Page:Three speeds forward.djvu/70

 You ought to have seen how pleased he looked! Perhaps it was rather forward of me, but I couldn't help it. He was too nice not to tease a little, and after his promise about the tabooed subject, I wasn't afraid to skate all around it. Not that the stern facts of existence were neglected, however. The road was so narrow that he had to back too, having a 114-wheel base, and we both backed and backed and backed, till it would have made a cat laugh. Then we'd cool off, and talk, and back some more. He had some crackers in his kit, and a bottle of fizz water, and we had a sort of lunch, and grew chummier and chummier; even Olaff licking the crumbs off his hand and growing quite friendly—which I thought was a good sign, as Olaff is a regular Bernard Shaw on character, and sees right through people. I told Mr. Marsden he ought to be tremendously complimented; and he said he was, and anybody could see he loved dogs, and really appreciated Great Danes. Nothing would