The Family Under The Bridge

Armand glares at the children and their dog. The eldest girl tells the dog, Jojo, to stop barking at Armand because he’s not a threat and can’t kick them out. Armand is offended by her dismissiveness and says that he could be “a workingman right now” if he wanted to (13). The girl introduces the children to Armand—her name is Suzy, her younger brother is Paul, and her younger sister is Evelyne. She explains that their father died recently, and their mother had not been able to afford their rent alone. Their landlady evicted them. The children are hiding under the bridge so that the authorities don’t find them and take them away to a charity home.

Armand says that the children have taken away his home the same way their landlady took away theirs. Suzy draws a rectangle on the ground with charcoal and says it is now Armand’s room and that they can all live together. Suzy begs him to stay so they can pretend he is their grandfather. Armand says he doesn’t want to be a grandfather, but he still unpacks his belongings and starts a fire with the branches he’d gathered earlier. He begins cooking the scraps of food he’d gathered that day and explains to the children that in the “good old days” of Paris, the marketplaces would freely give the leftover, unsold food to unhoused people (15). He shares his meal with the children and the dog.

By the time the children’s mother returns, it is dark outside. The only light is the fire that Armand built. The mother, Madame Calcet, is angry and challenges Armand. Suzy tries to explain that Armand is a nice, friendly old man who is going to live with them. Armand says he’s not friendly: “I’m a mean, cranky old tramp, and I hate children and dogs and women” (18). Paul asks why Armand shared his food if he hated them. Armand says it’s because he’s “stupid” and “soft-hearted.” The mother, Madame Calcet, is angry that the children accepted food from Armand. She says that they are not beggars because she has a steady job at the laundry. She makes soup and bread and starts to create beds on the ground for the family. Armand tells her that she should let the children live in a charity home until they can find a place to live. He says the streets are no place for children. She argues that families should stay together.

When Armand wakes in the morning, Madame Calcet has already gone to work for the day. Armand asks if the children will be going to school, but they say they cannot go back to school until they have a new home because if anyone finds out they are currently unhoused, they will be taken away from their mother. Armand says he can’t babysit them because he has “places to go” (21). They beg to accompany him, and he eventually agrees. During the exchange, the children reveal that their last name is Calcet; they ask what Armand’s last name is, but he says he’s forgotten and that it was something like Pouly or Pougy. He offers to take them to meet his friend, Father Christmas. They tell him that their mother said there would be no Christmas that year because Father Christmas would not know where to find them.

Armand and the children walk through Paris. He shows them the sights: Notre Dame, city hall, fancy hotels, and so on. They go to a busy shopping street and watch the shoppers. The children are frequently distracted by things they want, and Armand soothes them by making the things sound undesirable. He tells them a mechanical soldier is a “cheap toy,” tries to convince them that a beautiful Christmas cake tastes like medicine and is tough and bitter, and dismisses roasted chestnuts as “wormy” (29).

They make it to the department store at the Louvre, where Armand takes them upstairs to meet the store’s Father Christmas. At first, the children are frightened by Father Christmas, who is scolding some boys who were mishandling the electric trains. When the children feel more comfortable, they tell him that what they want for Christmas is a home. Father Christmas says that he can’t give them a home because it wouldn’t fit on the back of his donkey. The children are disappointed. As they leave the department store, a floor manager chases them out, implying that they, as people who appear unhoused, do not belong in a nice store.

Outside the store, Armand encourages the children to sing along to the song playing in a store window display. The children sing sweetly, which charms the crowds. Armand passes a hat around and collects money. He waits until that crowd moves on and then has the children repeat the performance. They collect a significant amount of money in Armand’s hat. Eventually, the floor manager of the department store comes out and tells them they’re not allowed to beg in front of the Louvre.

On the walk home, Armand uses the money to buy the children “pancakes” (crêpes) as a treat. When they reach a crowded corner, Armand suggests the children sing for money again. They do, but they are interrupted by a man with a monkey who says they’re “cutting into [his] territory” and “stealing his show” (42). Armand calls the man Titi and argues that they are not appealing to the same audience. The monkey tips his hat at the children, who are charmed and insist that Armand give the monkey a coin.

At the roasted chestnut stand, Armand again treats the children. He tells them he will take them out every day if they do not tell their mother about the day’s events, but when Madame Calcet returns, the children rush to share the pancakes and roasted chestnuts they saved for her. Suspiciously, the mother asks where they got the food; the children confess that they sang for coins. Madame Calcet is angry and says Armand has turned her children into “beggars.” She announces that they are going to leave the bridge and commands the children not to have contact with Armand again. Armand bristles and “proudly” says that he will leave (47). Distraught, the children claim him as their grandfather and beg their mother to change her mind. Armand leaves.