"Why child! Why are you crying? Are you hurt?" the man asked.
Copernicus's heart skipped a beat. That voice was familiar, but it wasn't his master's, and it wasn't Charlie's. There wasn't a hint of anger or chiding in it. It only sounded concerned.
"You are sure to catch a cold if you stay in the rain. Why don't you run home like the rest of us?" the man went on.
Startled and trying to wipe the tears from his eyes, the boy looked up. Through the mist of rain, he saw the kind man, like a pillar, towering over him. The gentleman was wearing a tall hat and a long, flowing coat which blew open in the wind, revealing the most elaborate patterned silk lining. As the child's vision cleared a little, he had no doubt that this was the magician who had helped him before. He saw the man's brow furrow in thoughtful recognition.
"I know you," he mused. "You are the boy whom I met days ago. The one who had lost his penny. But what has happened?" he asked pityingly. "Why do you sit here weeping? You are soaked through! Where are your parents?"
The look of lost, sorrowful grief in Copper's eyes could have melted any heart. "I don't got any parents!" he sobbed. "All I got is my master. And he's gonna beat me when I get home!"
"Beat you? My poor child! Whatever for? What brought this on? Come, tell me all about it."
With those pitying words, Mordechai coaxed the distraught child to rise from the cold ground, and he folded his jacket around him. The shelter and warmth of that momentary refuge was unbelievable. What comfort. What safety. It almost made the drowsy boy wish to fall asleep. In as few words as possible, he explained all of the woes of his life and day.
Mr. Dross listened quietly. When the boy had finished, a few seconds of silence followed as if the man was in deep thought about something.
"Poor, poor lad," he sighed at length, shaking his head mournfully. "What unthinkable cruelty you endure. Uncared for, unloved, misused, never appreciated. It should not be."
The gentle tone of sympathy made Copper pity himself even more than he had before. But it also soothed a deep ache in his heart. At least someone understood how he felt. At least someone cared about him. He clung tightly to this man who had instantly become his dearest friend. Then Mordechai stooped down and whispered in his ear.
"Why suffer any longer, my friend?"
The boy sniffled and made another attempt to stop crying. "What?" he asked in confusion.
The man gazed down at him with a fatherly look in his eyes. "You deserve so much better than this," he answered. "You deserve better than to live with a cruel master who doesn't understand you, doesn't love you, will never consider your needs. Poor Copernicus. You live like a slave when you should be free. A lad like you ought to have all your heart's desires."
Copper hid his face against the man's satin waistcoat and stifled another sob. "All I want is a family," he whimpered. He felt the man's arms pull him a little closer and hold him securely.
"Then let me grant your wish," Mr. Dross whispered. "Let me save you from this life of bondage."
Once again, Copper looked up and met the man's gaze. "How?" he asked, mystified.
Mordechai smiled at the wonder shining in the boy's eyes. "It requires no magic trick," he answered. "You are only a few steps from freedom. Come with me, and I will share with you all that I possess. You will be mine, just like a son. And I will be a father to you."
"A father?" the child echoed in amazement. Could it be true? Or had he fallen asleep on the doorstep and was dreaming? Copper saw before him a door of escape which swung wide open to receive him. Why couldn't he go with this man? What was there back at home worth clinging to? He didn't belong to the Hannovers, not really. Aunt May was gone. She had died hoping that her brother would cherish and love her relative's child. But he didn't. No one did. No one except for this magician who looked down upon him with so much compassion in his eyes.
"Come, my friend," Mordechai said persuasively. "Come with me, and you will know what it is to have a family. I will give you a home, and I will protect you, and you will have a dozen brothers who will delight in your company. More than that, someday I will make you wealthy, and you will be just like a prince having power and riches."
Temptation drew the little boy closer and closer to his door of escape. What did he owe Mr. Hannover? Why should he make himself a slave to the man? He had worked for years never getting more than a penny here and there for his labor.
"You will come with me, won't you, my son?" Mordechai coaxed again.
The child couldn't find his voice, but with his heart nearly bursting with relief and hope, he nodded his head.
"Marvelous!" Dross said with a shining smile. "Now, let us dry those tears! Where did I put that handkerchief of mine?" He patted his pockets in a fruitless search and then brightened with a look of revelation. "Ah, I remember now!" he exclaimed with a jolly laugh. Then, before the curious boy's eyes, the magician reached out into space, and with a few deft motions, he seemed to pull his handkerchief out of thin air. It happened flawlessly except that they both heard a clattering sound when the handkerchief appeared, as if something metal had fallen on the ground.
"Dear me, what did I drop?" Mordechai asked himself aloud. He scanned the ground for a second, but he didn't see a thing, so he shrugged his shoulders. "It must have been a penny," he concluded.
Copper's sorrow started to melt. He laughed in astonishment at the man's unexplainable tricks and let Mordechai wipe the tears from his wind-blasted face.
"Tired, aren't you, friend?" Dross asked. "I can tell that you are. But have no fear, our journey will not last long on foot. Before you know it, we will be home."
