“Please，NorthWind。”hesaid，“whatisthatnoise？”
FromhighoverhisheadcamethevoiceofNorthWind，answeringhim，gently——
“Thenoiseofmybesom。Iamtheoldwomanthatsweepsthecobwebsfromthe，sky;onlyI’mbusywiththefloornow。”
“Whatmakesthehouseslookasiftheywererunningaway？”
“Iamsweepingsofastoverthem。”
“But，please，NorthWind，IknewLondonwasverybig，butIdidn’tknowitwassobigasthis。Itseemsasifweshouldnevergetawayfromit。”
“Wearegoingroundandround，elseweshouldhaveleftitlongago。”
“Isthisthewayyousweep，NorthWind？”
“Yes;Igoroundandroundwithmygreatbesom。”
“Please，wouldyoumindgoingalittleslower，forIwanttoseethestreets？”
“Youwon’tseemuchnow。”
“Why？”
“BecauseIhavenearlysweptallthepeoplehome。”
“Oh！Iforgot。”saidDiamond，andwasquietafterthat，forhedidnotwanttobetroublesome。
Butshedroppedalittletowardstheroofsofthehouses，andDiamondcouldseedownintothestreets。Therewereveryfewpeopleabout，though。Thelampsflickeredandflaredagain，butnobodyseemedtowantthem。
SuddenlyDiamondespiedalittlegirlcomingalongastreet。Shewasdreadfullyblownbythewind，andabroomshewastrailingbehindherwasverytroublesome。Itseemedasifthewindhadaspiteather——
itkeptworryingherlikeawildbeast，andtearingatherrags。
Shewassolonelythere！
“Oh！please，NorthWind。”hecried，“won’tyouhelpthatlittlegirl？”
“No，Diamond;Imustn’tleavemywork。”
“Butwhyshouldn’tyoubekindtoher？”
“Iamkindtoher。Iamsweepingthewickedsmellsaway。”
“Butyou’rekindertome，dearNorthWind。Whyshouldn’tyoubeaskindtoherasyouaretome？”
“Therearereasons，Diamond。Everybodycan’tbedonetoallthesame。
Everybodyisnotreadyforthesamething。”
“ButIdon’tseewhyIshouldbekinderusedthanshe。”
“Doyouthinknothing’stobedonebutwhatyoucansee，Diamond，yousilly！It’sallright。Ofcourseyoucanhelpherifyoulike。
You’vegotnothingparticulartodoatthismoment;Ihave。”
“Oh！doletmehelpher，then。Butyouwon’tbeabletowait，perhaps？”
“No，Ican’twait;youmustdoityourself。And，mind，thewindwillgetaholdofyou，too。”
“Don’tyouwantmetohelpher，NorthWind？”
“Notwithouthavingsomeideawhatwillhappen。Ifyoubreakdownandcry，thatwon’tbemuchofahelptoher，anditwillmakeagooseoflittleDiamond。”
“Iwanttogo。”saidDiamond。“Onlythere’sjustonething——
howamItogethome？”
“Ifyou’reanxiousaboutthat，perhapsyouhadbettergowithme。
Iamboundtotakeyouhomeagain，ifyoudo。”
“There！“criedDiamond，whowasstilllookingafterthelittlegirl。
“I’msurethewindwillblowherover，andperhapskillher。
Doletmego。”
Theyhadbeensweepingmoreslowlyalongthelineofthestreet。
Therewasalullintheroaring。
“Well，thoughIcannotpromisetotakeyouhome。”saidNorthWind，asshesanknearerandnearertothetopsofthehouses，“Icanpromiseyouitwillbeallrightintheend。Youwillgethomesomehow。
Haveyoumadeupyourmindwhattodo？”
“Yes;tohelpthelittlegirl。”saidDiamondfirmly。
ThesamemomentNorthWinddroptintothestreetandstood，onlyatalllady，butwithherhairflyingupoverthehousetops。
Sheputherhandstoherback，tookDiamond，andsethimdowninthestreet。Thesamemomenthewascaughtinthefiercecoilsoftheblast，andallbutblownaway。NorthWindsteppedbackastep，andatoncetoweredinstaturetotheheightofthehouses。
Achimney-potclashedatDiamond’sfeet。Heturnedinterror，butitwastolookforthelittlegirl，andwhenheturnedagaintheladyhadvanished，andthewindwasroaringalongthestreetasifithadbeenthebedofaninvisibletorrent。Thelittlegirlwasscuddingbeforetheblast，herhairflyingtoo，andbehindhershedraggedherbroom。Herlittlelegsweregoingasfastasevertheycouldtokeepherfromfalling。Diamondcreptintotheshelterofadoorway，thinkingtostopher;butshepassedhimlikeabird，cryinggentlyandpitifully。
“Stop！stop！littlegirl。”shoutedDiamond，startinginpursuit。
“Ican’t。”wailedthegirl，“thewindwon’tleavegoofme。”
Diamondcouldrunfasterthanshe，andhehadnobroom。Inafewmomentshehadcaughtherbythefrock，butittoreinhishand，andawaywentthelittlegirl。Sohehadtorunagain，andthistimeheransofastthathegotbeforeher，andturningroundcaughtherinhisarms，whendowntheywentbothtogether，whichmadethelittlegirllaughinthemidstofhercrying。
“Whereareyougoing？”askedDiamond，rubbingtheelbowthathadstuckfarthestout。Thearmitbelongedtowastwinedroundalamp-postashestoodbetweenthelittlegirlandthewind。
