Page:Literary Lapses - Leacock - 1919.djvu/80

  "And travelling at the rate of  of

"Of three cents a mile," hinted the listener.

"No, no, you misunderstand me,—but travelling at a fearful rate, simply fearful, sir, would take a hundred million—no, a hundred billion—in short would take a scandalously long time in getting there"

At this point I could stand no more. I interrupted—"Provided it were fired from Philadelphia," I said, and passed into the smoking-car.