Question

Years later Mrs. Packletide writes her autobiography. As Mrs. Packletide, write
about the tiger episode with the help of the clues given below.

jealous of the applause Loona was getting-thought of tiger hunt--all arranged-- Louisa Mebbin accompanied; turned out to be a blackmailer-huge price to pay to outdo a rival

Answer 1

When I think about my life, I realise that many of my biggest wins came from competing with other people. I finally decided to go on my own hunt because of the ridiculous praise that Loona Bimberton was getting. She kept bragging about having shot tigers. It was impossible for me to stand by and let her pride go unchallenged. I carefully set everything up, making sure it was ready for a performance better than hers.

I made the mistake of hiring Louisa Mebbin to go with me, which turned out to be my biggest mistake. I thought she would just be a background figure, but it turned out she was a sneaky blackmailer who was always watching my reputation and waiting for a chance to take advantage of any mistake I made. The hunt itself was strange, and it ended only by accident, but everyone chose to praise my shooting. When I think about it now, I see that the whole thing was a huge, pointless gamble. Yes, I beat my competitor, but it cost me a lot more than the thousand rupees I paid the villagers. It was a high price to pay for vanity, and it taught me how expensive it is to maintain a reputation based on nothing but a lie.