How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #10
Reader, was it a trick?
Of course it was!
Botticelli did not want to be of service. Far from it. You know what Botticelli wanted. He wanted others to suffer. Specifically, he wanted this small mouse to suffer. How best to do that?
Why, take him right directly to what he wanted. The princess. Let him see what his heart desired, and then, and only then, faced with what he loved, would Despereaux die. (47.30-33)
Botticelli can't resist the opportunity to lie to Despereaux and trick him into a horrible death. Classic rat behavior.