Copernicus could scarcely believe it. A few minutes later, he found himself following Mr. Dross deep into the city. He felt shocked at first, as if it couldn't be real. But the further he and the man traveled, the more he fathomed what had happened. He had truly run away from home, and he was walking toward a new life.
He was very glad when Mordechai came to a halt and waved to a large omnibus on the road. The vehicle swerved and hastened across the street to meet them.
"We've got a place for you and your boy, sir!" the conductor called out.
"Inside, I hope," Dross replied, eyeing the miserable passengers who were stacked on the omnibus roof, unsheltered from the rain.
"Only the best for you, my good fellow!" the conductor replied, ushering both into the vehicle.
Copernicus shuffled into the long carriage and took his seat close to his friend. The omnibus rattled away, and for a while, Copper sat wondering if he was dreaming. He couldn't believe that he had really run away, that he would never return to the bakery again.
As they travelled, Mordechai pulled down the cuff of his righthand glove, as if searching for something. A flashing memory made Copper recall the beautiful medallion which the man had shown him when they had first met. That was where Mordechai had stowed the lucky thing, tucked between his wrist and glove. But as the magician sought his talisman by habit, he suddenly grew rigid with alarm. He made a more careful search for the thing and then pulled his glove off anxiously. But it was gone.
"Blast it!" he muttered. He let out a rather shaky sigh as he put his glove back on.
"Y'alright?" Copper asked worriedly.
Mordechai tried to hide his alarm. "Of course, of course, my friend!" he replied. "It is only that I lost something very important to me. You remember my medallion, surely? I must have dropped it somewhere. But I can remedy it. It is nothing for you to worry about." He drew the boy closer with his arm, and his reassuring tone of voice made up for the momentary panic.
Copernicus expected their journey to cease any minute, but the omnibus drove on and on. Soon, the boy grew too weary to wait. Softly, sleep closed out the light of morning, and the lad's head dropped upon Mordechai's shoulder. He fell into such a deep, sound sleep that he knew nothing more.
As time passed, the omnibus crept through the crowded city, battling traffic jams and making frequent stops. Another passenger came on board, and Dross gently lifted Copper onto his knees in order to offer the person a roomier seat. At last, they reached their stopping place, but Copernicus didn't learn its name. When Mordechai stepped out of the omnibus, the boy was fast asleep in his arms.
The next thing Copper knew was a din of voices and a pleasant warmth which began to thaw his icy fingertips and wind-blasted cheeks.
"Who's that?" a child asked excitedly.
"Father, where've ya been?" another boy piped in.
"Who's the new bloke?" a third lad shouted among a multitude of other voices.
Mr. Dross made a shushing noise and kicked a door shut behind him. "He is your new brother," he answered the quizzical lads. "His name is Copernicus."
Copper really wanted to open his eyes and see these little strangers who had taken so much interest in him, but he just couldn't do it. He was too sleepy even to lift an eyelid, and when Mordechai laid him down on a flock mattress, it was so much softer than his own straw one that he fell right back to sleep.
"Try not to wake him, my good men," he heard his new father whisper to the others. "When he comes to himself, I am sure he will be happy to answer all of your questions."
Copernicus's deep sleep made the day's events seem like nothing more than a dream. When he finally woke, he fully expected to find himself in Hannover's attic room, doomed to begin another hard night of work. But instead, he opened his eyes to a strange new sight.
The boy gave a start and sat up in bed, confused, drowsy, and frightened. His world had changed. It took him several minutes to regather his memories and make sense of them. As they slid into place like a big jigsaw puzzle, his eyes took a sweeping glance at his new surroundings.
His bed was only one in a long row of mattresses, and there was another row lining the opposite wall. The beds were huddled close together, and none of them had been made that day. But they were each warmly clad by a wool blanket and dirty looking flannel sheets. This was the first thing Copper noticed because his bed was just the same, and the bedclothes felt wonderfully cozy to him.
Next, the boy noticed one cracked window which had been patched up with a wad of cloth. Then he saw that the walls were lined with shelves which were decorated with the strangest array of odds and ends. Proudly displayed in different colors were empty bottles, funny-shaped rocks, shells from the river bank, broken dishes, and every other random oddity imaginable. It was nothing more than a heap of trash, but it was so tastefully displayed that it had a way of drawing one's eye. It could have almost been called artistic even though it was rubbish.
The strangest thing Copper noticed about his new home was that the chaotic clamor he had heard at first was gone. Silence reigned in the building. He seemed to be completely alone. Not a voice or a footstep was to be heard for a long while. Then, at last, a door opened softly, and the boy saw Mordechai enter the room.
Copernicus jumped out of bed and looked almost frightened with guilt. "I've overslept, haven't I?" he asked anxiously. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! But...but I was so tired." He rubbed the sleep away from his eyes, still only half awake.
Mordechai smiled. "What pleasant manners you have," he remarked. "Your eagerness to please makes me proud of you. But come, put away this needless fear. You have done nothing wrong. After all you had been through, I imagined that you must have needed the rest."