“Home。”shesaid，gaspingforbreath。
“ThenIwillgowithyou。”saidDiamond。
Andthentheyweresilentforawhile，forthewindblewworsethanever，andtheyhadbothtoholdontothelamp-post。
“Whereisyourcrossing？”askedthegirlatlength。
“Idon’tsweep。”answeredDiamond。
“Whatdoyoudo，then？”askedshe。“Youain’tbigenoughformostthings。”
“Idon’tknowwhatIdodo。”answeredhe，feelingratherashamed。
“Nothing，Isuppose。Myfather’sMr。Coleman’scoachman。”
“Haveyouafather？”shesaid，staringathimasifaboywithafatherwasanaturalcuriosity。
“Yes。Haven’tyou？”returnedDiamond。
“No;normotherneither。OldSal’sallI’vegot。”Andshebegantocryagain。
“Iwouldn’tgotoherifshewasn’tgoodtome。”saidDiamond。
“Butyoumustgosomewheres。”
“Moveon。”saidthevoiceofapolicemanbehindthem。
“Itoldyouso。”saidthegirl。“Youmustgosomewheres。
They’realwaysatit。”
“ButoldSaldoesn’tbeatyou，doesshe？”
“Iwishshewould。”
“Whatdoyoumean？”askedDiamond，quitebewildered。
“Shewouldifshewasmymother。Butshewouldn’tlieabeda-cuddlin’
ofheruglyoldbones，andlaughtohearmecryingatthedoor。”
“Youdon’tmeanshewon’tletyouinto-night？”
“It’llbeagoodchanceifshedoes。”
“Whyareyououtsolate，then？”askedDiamond。
“Mycrossing’salongwayoffattheWestEnd，andIhadbeenindulgin’
indoor-stepsandmewses。”
“We’dbetterhaveatryanyhow。”saidDiamond。“Comealong。”
AshespokeDiamondthoughthecaughtaglimpseofNorthWindturningacornerinfrontofthem;andwhentheyturnedthecornertoo，theyfounditquietthere，buthesawnothingofthelady。
“Nowyouleadme。”hesaid，takingherhand，“andI’lltakecareofyou。”
Thegirlwithdrewherhand，butonlytodryhereyeswithherfrock，fortheotherhadenoughtodowithherbroom。Sheputitinhisagain，andledhim，turningafterturning，untiltheystoppedatacellar-doorinaverydirtylane。Theresheknocked。
“Ishouldn’tliketolivehere。”saidDiamond。
“Oh，yes，youwould，ifyouhadnowhereelsetogoto。”
answeredthegirl。“Ionlywishwemaygetin。”
“Idon’twanttogoin。”saidDiamond。
“Wheredoyoumeantogo，then？”
“Hometomyhome。”
“Where’sthat？”
“Idon’texactlyknow。”
“Thenyou’reworseoffthanIam。”
“Ohno，forNorthWind——“beganDiamond，andstopped，hehardlyknewwhy。
“What？”saidthegirl，assheheldhereartothedoorlistening。
ButDiamonddidnotreply。NeitherdidoldSal。
“Itoldyouso。”saidthegirl。“Sheiswideawakehearkening。
Butwedon’tgetin。”
“Whatwillyoudo，then？”askedDiamond。
“Moveon。”sheanswered。
“Where？”
“Oh，anywheres。Blessyou，I’musedtoit。”
“Hadn’tyoubettercomehomewithme，then？”
“That’sagoodjoke，whenyoudon’tknowwhereitis。Comeon。”
“Butwhere？”
“Oh，nowheresinparticular。Comeon。”
Diamondobeyed。Thewindhadnowfallenconsiderably。Theywanderedonandon，turninginthisdirectionandthat，withoutanyreasonforonewaymorethananother，untiltheyhadgotoutofthethickofthehousesintoawastekindofplace。Bythistimetheywerebothverytired。Diamondfeltagooddealinclinedtocry，andthoughthehadbeenverysillytogetdownfromthebackofNorthWind;
notthathewouldhavemindeditifhehaddonethegirlanygood;
buthethoughthehadbeenofnousetoher。Hewasmistakenthere，forshewasfarhappierforhavingDiamondwithherthanifshehadbeenwanderingaboutalone。Shedidnotseemsotiredashewas。
“Doletusrestabit。”saidDiamond。
“Let’ssee。”sheanswered。“There’ssomethinglikearailwaythere。
Perhapsthere’sanopenarch。”
Theywenttowardsitandfoundone，and，betterstill，therewasanemptybarrellyingunderthearch。
“Hallo！hereweare！“saidthegirl。“Abarrel’sthejolliestbedgoing——onthetramp，Imean。We’llhavefortywinks，andthengoonagain。”
Shecreptin，andDiamondcreptinbesideher。Theyputtheirarmsroundeachother，andwhenhebegantogrowwarm，Diamond’scouragebegantocomeback。
“Thisisjolly！“hesaid。“I’msoglad！“
“Idon’tthinksomuchofit。”saidthegirl。“I’musedtoit，Isuppose。ButIcan’tthinkhowakidlikeyoucomestobeoutallalonethistimeo’night。”
Shecalledhimakid，butshewasnotreallyamontholderthanhewas;
onlyshehadhadtoworkforherbread，andthatsosoonmakespeopleolder。
“ButIshouldn’thavebeenoutsolateifIhadn’tgotdowntohelpyou。”saidDiamond。“NorthWindisgonehomelongago。”
“Ithinkyoumustha’gotouto’oneo’themHidgetAsylms。”
