Perestroika In Paris

Heavy snow surprises everyone, including Raoul who has never seen snow like this in Paris. It does not stop Madame de Mornay and Etienne from walking to attend mass for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. Etienne carries a shovel and widens the path for Madame. Once she settles into her pew, he sneaks out, runs home to get a bag of stored goodies, and then runs to the pond where he looks for Paras.

Paras sees the boy and stands up to investigate when she smells the treats he brings in his bag: a variety of food including carrots, apples, and lettuce. He feeds her the food as he guides her through Paris to Madame de Mornay’s house. Frida speaks against trusting him, but Raoul supports it because Etienne also has mealworms for him.

Once they reach the house, Etienne opens the gate and opens a door to the house for Paras. She hesitates but is tempted by the warmth within. Frida barks sadly but wanders away to their pond. On the way, she doubles back to mislead a gendarme (police officer) who is searching for Paras.