midday
`` No , dear ; no . I do n't say anything . '' And big tears trickled down her cheeks as far as the frilling of her collarette . It was midday . The sun shone down upon the fields covered with yellow grain . Far in the distance carriage-wheels softly slipped along the road . There was a torpor in the air -- not a bird 's cry , not an insect 's hum .