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Because any school-boy who knew the map could have done the same
thing, Marco drew them. He also knew the stations the Secret Two
would arrive at and leave by when they entered a city, the
streets they would walk through and the very uniforms they would
see; but of these things he said nothing. The reality his
knowledge gave to the game was, however, a thrilling thing. He
wished he could have been free to explain to The Rat the things
he knew. Together they could have worked out so many details of
travel and possible adventure that it would have been almost as
if they had set out on their journey in fact.
As it was, the mere sketching of the route fired The Rat's
imagination. He forged ahead with the story of adventure, and
filled it with such mysterious purport and design that the Squad
at times gasped for breath. In his glowing version the Secret
Two entered cities by midnight and sang and begged at palace
gates where kings driving outward paused to listen and were given
the Sign.
``Though it would not always be kings,'' he said. ``Sometimes it
would be the poorest people. Sometimes they might seem to be
beggars like ourselves, when they were only Secret Ones
disguised. A great lord might wear poor clothes and pretend to
be a workman, and we should only know him by the signs we had
learned by heart. When we were sent to Samavia, we should be
obliged to creep in through some back part of the country where
no fighting was being done and where no one would attack. Their
generals are not clever enough to protect the parts which are
joined to friendly countries, and they have not forces enough.
Two boys could find a way in if they thought it out.''
He became possessed by the idea of thinking it out on the spot.
He drew his rough map of Samavia on the flagstones with his
chalk.
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