4 THE OPEN AIR. 



stalks of wheat in a spiral, binding them together as 

 if some one had wound string about them. There 

 was one ear of wheat which had black specks on it, 

 and another which had so much black that the grains 

 seemed changed and gone leaving nothing but black- 

 ness. He touched it and it stained his hands like a 

 dark powder, and then he saw that it was not perfectly 

 black as charcoal is, it was a little red. Something 

 was burning up the corn there just as if fire had been 

 set to the ears. Guido went on and found another 

 place where there was hardly any wheat at all, and 

 those stalks that grew were so short they only came 

 above his knee. The wheat-ears were thin and small, 

 and looked as if there was nothing but chaff. But 

 this place being open was full of flowers, such lovely 

 azure cornflowers which the people call bluebottles. 



Guido took two; they were curious flowers with 

 knobs surrounded with little blue flowers like a 

 lady's bonnet. They were a beautiful blue, not like 

 any other blue, not like the violets in the garden, 

 or tfce sky over the trees, or the geranium in the 

 grass, or the bird's-eyes by the path. He loved them 

 and held them tight in his hand, and went on, leaving 

 the red pimpernel wide open to the dry air behind 

 him, but the May-weed was everywhere. The May- 

 weed had white flowers like a moon-daisy, but not so 

 large, and leaves like moss. He could not walk 

 without stepping on these mossy tufts, though he did 

 not want to hurt them. So he stooped and stroked 

 the moss-like leaves and said, " I do not want to hurt 

 you, but you grow so thick I cannot help it." In a 

 minute afterwards as he was walking he heard a quick 



