I burst out laughing; whereat she twisted her neck until her wrinkled, brown old face appeared over her shoulder staring at me.

This made me laugh again, whereupon she straightened herself up once more and turned round to have a good look at me.
"Come, Cla-cla," I cried; "can you not see that I am a living man and no spirit?
I thought no one had remained behind to keep me company and give me food.

Why are you not with the others ?" "Ah, why!" she returned tragically.

And then deliberately turning from me and assuming a most unladylike attitude, she slapped herself vigorously on the small of the back, exclaiming: "Because of my pain here!" As she continued in that position with her back towards me for some time, I laughed once more and begged her to explain.
Slowly she turned round and advanced cautiously towards me, staring at me all the time.

Finally, still eyeing me suspiciously, she related that the others had all gone on a visit to a distant village, she starting with them; that after going some distance a pain had attacked her in her hind quarters, so sudden and acute that it had instantly brought her to a full stop; and to illustrate how full the stop was she allowed herself to go down, very unnecessarily, with a flop to the ground.