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Waldo slowly got up, took a few more steps, then sat down again.
“He really knows how to walk a dog!” said Stuart. “No wonder Mrs. North chose him.”
“And what would you do different?” asked Marvin.
“Did you hear something?” Stuart asked.
“No, I didn’t hear anything,” said Nick.
“I thought I heard someone talking to me,” said Stuart. “It must have been the wind.”
Instead of going around the block, Marvin only managed to go to the corner and back. At least he didn’t have to use the pooper-scooper in front of Nick and Stuart. But Waldo hadn’t eaten in two days. And if nothing goes in, nothing comes out.
He put Waldo back in the house.
“I’ll be out in a second,” he told his friends. “Then we can do something. Okay?”
He put the leash and pooper-scooper away.
Waldo lay on the floor, watching him with sad eyes.
“See you later, Waldo,” said Marvin. “Eat something.”
He checked to make sure he still had the key, then went outside, locking the door behind him.
Nick and Stuart were gone.
Chapter 6
Some Dog Food Is Eaten
On Sunday, Waldo’s bowl was still full of food.
Maybe the food had gone bad. It had been in his bowl since Wednesday night.
Marvin took the bowl into the garage and dumped it into Mrs. North’s garbage can.
He returned to the kitchen. He found some green dish soap under the sink. He washed Waldo’s bowl. Then he rinsed it a long time so it wouldn’t taste like soap. He dried it with a dish towel, which he found in the drawer next to the sink.
Waldo watched him.
He filled the bowl with fresh dog food.
“Here you go,” he said, setting it down in front of the old whisker-faced dog.
Waldo didn’t even look at it.
Marvin picked out a piece of dog food and held it in front of Waldo’s nose. “Yum, yum,” he said.
Waldo turned his head away. He whined.
Marvin sat on the kitchen floor and stroked his back. “I tell you what,” he said. “If I eat it, will you?”
The bit of dog food was still in his hand.
Marvin opened his mouth wide so Waldo could see. He took the bit of dog food between his thumb and forefinger and held it inside his mouth.
He was careful not to let it touch his tongue.
