““By midday the Xanti were usually asleep again in their hammocks or under the trees, and Maia and Finn would wander off to a cool part of the riverbank, keeping a wary lookout for Miss Minton, who might suddenly decide they should do some mental arithmetic or Latin verbs. “You know I told you what my father said you had to do--‘seize the day,’” said Maia. “Well, it seems to me there’s no point in doing that here. You don’t have to seize it. They give you the day.””