In this short scene, the audience is introduced to a new character, the "vagabond" . He is a young boy who has been orphaned by his father's death. He has come to live in a small village in the south of France, where his father is still alive. He tells the audience that he was orphaned by the king mouse, who destroyed his village and made it impossible for him to survive. He asks the audience not to mention the mouse's name to him, as he does not want to be associated with him in any way. The audience is also told that the first time he met the mouse, he was in a storm.