noon
Then they passed stately villas owned by wealthy Venetians , and beyond that came into open country . It was much easier walking than it had been in the mountains , for the land was level , or gently rolling , the villages were near together , and the highways well travelled . Moreover , they had been hardened to much walking by their weeks of constant practice , and were able to trot along the road at a good rate of speed . At noon they reached a village , and here they decided to replenish their little hoard of money , so , making their way to the piazza , they surrounded themselves with a crowd for whom they danced the trescone and sang themselves hoarse . They were just gathering up the few coins that were thrown to them , when Beppo saw a policeman approaching , and , not wishing to take any chances , the two children instantly disappeared like smoke down a side street , and out into the highway once more . By supper-time they had covered ten miles , and when night overtook them , they were in open farming country , surrounded by olive orchards , vineyards , and cornfields . In a field beside the road they came upon a straw-stack , and , hiding themselves on the farther side of it , they ate the bread and ham which they had bought on the way , and then , pulling the straw down over them for covering , slept peacefully until morning .