Brothers Karamazov Book X Chapter II

In which the young Kolya Krassotkin finds himself solitary guardian of two orphaned children, entrusted with their care amidst the cold and swirling winter winds of a snowy November day. With a mixture of youthful solemnity and imaginative seriousness, he manages their companionship and worries, summoning the aid of his devoted dog Perezvon and a reluctant housekeeper, as the slow passing hours press upon his tender sense of duty.