two of the hens pretended to be
laying at the time； but I was firm。〃
〃And we thought it was an accident！〃
〃You see；〃 resumed Laura； 〃I really HAVE some grounds for
supposing that my next incarnation will be in a lower organism。 I shall
be an animal of some kind。 On the other hand； I haven't been a bad sort
in my way； so I think I may count on being a nice animal； something
elegant and lively； with a love of fun。 An otter； perhaps。〃
〃I can't imagine you as an otter；〃 said Amanda。
〃Well； I don't suppose you can imagine me as an angel； if it comes to
that；〃 said Laura。
Amanda was silent。 She couldn't。
〃Personally I think an otter life would be rather enjoyable；〃
continued Laura； 〃salmon to eat all the year round； and the satisfaction
of being able to fetch the trout in their own homes without having to
wait for hours 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
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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。
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〃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