He rides a strange animal like a circus horse.

Rita had spotted him out of the corner of her eye as he passed them, putting up his enormous paw in a still more enormous glove, airily, you know, like this" (Blunt waved his hand above his head), "to Allegre.

He passes on.

All at once he wheels his fantastic animal round and comes trotting after them.

With the merest casual '_Bonjour_, Allegre' he ranges close to her on the other side and addresses her, hat in hand, in that booming voice of his like a deferential roar of the sea very far away.