"Thank you," Copper sighed in relief. He smiled and laughed at himself, imagining that he must have seemed very strange to his new family. "I'm afraid you'll think me dreadfully odd," he said. "I sleep through the day, and I don't wake up till the sun's settin'. I don't know how I'll manage to change that."
About that time, Copper realized that he had been dressed in a dingy off-white nightgown. Suddenly, a little feeling of worry gripped his heart. His mind flitted back to the priceless heirloom which he had stowed in his jacket's pocket: his own parent's pocket watch. It was the only thing he had which truly belonged to him.
"Where are my things?" he asked anxiously.
"You're clothes and shoes?" Mordechai clarified. "I had them hung up to dry. They were dripping wet. You poor fellow! And you were nearly blue with cold! I was relieved when you stopped shivering."
"But where are they?" the boy pressed. He colored at the sound of his panicked voice. And yet, he couldn't help it. All he could think of was his pocket watch. He had to know where it was. He had to keep it safe. Oh, perish the thought! One of the other boys might have already found it.
Scrambling to make up for his tone, he added, "I'd very much like to get dressed, you see. The floor is so cold on my feet. May I have my clothes back, Mr. Dross?"
Mordechai gave a wise smile. "Yes, you may."
He reached a hand out to the child. Copper hesitated before taking it. As his drowsiness wore off, a late feeling of caution touched his heart. But how could it last? Mr. Dross took his hand with such a kind grasp, and he smiled so nicely.
"My boys keep their clothes in that trunk over there," the man explained, pointing to a large one at the far end of the room. "None of them are particular about who wears what. And be sure, you may help yourself to their wardrobe. But have no fear," he added, giving the worried boy a wink as if he knew his feelings perfectly, "they touched none of your things. I entrusted your possessions to a very dependable person, and I assure you, he laid them in a safe place without tampering with them. Come and see."
Following the man out of the room, Copper gawked at a long, dusty hallway with doors on both sides. A bit of patterned wallpaper whispered from the past a story of elegance and prosperity. But it was an old story now. The wallpaper was faded and peeling away from the paneling, the ceiling was draped with spiderwebs, and there was a musty, stagnant smell in the air.
Where are we? the boy wondered. I wish I'd stayed awake long enough to find out. But I ain't got a clue. Only...this ain't no common house. It's like a mansion! A really, really old mansion.
The faded elegance of the hall changed into bright, modern luxury as Mordechai unlocked and opened a door. "This is my own chamber," he said, leading the boy inside.
As they stepped onto the new bright-colored rug, and as the room's glory contrasted with the dinginess of the rest of the house, the man felt the need to explain.
"This house is a work in progress, Copernicus," he began. His voice sounded disheartened, almost apologetic. "It is old, I'm afraid...very old. I keep trying to repair it room by room, but that takes time and money."
"Don't you got no money, sir?" Copper asked as he found his own clothes hanging up by the bedroom fireplace. In that large, drafty house, a cheerful fire was needed almost year-round to keep out the damp and chill.
Mordechai sat down in a big, stout armchair and heaved a sigh. "Yes and no," he answered thoughtfully. "It is something of a story. Would you like to hear it?" With a smile, Copper nodded his head. He sat down on the warm hearth and listened as the man began. "I wasn't born to the life you see me living now."
"Weren't you?" the boy asked in surprise.
"No," Mr. Dross answered, shaking his head. "I was born to be a lord. My father was a baron. And by all rights, I should have inherited his land when he died. But, as you see, I live here instead."
Mordechai's story went on, and without doubt, it sounded very pitiable. He had been such a devoted, dutiful son. He had put out every effort to make his father proud of him. But in the end, his father had grown attached to a deceitful nephew who had managed to cast unmerited shame upon Mordechai by accusing him of some unthinkable crime.
"I was disowned unjustly, cast away with hardly a pound to live upon and with no chance of proving my innocence. My cousin inherited everything just as he had hoped and planned."
The injustice of it made Copernicus's heart fill with defensive anger. "Well, that's just wrong!" he cried. Then, looking at his friend's downcast face, he felt urged to make up for the man's loss. "But this place ain't so bad really!" he expressed. "And you can't be too awfully poor, can you?" He sent the man a curious look. "After all, you've got some very nice things here."
A gleam of light shone in Mordechai's eyes, and he smiled. "You are right, Copernicus! Very right!" he answered. "Even tarnished silver can be polished again. And now, I will share a hope of mine. I am going to be a lord again. Though they deprived me of my inheritance, they could not steal my title. I am still Lord Cunningham. And someday—very soon, I feel—I am going to be rich again."
"How, sir?"
"It takes time and effort," Mordechai answered. "But it will happen, I give my solemn oath. And when it does," he added, smiling his warm, fatherly smile, "I will make you rich as well. With me, you will have the brightest future, Copernicus! You and all of the boys in my care."
It seemed too good to be true. Perhaps that should have made Copper feel uneasy, but he liked the magician too much to question his story or his integrity. He believed every word he had heard. He could imagine being given a proper education and making something grand of himself. But whether that happened or not, he hardly cared. He only rejoiced in the fact that he was finally wanted and loved—that he belonged somewhere.
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