At Christmas, the little village was cheerful.
The weather was wild and cold.
The snow was six feet deep and frozen hard.
Despite all, the villagers smiled and were happy.
Bells jingled on horses in the street.
Every house in the village was decorated for Christmas.
Cakes and candy were given as gifts.
Friends gathered in homes for joking and dancing.
Pots full of soup sat on the stoves.
It was dark and sad only in the little hut.
A week before Christmas, Death entered the tiny home.
Jehan, Nello's loving grandfather and Patrasche's caring owner, passed away.
Nello and Pastrasche were left utterly alone.
Jehan had been sick for a long time, spending his days in bed.
He hadn't spoken for many weeks, but he had always smiled for Nello and Patrasche.
His loss gave them both great grief.
Nello and Patrasche stayed with Jehan's body all day in the hut.
The next afternoon, his coffin was taken to an unmarked grave by the little gray church.
Nello and Patrasche were the only mourners.
The miller's wife saw Nello and Patrasche walking behind the coffin on the way to the church.
"Surely, my husband will change his mind about Nello.
He will let Nello see Alois,"
she thought, looking at Master Cogez.
The miller knew her thought, but he would not change his mind.
"The boy is a beggar," he said to himself.
"He should not be friends with Alois."
The miller's wife did not dare say anything aloud.
But after Nello and Patrasche had left the grave, she put some flowers into Alois' hands.
She told Alois to take the flowers and place them on Jehan's grave.
Nello and Patrasche went home with broken hearts.
When they got home, a small note was nailed to the door.
Nello read it.
It said the rent for the little hut was overdue.
The owner of the hut was a farmer and also a friend of Master Cogez.
Nello slowly walked down the road to the farmer's house.
After he had paid for the funeral, Nello had no money left.
The farmer answered the door with an annoyed look on his face.
He listened to Nello explain his situation.
The farmer's look did not change.
He told Nello he wanted everything in the hut as payment for the rent ─ every pot and pan.
Then the farmer told Nello and Patrasche to be out of the hut by the next day.
Nello begged the farmer to change his mind, but he wouldn't listen.
The farmer began to shout, and Nello turned with Patrasche to leave.
The hut was only a simple home, but they had been happy there.
In the summer, the hut was pretty and bright.
The garden had given them vegetables.
In the shed, Nello had drawn his pictures.
All night long, the boy and the dog sat in the hut, without a fire to keep them warm.
They slept close together.
Nello and Patrasche had nothing left but each other.