midday
The effect of one was not at all counteracted by the other . Some time after dawn the sun thrust a golden bar , full of motes , across the door , a foot above his head . In a space the beam was withdrawn . The heat and dust of the midday came , instead . Gnats wove their mazes in the narrow casement that opened on the outside world , and now and then the twitter of birds sounded very close to it . Kenkenes knew how they flashed as they flew in the sun . They were prodigal of freedom .