Juan continues to mourn Miri, but his duties eventually distract him. He often runs after Diego’s children, Paquita and Ignacia, keeping them from the studio. Hoping to entertain them, Juan sets off in search of a suitable pet. He visits Doña Trini, a local lacemaker who often strokes his many-colored coat for luck. Trini’s cat has just given birth to kittens, and Juan asks to keep a white one, the prettiest of the litter. Juan surprises Diego’s children with the kitten, whom they immediately name Mooshi. As he continues to grow, Mooshi becomes a treasured member of the family.

At the end of spring, the King commissions Diego to travel to Italy and purchase paintings for the palace, copy famous Italian works, and paint the Infanta, the King’s sister, who awaits her marriage to Ferdinand III. Diego plans to travel only with Juan, and to ease Juana’s frustration, he promises to accompany the family back to Seville, where they will stay for the duration of his and Juan’s trip. After boarding up their residence in Madrid, they depart, and Juan thinks bitterly of his journey with Don Carmelo. However, as they approach Seville, Juan is overcome with homesickness, remembering Brother Isidro.