“What kind of volunteer firefighter are you, Snicket?” “Not a very good one,” I said. “I’m part of an invincible army, but not a victorious one.” “I don’t even know what that means,” Stew said. “That’s not surprising,” I said. I looked around the library for the last time. “It’s not the sort of thing you learn at a top-drawer school. It means that our plans often get shattered, no matter how brilliant they are. But our purpose remains intact. We may ask the wrong questions, but we know the right answers. We might not always have an actual compass”—and here I stole a look at Ellington and then
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