saidthegirl。“YousaidsomethingaboutthenorthwindaforethatIcouldn’tgettherightsof。”
Sonow，forthesakeofhischaracter，Diamondhadtotellherthewholestory。
Shedidnotbelieveawordofit。Shesaidhewasn’tsuchaflatastobelieveallthatbosh。Butasshespoketherecameagreatblastofwindthroughthearch，andsetthebarrelrolling。Sotheymadehastetogetoutofit，fortheyhadnonotionofbeingrolledoverandoverasiftheyhadbeenpackedtightandwouldn’thurt，likeabarrelofherrings。
“Ithoughtweshouldhavehadasleep。”saidDiamond;“butIcan’tsayI’mverysleepyafterall。Come，let’sgoonagain。”
Theywanderedonandon，sometimessittingonadoor-step，butalwaysturningintolanesorfieldswhentheyhadachance。
Theyfoundthemselvesatlastonarisinggroundthatslopedrathersteeplyontheotherside。Itwasawastekindofspotbelow，boundedbyanirregularwall，withafewdoorsinit。Outsidelaybrokenthingsingeneral，fromgardenrollerstoflower-potsandwine-bottles。Butthemomenttheyreachedthebrowoftherisingground，agustofwindseizedthemandblewthemdownhillasfastastheycouldrun。NorcouldDiamondstopbeforehewentbangagainstoneofthedoorsinthewall。Tohisdismayitburstopen。Whentheycametothemselvestheypeepedin。Itwasthebackdoorofagarden。
“Ah，ah！“criedDiamond，afterstaringforafewmoments，“Ithoughtso！
NorthWindtakesnobodyin！HereIaminmaster’sgarden！
Itellyouwhat，littlegirl，youjustboreaholeinoldSal’swall，andputyourmouthtoit，andsay，“Please，NorthWind，mayn’tIgooutwithyou？”andthenyou’llseewhat’llcome。”
“IdaresayIshall。ButI’moutinthewindtoooftenalreadytowantmoreofit。”
“IsaidwiththeNorthWind，notinit。”
“It’sallone。”
“It’snotallone。”
“Itisallone。”
“ButIknowbest。”
“AndIknowbetter。I’llboxyourears。”saidthegirl。
Diamondgotveryangry。Butherememberedthatevenifshedidboxhisears，hemusn’tboxhersagain，forshewasagirl，andallthatboysmustdo，ifgirlsarerude，istogoawayandleavethem。
Sohewentinatthedoor。
“Good-bye，mister“saidthegirl。
ThisbroughtDiamondtohissenses。
“I’msorryIwascross。”hesaid。“Comein，andmymotherwillgiveyousomebreakfast。”
“No，thankyou。Imustbeofftomycrossing。It’smorningnow。”
“I’mverysorryforyou。”saidDiamond。
“Well，itisalifetobetiredof——whatwitholdSal，andsomanyholesinmyshoes。”
“Iwonderyou’resogood。Ishouldkillmyself。”
“Oh，no，youwouldn’t！WhenIthinkofit，Ialwayswanttoseewhat’scomingnext，andsoIalwayswaittillnextisover。Well！Isupposethere’ssomebodyhappysomewheres。Butitain’tinthemcarriages。
Ohmy！howtheydolooksometimes——fittobiteyourheadoff！Good-bye！“
Sheranupthehillanddisappearedbehindit。ThenDiamondshutthedoorashebestcould，andranthroughthekitchen-gardentothestable。Andwasn’thegladtogetintohisownblessedbedagain！
CHAPTERV
THESUMMER-HOUSE
DIAMONDsaidnothingtohismotherabouthisadventures。HehadhalfanotionthatNorthWindwasafriendofhismother，andthat，ifshedidnotknowallaboutit，atleastshedidnotmindhisgoinganywherewiththeladyofthewind。Atthesametimehedoubtedwhetherhemightnotappeartobetellingstoriesifhetoldall，especiallyashecouldhardlybelieveithimselfwhenhethoughtaboutitinthemiddleoftheday，althoughwhenthetwilightwasoncehalf-wayontonighthehadnodoubtaboutit，atleastforthefirstfewdaysafterhehadbeenwithher。Thegirlthatsweptthecrossinghadcertainlyrefusedtobelievehim。Besides，hefeltsurethatNorthWindwouldtellhimifheoughttospeak。
Itwassometimebeforehesawtheladyofthewindagain。
IndeednothingremarkabletookplaceinDiamond’shistoryuntilthefollowingweek。Thiswaswhathappenedthen。Diamondthehorsewantednewshoes，andDiamond’sfathertookhimoutofthestable，andwasjustgettingonhisbacktoridehimtotheforge，whenhesawhislittleboystandingbythepump，andlookingathimwistfully。
Thenthecoachmantookhisfootoutofthestirrup，lefthisholdofthemaneandbridle，cameacrosstohisboy，liftedhimup，andsettinghimonthehorse’sback，toldhimtosituplikeaman。
HethenledawaybothDiamondstogether。
Theboyatopfeltnotalittletremulousasthegreatmusclesthatliftedthelegsofthehorseknottedandrelaxedagainsthislegs，andhecoweredtowardsthewithers，graspingwithhishandsthebitofmanewornshortbythecollar;butwhenhisfatherlookedbackathim，sayingoncemore，“Situp，Diamond。”heletthemanegoandsatup，notwithstandingthatthehorse，thinking，Isuppose，thathismasterhadsaidtohim，“Comeup，Diamond。”steppedoutfaster。
