deepest peace in that orchard. It was sur-
rounded by a triple enclosure; the wire fence,
then the hedge of thorny locusts, then the
mulberry hedge which kept out the hot winds
of summer and held fast to the protecting
snows of winter. The hedges were so tall that
we could see nothing but the blue sky above
them, neither the barn roof nor the windmill.
The afternoon sun poured down on us through
the drying grape leaves. The orchard seemed
full of sun, like a cup, and we could smell the
ripe apples on the trees. The crabs hung on the
branches as thick as beads on a string, purple-
red, with a thin silvery glaze over them. Some
hens and ducks had crept through the hedge
and were pecking at the fallen apples. The
drakes were handsome fellows, with pinkish
gray bodies, their heads and necks covered
with iridescent green feathers which grew close
and full, changing to blue like a peacock's
neck. Antonia said they always reminded her
of soldiers -- some uniform she had seen in
the old country, when she was a child.

"Are there any quail left now?" I asked.
I reminded her how she used to go hunting
with me the last summer before we moved to
town. "You weren't a bad shot, Tony. Do

[[385]]

p384 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p385w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p386

v?