One lovely spring evening, William Faulkner invited a woman to come to see a beautiful bride in her wedding dress. Driving over back roads, Faulkner turned off into a meadow, where he shut the car's headlights and proceeded cautiously into the darkness.

At last, he stopped the car, turned to his companion, and announced that the bride was standing before them. He then turned on the headlights -- revealing a beautiful apple tree in full blossom.

["Flower clocks," popular in the formal gardens of 19th century Europe, comprised a series of flower beds, laid out in the shape of a clock face, each planted with flowers known to open or close at the corresponding hour. On a sunny day, the time on such a clock could be determined to within half an hour.]