midday in summer
At the first gleam of day , the first note of the waking birds , I fled back among the trees of Frapesle and reached the house ; no one had seen me , no one suspected by absence , and I slept soundly until the bell rang for breakfast . When the meal was over I went down , in spite of the heat , to the meadow-lands for another sight of the Indre and its isles , the valley and its slopes , of which I seemed so passionate an admirer . But once there , thanks to a swiftness of foot like that of a loose horse , I returned to my punt , the willows , and Clochegourde . All was silent and palpitating , as a landscape is at midday in summer . The still foliage lay sharply defined on the blue of the sky ; the insects that live by light , the dragon-flies , the cantharides , were flying among the reeds and the ash-trees ; cattle chewed the cud in the shade , the ruddy earth of the vineyards glowed , the adders glided up and down the banks . What a change in the sparkling and coquettish landscape while I slept ! I sprang suddenly from the boat and ran up the road which went round Clochegourde for I fancied that I saw the count coming out .