Chapter 16 Summary

Gemmy moves into a small room in Mrs. Hutchence's house. He has difficulty living in the small space and realizes that the chest she has given him reminds him of his troubled childhood. He remembers the man named Willett who controlled his life when he was a child in England. He was "Willett's Boy"; nothing belonged to him except by Willett's allowance. Willett worked as a rat-catcher in Regent's Park and Gemmy often had to handle the aggressive rodents. His arms were covered in sores and old scars. He lived for Willett; his life was Willett. Willet beat him a razor strap, but Gemmy loved him anyway. Willett was all he had.

There was a time after a particularly bad beating, when Willett was passed out drunk and Gemmy released all of the hunting ferrets from their cages and set a pile of...