- Vahan, or Verkine as he's now known, wears girl clothes and pretends to be a chick. None of the other girls at the orphanage care too much—they just think she's a little weird—and he tries to keep to himself so no one suspects anything.
- One morning Mrs. Fauld asks Vahan if he can milk a cow and take care of a horse. There's an Armenian doc who's looking for a servant to help his wife, and Vahan just might be the right fit for them.
- Vahan is excited by the possibility of finding a home, but he doesn't want to get his hopes up. He's taken to Gavra, where Dr. Tashian and his wife live on the German's consul's property; once inside, Mrs. Tashian offers Vahan some tea and pastries, and he immediately wants to stay.
- They ask him about his life and where he's from. Eventually Dr. Tashian breaks the news to him: he's a great fella, but just not big enough for what they were hoping for.
- Vahan is devastated. He tells them not to look at his size, because he can do anything they want—just try him and he'll prove himself.
- At first everyone is quiet, but then Dr. Tashian and his wife agree. They agree to take Vahan in, and give him a room in the basement.
- Vahan helps Dr. Tashian bring in supplies from the store and cleans the kitchen floor by himself—he wants to show his strength and usefulness, so he goes out of his way to be helpful. Then he reflects on how his life has changed. He used to have servants, and always figured they were servants because they were different somehow—but now he knows they were just like him.
- After a couple days, Vahan feels more like a son than a servant, and while he does his fair share of chores, it's no more than he had to do at home.
- Vahan notices that Mrs. Tashian has horrible headaches and stays in her room for a few days at a time because of them.
- Every couple days, Dr. Tashian is summoned to the German consulate and afterwards, he's never in a good mood.
- Vahan doesn't really get it, but he knows things aren't good over at the consul's house.
- When he's working in the field one day, Vahan notices a young girl over at the consul's house.
- He tells us that he's now fourteen years old and likes the distraction of a pretty girl while he's doing his work.