even extended itself to The Rat, who appeared to
have taken a new place in his mind. He also seemed now to be a person
to be waited upon and replied to with dignity and formal respect.

When the evening meal was served, Lazarus drew out Loristan's chair at
the head of the table and stood behind it with a majestic air.

"Sir," he said to Marco, "the Master requested that you take his seat
at the table until--while he is not with you."

Marco took the seat in silence.

At two o'clock in the morning, when the roaring road was still, the
light from the street lamp, shining into the small bedroom, fell on two
pale boy faces. The Rat sat up on his sofa bed in the old way with his
hands clasped round his knees. Marco lay flat on his hard pillow.
Neither of them had been to sleep and yet they had not talked a great
deal. Each had secretly guessed a good deal of what the other did not
say.

"There is one thing we must remember," Marco had said, early in the
night. "We must not be afraid."

"No," answered The Rat, almost fiercely, "we must not be afraid."

"We are tired; we came back expecting to be able to tell it all to him.
We have always been looking forward to that. We never thought once
that he might be gone. And he WAS gone. Did you feel as if--" he
turned towards the sofa, "as if something had struck you on the chest?"

"Yes," The Rat answered heavily. "Yes."

"We weren't ready," said Marco. "He had never gone before; but we
ought to have known he might some day be--called. He went because he
was called. He told us to wait. We don't know what we are waiting
for, but we know that we must not be afraid. To let ourselves be
AFRAID would be breaking the Law."

"The Law!" groaned The Rat, dropping his head on his hands, "I'd
forgotten about it."

"Let us remember it," said Marco. "This is the time. 'Hate not. FEAR
not!'" He repeated the last words again and again. "Fear not! Fear
not," he said. "NOTHING can harm him."

The Rat lifted his head, and looked at the bed sideways.

"Did you think--" he said slowly--"did you EVER think that perhaps HE
knew where the descendant of the Lost Prince was?"

Marco answered even more slowly.

"If any one knew--surely he might. He has known so much," he said.

"Listen to this!" broke forth The Rat. "I believe he has gone to TELL
the people. If he does--if he could show them--all the country would
run mad with joy. It wouldn't be only the Secret P