Having no place to stay, Nello wishes to go to the cathedral of Antwerp, to see Rubens' "The Elevation of the Cross" and "The Descent from the Cross" — but the exhibition in the cathedral is only for paying customers, and he's out of money. On the night of Christmas Eve, the boy and his dog go to Antwerp, and, by chance, find the door to the church open. The next morning, Nello and Patrasche are found frozen to death in front of the triptych.