tION by Doris Lessing February 26, 1955

        t year    as t gat too bad. Sters like to kno a simple t, born and broug got. teping. Margaret ill did not uand    altoget. But sting to learn ticed t for all Riceps, t go bankrupt. Nor did t very ricably.

        t rise up to— try, cold and dusty in er, but no monteamy    t rose in , soft iful it    -green folds and ry beains lying sy miles off, beyond t used to it. One does not look so muc ty. So t evening,     locusts are expected, ing doinct o look about    trees. Is, s Ric mountaintop. “e    s in seven years,” one said, and ts do.” And this season!”

        But t on    as usual, until one day, ead for tepopped, raised ed. “Look, look!” ed. “they are!”

        Margaret    to join t t came ts from tcood and gazed. Over tain reak of rust-colored air. Locusts. they came.

        At once, Riced at tep to beat ty ploo summon t moments of crisis. to tore to collect tin s—any old bits of metal. t of ting at tiedly. Soon to tephem orders: hurry, hurry, hurry.

        And off tes Margaret could see t ed field. tcivated soil, ced up t leaves onto to make t c-colored still, s as selepo say, Quick, quick, s! Old Smiten to t your fires started! For, of course, , it o    play fair. Everyryside, t anselepood cs. trange darkness, for t    fire,    es doorted—a t e. It oo, orm. ts . Noo tself.

        Margaret ep, finis every leaf and blade off t it’s only early afternoon. If tle sometle going. It’s ty his.”

        Saret    to tcoked up ter. Noin roof of tcs, or a scrat slope.    of ting and banging and ging of a rol tins and bits of metal. Stepiently ed rol tin ea—, s, and e-colored—and anoter. In time, old    y years back, en out, made bankrupt by t armies. And till talkirol s, one in eac erops, and jogged off doo to ty laborers.

        By nos    looked out and sas, and s eet into it; s every ures, looking at o ed legs. S and ran to t ing, and ten iron from t, all trees ill, clotted s, ted to to be moving, s cra all, so toains, it o driving rain; even as scted out s. It ed blaess. tree dotled o ts, a man came running. More tea, more er    supplied t toked and filled tins    ernoon and ts had been p across overhead for a couple of hours.

        Up came old Steps underfoot ep, locusts ging all over    at t topped briefly, ily pulling at ts and to t-free living room.

        “All t,” he said.

        But till beating, till sing, and Margaret asked, “, then?”

        “t settling. to settle and lay.
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