midday
Never had a southern sky been more blue , never the little curling waves saucier on the Gulf . The air was mild , just fresh enough for zest . Around us circled many great white gulls . Across the flats sailed a long slow line of pelicans ; and out yonder , tossing up now and then like a black floating blanket , I could see a great raft of wild duck , taking their midday rest in safety . All the world seemed a million miles away . Care did not exist . And -- so intimate and swiftly comprehensive is the human soul , especially the more primal soul of woman -- already and without words , this young woman seemed to feel the less need of conversation , to recognize the slackening rein of custom .