The Thief Lord

The children put a blanket on the floor of the bathroom and lock Victor in. With his hands tied, he tries in vain to reach the emergency supplies in his shoe and curses about having taken the case. Quietly, the door opens, and Prosper removes his gag. Victor wonders if Prosper’s “boss” gave him permission to do so, and Prosper swears Scipio isn’t their boss. Victor asks Prosper to fetch the box he left outside, and Prosper is puzzled to find a tortoise in it. Nevertheless, he puts the tortoise on the blanket next to Victor, who worries about Lando, his other tortoise. Mosca snores; he fell asleep keeping watch.

Victor says Bo and Prosper need a home and parents. Prosper starts to cry about losing Bo, and Victor asks about his mother. Prosper says Venice is everything his mother said it would be. Victor promises to talk to Esther about taking in Prosper too. Bo then appears and is delighted about the tortoise. He asks if Victor plans to take him and Prosper to Esther and assures Victor that he doesn’t need to because the other children take care of him. Bo tells Victor about the job Scipio got for the Conte.