ForboththeDiamondswerejustgrandlyobedient。AndDiamondsoonfoundthat，ashewasobedienttohisfather，sothehorsewasobedienttohim。Forhehadnotriddenfarbeforehefoundcouragetoreachforwardandcatchholdofthebridle，andwhenhisfather，whosehandwasuponit，felttheboypullittowardshim，helookedupandsmiled，and，wellpleased，letgohishold，andleftDiamondtoguideDiamond;andtheboysoonfoundthathecoulddosoperfectly。
Itwasagrandthingtobeabletoguideagreatbeastlikethat。
Andanotherdiscoveryhemadewasthat，inordertoguidethehorse，hehadinameasuretoobeythehorsefirst。Ifhedidnotyieldhisbodytothemotionsofthehorse’sbody，hecouldnotguidehim;
hemustfalloff。
Theblacksmithlivedatsomedistance，deeperintoLondon。
Astheycrossedtheangleofasquare，Diamond，whowasnowquitecomfortableonhislivingthrone，wasglancingthiswayandthatinagentlepride，whenhesawagirlsweepingacrossingscuddinglybeforealady。Theladywashisfather’smistress，Mrs。Coleman，andthelittlegirlwassheforwhosesakehehadgotoffNorthWind’sback。HedrewDiamond’sbridleineageranxietytoseewhetherheroutstretchedhandwouldgatherapennyfromMrs。Coleman。
Butshehadgivenoneatthelastcrossing，andthehandreturnedonlytograspitsbroom。Diamondcouldnotbearit。Hehadapennyinhispocket，agiftofthesameladythedaybefore，andhetumbledoffhishorsetogiveittothegirl。Hetumbledoff，Isay，forhedidtumblewhenhereachedtheground。Buthegotupinaninstant，andran，searchinghispocketasheran。Shemadehimaprettycourtesywhenheofferedhistreasure，butwithabewilderedstare。
Shethoughtfirst:“ThenhewasonthebackoftheNorthWindafterall！“but，lookingupatthesoundofthehorse’sfeetonthepavedcrossing，shechangedheridea，sayingtoherself，“NorthWindishisfather’shorse！That’sthesecretofit！
Whycouldn’thesayso？”Andshehadamindtorefusethepenny。
Buthissmileputitallright，andshenotonlytookhispennybutputitinhermouthwitha“Thankyou，mister。Didtheywollopyouthen？”
“Ohno！“answeredDiamond。“Theyneverwollopsme。”
“Lor！“saidthelittlegirl，andwasspeechless。
Meantimehisfather，lookingup，andseeingthehorse’sbackbare，sufferedapangofawfuldread，butthenextmomentcatchingsightofhim，tookhimupandputhimon，saying——
“Don’tgetoffagain，Diamond。Thehorsemighthaveputhisfootonyou。”
“No，father。”answeredtheboy，androdeoninmajesticsafety。
Thesummerdrewnear，warmandsplendid。MissColemanwasalittlebetterinhealth，andsatagooddealinthegarden。OnedayshesawDiamondpeepingthroughtheshrubbery，andcalledhim。
Hetalkedtohersofranklythatsheoftensentforhimafterthat，andbydegreesitcameaboutthathehadleavetoruninthegardenashepleased。Henevertouchedanyoftheflowersorblossoms，forhewasnotlikesomeboyswhocannotenjoyathingwithoutpullingittopieces，andsopreventingeveryonefromenjoyingitafterthem。
Aweekevenmakessuchalongtimeinachild’slife，thatDiamondhadbegunoncemoretofeelasifNorthWindwereadreamofsomefar-offyear。
Onehotevening，hehadbeensittingwiththeyoungmistress，astheycalledher，inalittlesummer-houseatthebottomofthelawn——awonderfulthingforbeauty，theboythought，foralittlewindowinthesideofitwasmadeofcolouredglass。
Itgrewdusky，andtheladybegantofeelchill，andwentin，leavingtheboyinthesummer-house。Hesattheregazingoutatabedoftulips，which，althoughtheyhadclosedforthenight，couldnotgoquiteasleepforthewindthatkeptwavingthemabout。
Allatoncehesawagreatbumble-beeflyoutofoneofthetulips。
“There！thatissomethingdone。”saidavoice——agentle，merry，childishvoice，butsotiny。“Atlastitwas。Ithoughthewouldhavehadtostaythereallnight，poorfellow！Idid。”
Diamondcouldnottellwhetherthevoicewasnearorfaraway，itwassosmallandyetsoclear。Hehadneverseenafairy，buthehadheardofsuch，andhebegantolookallaboutforone。
Andtherewasthetiniestcreatureslidingdownthestemofthetulip！
“Areyouthefairythatherdsthebees？”heasked，goingoutofthesummer-house，anddownonhiskneesonthegreenshoreofthetulip-bed。
“I’mnotafairy。”answeredthelittlecreature。
“Howdoyouknowthat？”
“Itwouldbecomeyoubettertoaskhowyouaretoknowit。”
“You’vejusttoldme。”
“Yes。Butwhat’stheuseofknowingathingonlybecauseyou’retoldit？”
