noon
The birds were singing as if they never would grow old , and , Oh , the miles and miles of green , green meadows , far , far greener than the youngest leaves on the trees ! There were no secrets and no nests in the trees yet , but John knew they were coming . He could have told what kind of trees his favorite birds would choose and how they would build their nests among the branches . Towards noon he caught the electric atmosphere pouring down the northern mountains . He saw the old pines clambering up their bulwarks , and the streams glancing and dancing down their rocky sides and over the brown plowed fields below great flocks of crows flying heavily . Then he knew that he was coming nigh to Hatton-in-Elmete and at last he saw the great elm-trees that still distinguished his native locality . Then his heart beat with a warmer , quicker tide .