“I can’t get her into lyric shape, try as I will,” said Septimus mournfully. “You see, one has to work in a lot of sentimental, sugary compliment with a catchy rhyme, and a certain amount of personal biography or prophecy. They’ve all of them got to have a long string of past successes recorded about them, or else you’ve got to foretell blissful things about them and yourself in the future. For instance, there is:

‘Dainty little girlie Mavis,

She is such a rara avis,

All the money I can save is

All to be for Mavis mine.’