“Well，howamItoknowyouarenotafairy？Youdolookverylikeone。”
“Inthefirstplace，fairiesaremuchbiggerthanyouseeme。”
“Oh！“saidDiamondreflectively;“Ithoughttheywereverylittle。”
“ButtheymightbetremendouslybiggerthanIam，andyetnotverybig。Why，IcouldbesixtimesthesizeIam，andnotbeveryhuge。Besides，afairycan’tgrowbigandlittleatwill，thoughthenursery-talesdosayso:theydon’tknowbetter。
YoustupidDiamond！haveyouneverseenmebefore？”
And，asshespoke，amoanofwindbentthetulipsalmosttotheground，andthecreaturelaidherhandonDiamond’sshoulder。
InamomentheknewthatitwasNorthWind。
“Iamverystupid。”hesaid;“butIneversawyousosmallbefore，notevenwhenyouwerenursingtheprimrose。”
“Mustyouseemeeverysizethatcanbemeasuredbeforeyouknowme，Diamond？”
“ButhowcouldIthinkitwasyoutakingcareofagreatstupidbumble-bee？”
“Themorestupidhewasthemoreneedhehadtobetakencareof。
Whatwithsuckinghoneyandtryingtoopenthedoor，hewasnearlydated;
andwhenitopenedinthemorningtoletthesunseethetulip’sheart，whatwouldthesunhavethoughttofindsuchastupidthinglyingthere——
withwingstoo？”
“Buthowdoyouhavetimetolookafterbees？”
“Idon’tlookafterbees。Ihadthisonetolookafter。
Itwashardwork，though。”
“Hardwork！Why，youcouldblowachimneydown，or——oraboy’scapoff。”saidDiamond。
“Bothareeasierthantoblowatulipopen。ButIscarcelyknowthedifferencebetweenhardandeasy。IamalwaysableforwhatI
havetodo。WhenIseemywork，Ijustrushatit——anditisdone。
ButImustn’tchatter。Ihavegottosinkashipto-night。”
“Sinkaship！What！withmeninit？”
“Yes，andwomentoo。”
“Howdreadful！Iwishyouwouldn’ttalkso。”
“Itisratherdreadful。Butitismywork。Imustdoit。”
“Ihopeyouwon’taskmetogowithyou。”
“No，Iwon’taskyou。Butyoumustcomeforallthat。”
“Iwon’tthen。”
“Won’tyou？”AndNorthWindgrewatalllady，andlookedhimintheeyes，andDiamondsaid——
“Pleasetakeme。Youcannotbecruel。”
“No;IcouldnotbecruelifIwould。Icandonothingcruel，althoughIoftendowhatlookslikecrueltothosewhodonotknowwhatIreallyamdoing。ThepeopletheysayIdrown，Ionlycarryawayto——to——to——well，thebackoftheNorthWind——thatiswhattheyusedtocallitlongago，onlyIneversawtheplace。”
“Howcanyoucarrythemthereifyouneversawit？”
“Iknowtheway。”
“Buthowisityouneversawit？”
“Becauseitisbehindme。”
“Butyoucanlookround。”
“Notfarenoughtoseemyownback。No;Ialwayslookbeforeme。
Infact，IgrowquiteblindanddeafwhenItrytoseemyback。
Ionlymindmywork。”
“Buthowdoesitbeyourwork？”
“Ah，thatIcan’ttellyou。Ionlyknowitis，becausewhenIdoitIfeelallright，andwhenIdon’tIfeelallwrong。EastWindsays——
onlyonedoesnotexactlyknowhowmuchtobelieveofwhatshesays，forsheisverynaughtysometimes——shesaysitisallmanagedbyababy;butwhethersheisgoodornaughtywhenshesaysthat，Idon’tknow。Ijuststicktomywork。Itisallonetometoletabeeoutofatulip，ortosweepthecobwebsfromthesky。
Youwouldliketogowithmeto-night？”
“Idon’twanttoseeashipsunk。”
“ButsupposeIhadtotakeyou？”
“Why，then，ofcourseImustgo。”
“There’sagoodDiamond——IthinkIhadbetterbegrowingabit。
Onlyyoumustgotobedfirst。Ican’ttakeyoutillyou’reinbed。
That’sthelawaboutthechildren。SoIhadbettergoanddosomethingelsefirst。”
“Verywell，NorthWind。”saidDiamond。“Whatareyougoingtodofirst，ifyouplease？”
“IthinkImaytellyou。Jumpuponthetopofthewall，there。”
“Ican’t。”
“Ah！andIcan’thelpyou——youhaven’tbeentobedyet，yousee。
Comeouttotheroadwithme，justinfrontofthecoach-house，andI
willshowyou。”
NorthWindgrewverysmallindeed，sosmallthatshecouldnothaveblownthedustoffadustymiller，astheScotchchildrencallayellowauricula。Diamondcouldnotevenseethebladesofgrassmoveassheflittedalongbyhisfoot。Theyleftthelawn，wentoutbythewicketinthe-coach-housegates，andthencrossedtheroadtothelowwallthatseparateditfromtheriver。
“Youcangetuponthiswall，Diamond。”saidNorthWind。
“Yes;butmymotherhasforbiddenme。”
“Thendon’t。”saidNorthWind。
“ButIcanseeover。”saidDiamond。
“Ah！tobesure。Ican’t。”
Sosaying，NorthWindgavealittlebound，andstoodonthetopofthewall。Shewasjustabouttheheightadragon-flywouldbe，ifitstoodonend。
“Youdarling！“saidDiamond，seeingwhatalovelylittletoy-womanshewas。
“Don’tbeimpertinent，MasterDiamond。”saidNorthWind。
