noon
The dew fell , but with propitious softness ; no breeze whispered . Nature seemed to me benign and good ; I thought she loved me , outcast as I was ; and I , who from man could anticipate only mistrust , rejection , insult , clung to her with filial fondness . To-night , at least , I would be her guest , as I was her child : my mother would lodge me without money and without price . I had one morsel of bread yet : the remnant of a roll I had bought in a town we passed through at noon with a stray penny -- my last coin . I saw ripe bilberries gleaming here and there , like jet beads in the heath : I gathered a handful and ate them with the bread . My hunger , sharp before , was , if not satisfied , appeased by this hermit 's meal . I said my evening prayers at its conclusion , and then chose my couch .