ul at calculating a person's emotional needs. The stranger is described as big, bearded, and graying man, who knows something about life and people. A man with a captivating presence whose eyes are dark and "full of brooding."
             Elisa is fascinated by his spontaneous way of life. When she tries to get him to discuss his travels, he steers back to the possibility of employment. When it is apparent that she has no work to give him, he cleverly praises her flowers. Elisa is desperately eager to share in the one thing she is actually proud of, and carefully gathers some shoots to share with another customer down the road. As she disciplines the stranger on the proper nurturing of the seedlings, her passionate involvement with the process of planting becomes an expression of all the suppressed romance in her life. The stranger senses this craving, and offers just enough encouragement to lead her into a full-scale
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