“Ifthere’sonethingmakesmemoreangrythananother，itisthewayyouhumansjudgethingsbytheirsize。IamquiteasrespectablenowasIshallbesixhoursafterthis，whenItakeanEastIndiamanbytheroyals，twistherround，andpushherunder。
Youhavenorighttoaddressmeinsuchafashion。”
Butasshespoke，thetinyfaceworethesmileofagreat，grandwoman。
ShewasonlyhavingherownbeautifulfunoutofDiamond，andtruewoman’sfunneverhurts。
“Butlookthere！“sheresumed。“Doyouseeaboatwithonemaninit——
agreenandwhiteboat？”
“Yes;quitewell。”
“That’sapoet。”
“Ithoughtyousaiditwasabo-at。”
“Stupidpet！Don’tyouknowwhatapoetis？”
“Why，athingtosailonthewaterin。”
“Well，perhapsyou’renotsofarwrong。Somepoetsdocarrypeopleoverthesea。ButIhavenobusinesstotalksomuch。
Themanisapoet。”
“Theboatisaboat。”saidDiamond。
“Can’tyouspell？”askedNorthWind。
“Notverywell。”
“SoIsee。Apoetisnotabo-at，asyoucallit。Apoetisamanwhoisgladofsomething，andtriestomakeotherpeoplegladofittoo。”
“Ah！nowIknow。Likethemaninthesweety-shop。”
“Notvery。ButIseeitisnouse。Iwasn’tsenttotellyou，andsoIcan’ttellyou。Imustbeoff。Onlyfirstjustlookattheman。”
“He’snotmuchofarower“saidDiamond——“paddlingfirstwithonefinandthenwiththeother。”
“Nowlookhere！“saidNorthWind。
Andsheflashedlikeadragon-flyacrossthewater，whosesurfacerippledandpuckeredasshepassed。Thenextmomentthemanintheboatglancedabouthim，andbenttohisoars。Theboatflewovertheripplingwater。Manandboatandriverwereawake。
Thesameinstantalmost，NorthWindperchedagainupontheriverwall。
“Howdidyoudothat？”askedDiamond。
“Iblewinhisface。”answeredNorthWind。“Idon’tseehowthatcoulddoit。”saidDiamond。“Idaresaynot。Andthereforeyouwillsayyoudon’tbelieveitcould。”
“No，no，dearNorthWind。Iknowyoutoowellnottobelieveyou。”
“Well，Iblewinhisface，andthatwokehimup。”
“Butwhatwasthegoodofit？”
“Why！don’tyousee？Lookathim——howheispulling。Iblewthemistoutofhim。”
“Howwasthat？”
“ThatisjustwhatIcannottellyou。”
“Butyoudidit。”
“Yes。Ihavetodotenthousandthingswithoutbeingabletotellhow。”
“Idon’tlikethat。”saidDiamond。
Hewasstaringaftertheboat。Hearingnoanswer，helookeddowntothewall。
NorthWindwasgone。Awayacrosstheriverwentalongripple——
whatsailorscallacat’spaw。Themanintheboatwasputtingupasail。Themoonwascomingtoherselfontheedgeofagreatcloud，andthesailbegantoshinewhite。Diamondrubbedhiseyes，andwonderedwhatitwasallabout。Thingsseemedgoingonaroundhim，andalltounderstandeachother，buthecouldmakenothingofit。
Soheputhishandsinhispockets，andwentintohavehistea。
Thenightwasveryhot，forthewindhadfallenagain。
“Youdon’tseemverywellto-night，Diamond。”saidhismother。
“Iamquitewell，mother。”returnedDiamond，whowasonlypuzzled。
“Ithinkyouhadbettergotobed。”sheadded。
“Verywell，mother。”heanswered。
Hestoppedforonemomenttolookoutofthewindow。Abovethemoonthecloudsweregoingdifferentways。Somehoworotherthistroubledhim，but，notwithstanding，hewassoonfastasleep。
Hewokeinthemiddleofthenightandthedarkness。Aterriblenoisewasrumblingoverhead，liketherollingbeatofgreatdrumsechoingthroughabrazenvault。Theroofoftheloftinwhichhelayhadnoceiling;onlythetileswerebetweenhimandthesky。
Forawhilehecouldnotcomequiteawake，forthenoisekeptbeatinghimdown，sothathisheartwastroubledandflutteredpainfully。
Asecondpealofthunderburstoverhishead，andalmostchokedhimwithfear。Nordidherecoveruntilthegreatblastthatfollowed，havingtornsometilesofftheroof，sentaspoutofwinddownintohisbedandoverhisface，whichbroughthimwideawake，andgavehimbackhiscourage。Thesamemomentheheardamightyyetmusicalvoicecallinghim。
“Comeup，Diamond。”itsaid。“It’sallready。I’mwaitingforyou。”
Helookedoutofthebed，andsawagigantic，powerful，butmostlovelyarm——withahandwhosefingerswerenothingthelessladylikethattheycouldhavestrangledaboa-constrictor，orchokedatigressoffitsprey——stretcheddownthroughabigholeintheroof。
Withoutamoment’shesitationhereachedouthistinyone，andlaiditinthegrandpalmbeforehim。
CHAPTERVI
OUTINTHESTORM
THEhandfeltitswayuphisarm，and，graspingitgentlyandstronglyabovetheelbow，liftedDiamondfromthebed。Themomenthewasthroughtheholeintheroof，allthewindsofheavenseemedtolayholduponhim，andbuffethimhitherandthither。
