noon
The old women and the girl squatted under the trees , eating their bread and figs . The boys were dressing , fluttering into their shirts on the stream 's shingle . A big girl went past , with somebody 's dinner tied in a red kerchief and perched on her head . It was one of the most precious hours : the hour of pause , noon , and the sun , and the quiet acceptance of the world . At such a time everything seems to fall into a true relationship , after the strain of work and of urge . Aaron looked at Lilly , and saw the same odd , distant look on his face as on the face of some animal when it lies awake and alert , yet perfectly at one with its surroundings . It was something quite different from happiness : an alert enjoyment of rest , an intense and satisfying sense of centrality .