noon
Then they had played for a long time in the tiny canal which separated the wheat-field from the meadow , where Bel , their black and white cow , was pastured . There was also Fidel , the dog , their faithful companion and friend . The children had followed him on many an excursion among the willows along the river-bank , for Fidel might at any moment come upon the rabbit or water rat which he was always seeking , and what a pity it would be for Jan and Marie to miss a sight like that ! When the sun was high overhead , the whole family , and Fidel also , had rested under a tree by the little river , and Jan and Marie had shared with their father and mother the bread and cheese which had been brought from home for their noon meal . Then they had taken a nap in the shade , for it is a long day that begins and ends with the midsummer sun . The bees hummed so drowsily in the clover that Mother Van Hove also took forty winks , while Father Van Hove led Pier to the river for a drink ; and tied him where he could enjoy the rich meadow grass for a while . And now the long day was nearly over .