Hishairblewoneway，hisnight-gownanother，hislegsthreatenedtofloatfromunderhim，andhisheadtogrowdizzywiththeswiftnessoftheinvisibleassailant。Cowering，heclungwiththeotherhandtothehugehandwhichheldhisarm，andfearinvadedhisheart。
“Oh，NorthWind！“hemurmured，butthewordsvanishedfromhislipsashehadseenthesoap-bubblesthatbursttoosoonvanishfromthemouthofhispipe。Thewindcaughtthem，andtheywerenowhere。
Theycouldn’tgetoutatall，butweretornawayandstrangled。
AndyetNorthWindheardthem，andinheransweritseemedtoDiamondthatjustbecauseshewassobigandcouldnothelpit，andjustbecauseherearandhermouthmustseemtohimsodreadfullyfaraway，shespoketohimmoretenderlyandgraciouslythaneverbefore。
Hervoicewaslikethebassofadeeporgan，withoutthegroaninit;
likethemostdelicateofviolintoneswithoutthewailinit;
likethemostgloriousoftrumpet-ejaculationswithoutthedefianceinit;likethesoundoffallingwaterwithouttheclatterandclashinit:itwaslikeallofthemandneitherofthem——allofthemwithouttheirfaults，eachofthemwithoutitspeculiarity:
afterall，itwasmorelikehismother’svoicethananythingelseintheworld。
“Diamond，dear。”shesaid，“beaman。Whatisfearfultoyouisnottheleastfearfultome。”
“Butitcan’thurtyou。”murmuredDiamond，“foryou’reit。”
“ThenifI’mit，andhaveyouinmyarms，howcanithurtyou？”
“Ohyes！Isee。”whisperedDiamond。“Butitlookssodreadful，anditpushesmeaboutso。”
“Yes，itdoes，mydear。Thatiswhatitwassentfor。”
Atthesamemoment，apealofthunderwhichshookDiamond’sheartagainstthesidesofhisbosomhurtledoutoftheheavens:
Icannotsayoutofthesky，fortherewasnosky。Diamondhadnotseenthelightning，forhehadbeenintentonfindingthefaceofNorthWind。Everymomentthefoldsofhergarmentwouldsweepacrosshiseyesandblindhim，butbetween，hecouldjustpersuadehimselfthathesawgreatgloriesofwoman’seyeslookingdownthroughriftsinthemountainouscloudsoverhishead。
Hetrembledsoatthethunder，thathiskneesfailedhim，andhesunkdownatNorthWind’sfeet，andclaspedherroundthecolumnofherankle。
Sheinstantlystooped，liftedhimfromtheroof——up——upintoherbosom，andheldhimthere，saying，asiftoaninconsolablechild——
“Diamond，dear，thiswillneverdo。”
“Ohyes，itwill。”answeredDiamond。“Iamallrightnow——
quitecomfortable，Iassureyou，dearNorthWind。Ifyouwillonlyletmestayhere，Ishallbeallrightindeed。”
“Butyouwillfeelthewindhere，Diamond。”
“Idon’tmindthatabit，solongasIfeelyourarmsthroughit。”
answeredDiamond，nestlingclosertohergrandbosom。
“Braveboy！“returnedNorthWind，pressinghimcloser。
“No。”saidDiamond，“Idon’tseethat。It’snotcourageatall，solongasIfeelyouthere。”
“Buthadn’tyoubettergetintomyhair？Thenyouwouldnotfeelthewind;youwillhere。”
“Ah，but，dearNorthWind，youdon’tknowhowniceitistofeelyourarmsaboutme。Itisathousandtimesbettertohavethemandthewindtogether，thantohaveonlyyourhairandthebackofyourneckandnowindatall。”
“Butitissurelymorecomfortablethere？”
“Well，perhaps;butIbegintothinktherearebetterthingsthanbeingcomfortable。”
“Yes，indeedthereare。Well，Iwillkeepyouinfrontofme。
Youwillfeelthewind，butnottoomuch。Ishallonlywantonearmtotakecareofyou;theotherwillbequiteenoughtosinktheship。”
“Oh，dearNorthWind！howcanyoutalkso？”
“Mydearboy，Inevertalk;IalwaysmeanwhatIsay。”
“Thenyoudomeantosinktheshipwiththeotherhand？”
“Yes。”
“It’snotlikeyou。”
“Howdoyouknowthat？”
“Quiteeasily。Hereyouaretakingcareofapoorlittleboywithonearm，andthereyouaresinkingashipwiththeother。
Itcan’tbelikeyou。”
“Ah！butwhichisme？Ican’tbetwomes，youknow。”
“No。Nobodycanbetwomes。”
“Well，whichmeisme？”
“NowImustthink。Therelookstobetwo。”
“Yes。That’stheverypoint——Youcan’tbeknowingthethingyoudon’tknow，canyou？”
“No。”
“Whichmedoyouknow？”
“Thekindest，goodest，bestmeintheworld。”answeredDiamond，clingingtoNorthWind。
“WhyamIgoodtoyou？”
“Idon’tknow。”
“Haveyoueverdoneanythingforme？”
“No。”
“ThenImustbegoodtoyoubecauseIchoosetobegoodtoyou。”
“Yes。”
“WhyshouldIchoose？”
“Because——because——becauseyoulike。”
“WhyshouldIliketobegoodtoyou？”
“Idon’tknow，exceptitbebecauseit’sgoodtobegoodtome。”
“That’sjustit;IamgoodtoyoubecauseIliketobegood。”
