turning again so swiftly that Diamond could scarcely see it. “What a big

voice you've got! and what a noise you do make with it? What is it you

want? I have little to do, but that little must be done.”

“I want you to take me to the country at the back of the north wind.”

“That's not so easy,” said North Wind, and was silent for so long that

Diamond thought she was gone indeed. But after he had quite given her

up, the voice began again.

“I almost wish old Herodotus had held his tongue about it. Much he knew

of it!”

“Why do you wish that, North Wind?”

“Because then that clergyman would never have heard of it, and set you

wanting to go. But we shall see. We shall see. You must go home now, my

dear, for you don't seem very well, and I'll see what can be done for

you. Don't wait for me. I've got to break a few of old Goody's toys;

she's thinking too much of her new stock. Two or three will do. There!

go now.”

Diamond rose, quite sorry, and without a word left the shop, and went

home.

It soon appeared that his mother had been right about him, for that same

afternoon his head began to ache very much, and he had to go to bed.

He awoke in the middle of the night. The lattice window of his room had

blown open, and the curtains of his little bed were swinging about in

the wind.

“If that should be North Wind now!” thought Diamond.

But the next moment he heard some one closing the window, and his aunt

came to his bedside. She put her hand on his face, and said--

“How's your head, dear?”

“Better, auntie, I think.”

“Would you like something to drink?”

“Oh, yes! I should, please.”

So his aunt gave him some lemonade, for she had been used to nursing

sick people, and Diamond felt very much refreshed, and laid his head

down again to go very fast asleep, as he thought. And so he did, but

only to come awake again, as a fresh burst of wind blew the lattice

open a second time. The same moment he found himself in a cloud of North

Wind's hair, with her beautiful face, set in it like a moon, bending

over him.

“Quick, Diamond!” she said. “I have found such a chance!”

“But I'm not well,” said Diamond.

“I know that, but you will be better for a little fresh air. You shall

have plenty of that.”

“You want me to go, then?”

“Yes, I do. It won't hurt you.”

“Very well,” said Diamond; and getting out of the bed-clothes, he jumped

into North Wind's arms.

“We must make haste before your aunt comes,” said she, as she glided out

of the open lattice and left it swinging.

The moment Diamond felt her arms fold around him he began to feel

better. It was a moonless night, and very dark, with glimpses of stars

when the clouds parted.

“I used to dash the waves about here,” said North Wind, “where cows and

sheep are feeding now; but we shall soon get to them. There they are.”

And Diamond, looking down, saw the white glimmer of breaking water far

below him.

“You see, Diamond,” said North Wind, “it is very difficult for me to

get you to the back of the north wind, for that country lies in the very

north itself, and of course I can't blow northwards.”

“Why not?” asked Diamond.

“You little silly!” said North Wind. “Don't you see that if I were to

blow northwards I should be South Wind, and that is as much as to say

that one person could be two persons?”

“But how can you ever get home at all, then?”

“You are quite right--that is my home, though I never get farther than

the outer door. I sit on the doorstep, and hear the voices inside. I am

nobody there, Diamond.”

“I'm very sorry.”

“Why?”

“That you should be nobody.”

“Oh, I don't mind it. Dear little man! you will be very glad some day

to be nobody yourself. But you can't understand that now, and you had

better not try; for if you do, you will be certain to go fancying some

egregious nonsense, and making yourself miserable about it.”

“Then I won't,” said Diamond.

“There's a good boy. It will all come in good time.”

“But you haven't told me how you get to the doorstep, you know.”

“It is easy enough for me. I have only to consent to be nobody, and

there I am. I draw into myself and there I am on the doorstep. But you

can easily see, or you have less sense than I think, that to drag you,

you heavy thing, along with me, would take centuries, and I could not

give the time to it.”

“Oh, I'm so sorry!” said Diamond.

“What for now, pet?”

“That I'm so heavy for you. I would be lighter if I could, but I don't

know how.”

“You silly darling! Why, I could toss you a hundred miles from me if I

liked. It is only when I am going home that I shall find you heavy.”

“Then you are going home with me?”

“Of course. Did I not come to fetch you just for that?”

“But all this time you must be going southwards.”

“Yes. Of course I am.”

“How can you be taking me northwards, then?”

“A very sensible question. But you shall see. I will get rid of a few of

these clouds--only they do come up so fast! It's like trying to blow a

brook dry. There! What do you see now?”

“I think I see a little boat, away there, down below.”

“A little boat, indeed! Well! She's a yacht of two hundred tons; and the

captain of it is a friend of mine; for he is a man of good sense, and

can sail his craft well. I've helped him many a time when he little

thought it. I've heard him grumbling at me, when I was doing the very

best I could for him. Why, I've carried him eighty miles a day, again

and again, right north.”

“He must have dodged for that,” said Diamond, who had been watching the

vessels, and had seen that they went other ways than the wind blew.

“Of course he must. But don't you see, it was the best I could do? I

couldn't be South Wind. And besides it gave him a share in the business.

It is not good at all--mind that, Diamond--to do everything for those

you love, and not give them a share in the doing. It's not kind. It's

making too much of yourself, my child. If I had been South Wind, he

would only have smoked his pipe all day, and made himself stupid.”

“But how could he be a man of sense and grumble at you when you were

doing your best for him?”

“Oh! you must make allowances,” said North Wind, “or you will never do

justice to anybody.--You do understand, then, that a captain may sail

north----”

“In spite of a north wind--yes,” supplemented Diamond.

“Now, I do think you must be stupid, my dear” said North Wind. “Suppose

the north wind did not blow where would he be then?”

“Why then the south wind would carry him.”

“So you think that when the north wind stops the south wind blows.

Nonsense. If I didn't blow, the captain couldn't sail his eighty miles

a day. No doubt South Wind would carry him faster, but South Wind is

sitting on her doorstep then, and if I stopped there would be a dead

calm. So you are all wrong to say he can sail north in spite of me; he

sails north by my help, and my help alone. You see that, Diamond?”

“Yes, I do, North Wind. I am stupid, but I don't want to be stupid.”

“Good boy! I am going to blow you north in that little craft, one of the

finest that ever sailed the sea. Here we are, right over it. I shall

be blowing against you; you will be sailing against me; and all will be

just as we want it. The captain won't get on so fast as he would like,

but he will get on, and so shall we. I'm just going to put you on board.

Do you see in front of the tiller--that thing the man is working, now to