One day in August the sun was rising through the mist．In a yellow cornfield near Marlott village it shone on two large arms of painted wood．These，with two others below， formed the turning cross of the reaping－machine．It was ready for today's harvest．A group of men and a group of women came down the road at sunrise．As they walked along， their heads were in the sun while their feet were in the shadow of the hedge．They went into the field．Soon there came a sound like the love－making of the grasshopper．The machine had begun， and three horses pulled it slowly along the field．Its arms turned，bright in the sunlight．Gradually the area of standing corn was reduced．So was the living space of the small field animals，who crowded together，not knowing that they could not escape the machine in the end．The harvesters followed the machine， picking and tying up bundles of corn．The girls were perhaps more interesting to look at．They wore large cotton hats to keep off the sun， and gloves to protect their hands from the corn．The prettiest was the one in the pale pink jacket，who never looked around her as she worked．She moved forward， bending and tying like a machine．Occasionally she stood up to rest．