“Thenwhyshouldn’tyoubegoodtootherpeopleaswellastome？”
“That’sjustwhatIdon’tknow。Whyshouldn’tI？”
“Idon’tknoweither。Thenwhyshouldn’tyou？”
“BecauseIam。”
“Thereitisagain。”saidDiamond。“Idon’tseethatyouare。
Itlooksquitetheotherthing。”
“Well，butlistentome，Diamond。Youknowtheoneme，yousay，andthatisgood。”
“Yes。”
“Doyouknowtheothermeaswell？”
“No。Ican’t。Ishouldn’tliketo。”
“Thereitis。Youdon’tknowtheotherme。Youaresureofoneofthem？”
“Yes。”
“Andyouaresuretherecan’tbetwomes？”
“Yes。”
“Thenthemeyoudon’tknowmustbethesameasthemeyoudoknow，——
elsetherewouldbetwomes？”
“Yes。”
“Thentheothermeyoudon’tknowmustbeaskindasthemeyoudoknow？”
“Yes。”
“Besides，Itellyouthatitisso，onlyitdoesn’tlooklikeit。
ThatIconfessfreely。Haveyouanythingmoretoobject？”
“No，no，dearNorthWind;Iamquitesatisfied。”
“ThenIwilltellyousomethingyoumightobject。Youmightsaythatthemeyouknowisliketheotherme，andthatIamcruelallthrough。”
“Iknowthatcan’tbe，becauseyouaresokind。”
“Butthatkindnessmightbeonlyapretenceforthesakeofbeingmorecruelafterwards。”
Diamondclungtohertighterthanever，crying——
“No，no，dearNorthWind;Ican’tbelievethat。Idon’tbelieveit。
Iwon’tbelieveit。Thatwouldkillme。Iloveyou，andyoumustloveme，elsehowdidIcometoloveyou？Howcouldyouknowhowtoputonsuchabeautifulfaceifyoudidnotlovemeandtherest？No。Youmaysinkasmanyshipsasyoulike，andIwon’tsayanotherword。Ican’tsayIshallliketoseeit，youknow。”
“That’squiteanotherthing。”saidNorthWind;andasshespokeshegaveonespringfromtheroofofthehay-loft，andrushedupintotheclouds，withDiamondonherleftarmclosetoherheart。
Andasifthecloudsknewshehadcome，theyburstintoafreshjubilationofthunderouslight。Forafewmoments，Diamondseemedtobeborneupthroughthedepthsofanoceanofdazzlingflame;
thenext，thewindswerewrithingaroundhimlikeastormofserpents。
Fortheywereinthemidstofthecloudsandmists，andtheyofcoursetooktheshapesofthewind，eddyingandwreathingandwhirlingandshootinganddashingaboutlikegreyandblackwater，sothatitwasasifthewinditselfhadtakenshape，andhesawthegreyandblackwindtossingandravingmostmadlyallabouthim。
Nowitblindedhimbysmitinghimupontheeyes;nowitdeafenedhimbybellowinginhisears;forevenwhenthethundercameheknewnowthatitwasthebillowsofthegreatoceanoftheairdashingagainsteachotherintheirhastetofillthehollowscoopedoutbythelightning;nowittookhisbreathquiteawaybysuckingitfromhisbodywiththespeedofitsrush。Buthedidnotmindit。Heonlygaspedfirstandthenlaughed，forthearmofNorthWindwasabouthim，andhewasleaningagainstherbosom。
Itisquiteimpossibleformetodescribewhathesaw。Didyoueverwatchagreatwaveshootintoawindingpassageamongstrocks？
Ifyoueverdid，youwouldseethatthewaterrushedeverywayatonce，someofiteventurningbackandopposingtherest;
greaterconfusionyoumightseenowhereexceptinacrowdoffrightenedpeople。Well，thewindwaslikethat，exceptthatitwentmuchfaster，andthereforewasmuchwilder，andtwistedandshotandcurledanddodgedandclashedandravedtentimesmoremadlythananythingelseincreationexcepthumanpassions。
Diamondsawthethreadsofthelady’shairstreakingitall。
Inpartsindeedhecouldnottellwhichwashairandwhichwasblackstormandvapour。Itseemedsometimesthatallthegreatbillowsofmist-muddywindwerewovenoutofthecrossinglinesofNorthWind’sinfinitehair，sweepinginendlessintertwistings。
AndDiamondfeltasthewindseizedonhishair，whichhismotherkeptratherlong，asifhetoowasapartofthestorm，andsomeofitslifewentoutfromhim。ButsoshelteredwashebyNorthWind’sarmandbosomthatonlyattimes，inthefierceronslaughtofsomecurl-billowededdy，didherecogniseforamomenthowwildwasthestorminwhichhewascarried，nestlinginitsverycoreandformativecentre。
ItseemedtoDiamondlikewisethattheyweremotionlessinthiscentre，andthatalltheconfusionandfightingwentonaroundthem。
Flashafterflashilluminatedthefiercechaos，revealinginvariedyellowandblueandgreyandduskyredthevapourouscontention;
pealafterpealofthundertoretheinfinitewaste;butitseemedtoDiamondthatNorthWindandheweremotionless，allbutthehair。
Itwasnotso。Theyweresweepingwiththespeedofthewinditselftowardsthesea。