Summary

Chapter one begins by introducing Armand, a hobo who lives on the street of Paris. He transports all of his belongings in a baby buggy and only owns the clothes on his back. It’s Christmastime and there are lots of flowers all over the city. He takes some wilted flowers from Anabel’s flower stand and puts a piece of holly in his buttonhole. Mireli, a fortune teller, stops and tells him that he will have an adventure. He knows her and they chat. He tells her that the Christmas crowds are sending him back under the bridge; he doesn’t like all the children. Mireli tells him that he’s scared of children because they might steal his heart. They part and he runs into some children; one is eating an apple. When they mock him, he thinks they must be...