Derek (The Real Thief) Quotes

“Why had he wanted to be rich, or to feel rich? Was he an unhappy mouse before? Didn’t he see the King himself often looking sad? Was anyone completely happy?”

“How could the whole community, Gawain’s friends, turn against him? Even if he were guilty, were they not still his friends?”

“He wished he could go back in time to the turning point, the moment inside the treasury when he was smitten with envy of the King’s wealth. If history could be unwound and he were there again, he would consider the consequences and he wouldn’t steal.”

“Before starting to work for Gawain, Derek secretly cemented the chink in the floor of the treasury. It wasn’t really necessary, but it made him feel better. He felt it put an end to the whole episode- the theft, the trial, its aftermath.”

“Gawain made Derek his assistant, and got to work at once on his first project- a new opera house, for which he decided to use his favorite form, the egg.”