noon
A row of dusty , hooded vehicles , rough-coated , intelligent horses , were hitched above . The minister took his station by a table on which a glass of water had been placed upon a vivid red cover : he portentously cleared his throat . `` The Lord giveth , '' he began ... . It was noon , pellucidly clear , still , hot ; the foliage on the mountainsides was like solid walls of greenery rising to a canopy , a veil , of azure . Partridges whistled clear and flutelike from a nearby cover ; the stream flashed in the sun , mirroring on its unwrinkled surface the stiff , somber figures gathered for the funeral . The droning voice of the preacher drew out interminably through the sultry , golden hour . Women sniffed sharply , dabbled with toil-hardened hands at their eyes ; the men , standing in the grass , shuffled their feet uneasily .