From the condition of my guest's costume he
seemed to think it might also serve as his dressing-room.
"'I'm afraid there is nowhere for you to sit,' I said coldly; 'the
verandah is full of goats.'
"'There is a goat in my bedroom,' he observed with equal coldness, and
more than a suspicion of sardonic reproach.
"'Really,' I said, 'another survivor? I thought all the other goats were
done for.'
"'This particular goat is quite done for,' he said, 'it is being devoured
by a leopard at the present moment. That is why I left the room; some
animals resent being watched while they are eating.'
"The leopard, of course, was easily explained; it had been hanging round
the goat sheds when the flood came, and had clambered up by the outside
staircase leading to the Bishop's bath-room, thoughtfully bringing a goat
with it. Probably it found the bath-room too damp and shut-in for its
taste, and transferred its banqueting operations to the bedroom while the
Bishop was having his nap."
"What a frightful situation!" exclaimed Annabel; "fancy having a ravening
leopard in the house, with a flood all round you."
"Not in the least ravening," said Matilda; "it was full of goat, had any
amount of water at its disposal if it felt thirsty, and probably had no
more immediate wish than a desire for uninterrupted sleep.
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