diff --git a/Cassandane/Cyrus/Master.pm b/Cassandane/Cyrus/Master.pm
index 13e74ef08..5bc139182 100644
--- a/Cassandane/Cyrus/Master.pm
+++ b/Cassandane/Cyrus/Master.pm
@@ -48,6 +48,7 @@ use DateTime;
 use Cassandane::Util::Log;
 use Cassandane::Util::Wait;
 use Cassandane::Util::Socket;
+use Cassandane::Util::Sample;
 use Cassandane::Util::Metronome;
 use Cassandane::Instance;
 use Cassandane::Service;
@@ -112,7 +113,7 @@ sub lemming_push
     $lemming->{sock}->close();
 
     # Wait for the master process to wake up and reap the lemming.
-    timed_wait(sub { kill(0, $lemming->{pid}) == 0 },
+    return timed_wait(sub { kill(0, $lemming->{pid}) == 0 },
 	       description => "master to reap lemming $lemming->{pid}");
 }
 
@@ -715,6 +716,51 @@ sub test_service_noexe
     $self->assert(!$self->{instance}->is_running());
 }
 
+sub test_reap_rate
+{
+    my ($self) = @_;
+
+    xlog "Testing latency after which cyrus reaps dead children";
+
+    my $max_latency = 1.0;  # seconds
+
+    my $srv = $self->lemming_service(tag => 'A');
+    $self->start();
+
+    xlog "not preforked, so no lemmings running yet";
+    $self->assert_deep_equals({},
+			      $self->lemming_census());
+
+    xlog "Build a vast flock of lemmings";
+    my @lemmings;
+    for (1..100)
+    {
+	push(@lemmings, lemming_connect($srv));
+    }
+    $self->assert_deep_equals({
+				A => { live => 100, dead => 0 },
+			      }, $self->lemming_census());
+
+    # This technique avoids having new connections at the
+    # same time as we're trying to measure reaping latency,
+    # which can hide racy bugs in the main select() loop.
+    xlog "Killing all the lemmings one by one";
+    my $ss = new Cassandane::Util::Sample;
+    while (my $lemm = shift @lemmings)
+    {
+	my $t = lemming_push($lemm, 'success');
+	$self->assert($t < $max_latency,
+		      "Child reap latency is >= $max_latency sec");
+	$ss->add($t);
+    }
+    xlog "Reap times: $ss";
+
+    xlog "no more live lemmings";
+    $self->assert_deep_equals({
+				A => { live => 0, dead => 100 },
+			      }, $self->lemming_census());
+}
+
 sub measure_fork_rate
 {
     my ($self, $srv, $rate) = @_;
diff --git a/Cassandane/Util/Wait.pm b/Cassandane/Util/Wait.pm
index c8262f6e4..494712413 100644
--- a/Cassandane/Util/Wait.pm
+++ b/Cassandane/Util/Wait.pm
@@ -69,11 +69,13 @@ sub timed_wait
 	$p{delay} *= 1.5;	# backoff
     }
 
-    xlog "Waited " .
-	tv_interval($start, [gettimeofday()]) .
-	" sec for " .
-	$p{description}
-	if ($delayed);
+    if ($delayed)
+    {
+	my $t = tv_interval($start, [gettimeofday()]);
+	xlog "Waited $t sec for " . $p{description};
+	return $t;
+    }
+    return 0.0;
 }