They walked along the grassy side of the concrete road that split the panorama right down the middle all the way down to where it vanished among the hills. It was so old that Red's father couldn't tell Red when it had been built. It didn't have a crack or a rough spot in it. Red said, "Can you keep a secret?" "Sure, Red. What kind of a secret?" "Just a secret. Maybe I'll tell you and maybe I won't. I don't know yet." Red broke a long, supple stem from a fern they passed, methodically stripped it of its leaflets and swung what was left whip-fashion. For a moment, he was on a wild charger, which reared and champed under his iron control. Then he got tired, tossed the whip aside and stowed the charger away in a corner of his imagination for future use. He said, "There'll be a circus around." Slim said, "That's no secret. I knew that. My Dad told me even before we came here--" "That's not the secret. Fine secret! Ever see a circus?" "Oh, sure. You bet." "Like it?" "Say, there isn't anything I like better." Red was watching out of the corner of his eyes again. "Ever think you would like to be with a circus? I mean, for good?" Slim considered, "I guess not. I think I'll be an astronomer like my Dad. I think he wants me to be." "Huh! Astronomer!" said Red. Slim felt the doors of the new, private world closing on him and astronomy became a thing of dead stars and black, empty space. He said, placatingly, "A circus _would_ be more fun." "You're just saying that." "No, I'm not. I mean it." Red grew argumentative. "Suppose you had a chance to join the circus right now. What would you do?" "I--I--" "See!" Red affected scornful laughter. Slim was stung. "I'd join up." "Go on." "Try me." Red whirled at him, strange and intense. "You meant that? You want to go in with me?" [Illustration] "What do you mean?" Slim stepped back a bit, surprised by the unexpected challenge. "I got something that can get us into the circus. Maybe someday we can even have a circus of our own. We could be the biggest circus-fellows in the world. That's if you want to go in with me. Otherwise--Well, I guess I can do it on my own. I just thought: Let's give good old Slim a chance." The world was strange and glamorous, and Slim said, "Sure thing, Red. I'm in! What is it, huh, Red? Tell me what it is." "Figure it out. What's the most important thing in circuses?" Slim thought desperately. He wanted to give the right answer. Finally, he said, "Acrobats?" "Holy Smokes! I wouldn't go five steps to look at acrobats." "I don't know then." "Animals, that's what! What's the best side-show? Where are the biggest crowds? Even in the main rings the best acts are animal acts." There was no doubt in Red's voice. "Do you think so?" "Everyone thinks so. You ask anyone. Anyway, I found animals this morning. Two of them." "And you've got them?" "Sure. That's the secret. Are you telling?" "Of course not." "Okay. I've got them in the barn. Do you want to see them?"