they had reached some climbing plants, starred all over with red flowers.

"what lovely flowers," said maria-nunziata. "dyou ever pick them ?"

"what for ?"

"to take to the madonna. flowers are for the madonna."

"mesembryanthemum."

"whats that ?"

"this plants called mesembryanthemum in latin. all flowers have latin names."

"the mass is in latin, too."

"i dont know about that."

libereso was now peering closely between the winding branches on the wall.

"there it is," he said.

"what is ?"

it was a lizard green with black markings, basking in the sun.

"ill catch it."

"no."

but he got closer to the lizard, very slowly, with both hands open; a jump, and hed caught it. he laughed happily, showing his white teeth. "look out, its escaping!" first a stunned-looking head, then a tail, slithered out between his closed fingers.

maria-nunziata was laughing too, but every time she saw the lizard she skipped back and pulled her skirt tight about her knees.

"so you really dont want me to give you anything at all ?" said libereso, rather sadly, and very carefully he put the lizard back on the wall; off it shot. maria-nunziata kept her eyes lowered.

"come along," said libereso, and took her hand again.

"id like to have a lipstick and paint my lips red on sundays to go out dancing. and a black veil to put on my head afterwards for benediction."

"on sundays," said libereso, "i go to the woods with my brother and we fill two sacks with pine cones. then, in the evening, my father reads out loud from kropotkin. my tither has hair

down to his shoulders and a beard right down to his chest. and he wears shorts in summer and winter. and i do drawings for the anarchist federation windows. the figures in top hats are business men, those in caps are generals, and those in round hats are priests; then i paint them in water colours."

they came to a pond with round water-lily leaves floating on it.