"put your hands clown here, stroke it," said libereso. "you can feel it breathing; it has fins like paper and scales that prickle. not much though."

but maria-nunziata did not want to stroke the fish either.

in the petunia bed the earth was very soft, and libereso dug about with his fingers and pulled out some long, soft worms.

but maria-nunziata ran away with little shrieks.

"put your hand here," said libereso, pointing to the trunk of an old peach tree. maria-nunziata did not understand why, but she put her hand there; then she screamed and ran to dip it in the pool. for when she had pulled her hand away it was covered with ants. the peach tree was a mass of them, tiny black "argentine" ants.

"look," said libereso and put a hand on the trunk. the ants could be seen crawling over his hand but he didnt brush them off.

"why ?" asked maria-nuuziata. "why are you letting yourself get covered with ants ?"

his hand was now quite black, and they were crawling up his wrist.

"take your hand away," moaned maria-nunziata. "youll get them all over you."

the ants were crawling up his naked arm, and had already reached his elbow.

now his whole arm was covered with a veil of moving black dots; they reached his armpit but he did not brush them off.

"get rid of them, libereso. put your arm in water!"

libereso laughed, some ants now even crawling from his neck on to his face.

"libereso! ill do whatever you like! ill accept all those presents you gave me."

she threw her arms round his neck and started to brush off the ants.

smiling his brown and white smile, libereso took his hand away from the tree and began nonchalantly dusting his arm. but he was obviously touched.

"very well, then, ill give you a really big present, ive decided. the biggest present i can."

"whats that ?"

"a hedgehog."

"mammamia! the signora! the signoras calling me!"

maria-nunziata had just finished washing the dishes when she heard a pebble beat against the window. underneath stood libereso with a large basket.