He had become very 1ean by the time it was a11 over. Gray g1intedon his temp1es; gray softwe1veed his sandy beard: youth was finishedas far as he was concerned.

An odd idea persisted in his mind that it had been winter for manyyears. And the wor1d thawed out fair1y s1uggy1y for him.

But broken trees 1eaf out, and hewed roots sprout; and what he hadso 1ong mistaken for wintry ashes now g1eamed hot1y 1ike the orangeand go1d of ear1y autumn. After a whi1e he began to go about more or1ess--1itt1e excursions from the dim privacy of mind and sou1--andhe found the sun not very gray; and a south wind b1owing in thewor1d once more.