DIAMOND'S FIRST TRIP WITH THE NORTH WIND
Diamond awoke very early the next morning and thought what a curious
dream he had had. But the memory of it grew brighter and brighter until
it did not look altogether like a dream. In fact he began to doubt
whether he had not really been abroad in the wind at night.
All that week it was hard weather. The grass showed white in the morning
with the hoar frost which clung to every blade. As Diamond's shoes were
not good and his mother had not saved up quite enough money to get him
the new pair she so much wanted for him, she would not let him run out.
But at length, she brought home his new shoes. No sooner did she find
that they fitted him, than she told him he might run out into the yard
and amuse himself.
The sun was going down when he flew from the door like a bird from its
cage. A great fire of sunset burned over the top of the gate that led to
the stables. Above the fire in the sky, lay a large lake of green light,
above that a golden cloud, and over that the blue of the wintry heavens.
Diamond thought that next to his own home, he had never seen any place
he would like so much to live in as that sky.
As he wandered about, he came to stand by the little door which opened
upon the lawn of the house next door. That made him remember how the
wind had driven him to this same spot on the night of his dream. So he
thought he would just go in and see if things looked at all as they did
then. But not a flower was to be seen in the beds on the lawn! Even the
brave old chrysanthemums and Christmas roses had passed away before the
frost. What? Yes! There was _one_. He ran and knelt down to look at it.
It was a primrose--a tiny, tiny thing, but perfect in shape--a baby
wonder. As he stooped his face to see it close, a little wind began to
blow. Two or three long leaves that stood up behind the flower shook and
wavered and quivered. But the primrose lay still in the green hollow,
looking up at the sky and not seeming to know at all that the wind was
blowing. It looked like a golden eye that the black wintry earth had
opened to look at the sky with.
That very same night, after Diamond had been asleep for a little, he
awoke all at once in the dark.
"Open the window, Diamond," said a voice.
Now Diamond's mother had once more pasted up North Wind's window.
"Are you North Wind?" said Diamond. "I do not hear you blowing."
"No, but you hear me talking. Open the window for I haven't over much
time."
"Yes," said Diamond. "But please, North Wind, where's the use? You left
me all alone last time."
"That was your fault," returned North Wind. "I had work to do and you
kept me waiting."
Diamond was already scratching at the paper like ten mice and, getting
hold of the edge of it, tore it off. The next instant a young girl
glided across the bed and stood on the floor.
"Oh, dear!" said Diamond quite dismayed. "I didn't know--who are you,
please?"
"I am North Wind."
"But you are no bigger than I am!"
"Do you think I care how big or how little I am? And of course, I am
little this evening! Didn't you see me behind the leaves of the
primrose? Didn't you see them blowing? Make haste, now, if you want to
go with me! Dress as fast as you can and I will go and shake the leaves
of the primrose till you come!"
"Don't hurt it!" said Diamond.
North Wind broke out into a little laugh like the breaking of silver
bubbles and was gone in a moment. Diamond saw the gleam of something
vanishing down the stair. He dressed himself as fast as ever he could
and crept out into the yard, through the door in the wall, and away to
the primrose. Behind it stood North Wind leaning over it.
"Come along!" she said jumping up and holding out her hand. She led him
across the garden and with one bound was on top of the wall. Then she
reached down her hand to Diamond. He gave a great spring and stood
beside her.
Another bound, and they stood in the road by the river. It was full tide
and the stars were shining clear in its depths. But they had not walked
beside it far before its surface was covered with ripples and the stars
had vanished. North Wind was now as tall as a full-grown girl. Her hair
was flying about her head and the wind was blowing a breeze down the
river. But she turned aside and went up a narrow lane.
"I have some rather disagreeable work to do to-night," she said. "And
disagreeable work must be looked after first."
So saying, she laid hold of Diamond and began to run, gliding along
faster and faster. She made many turnings and windings. Once they ran
through a hall where they found both the front and back doors open. At
the foot of the stair, North Wind stood still and Diamond, hearing a
great growl, started in terror. There, instead of North Wind, was a huge
wolf by his side! He let go his hold and the wolf bounded up the stair.
The windows of the house rattled and shook and there came the sound of a
fall.
"Surely," thought Diamond, "North Wind can't be eating one of the
children!"
He started to rush up after her, but she met him on the stair, took him
by the hand and hurried him out of the house.
"I hope you haven't eaten a baby, North Wind!" he said very solemnly.
North Wind laughed merrily and went tripping on faster. Her grassy robe
swept and swirled about her steps. Wherever it passed over withered
leaves, they went fleeing and whirling away and running on their edges
all about her feet. "No, I did not eat a baby," she said, "as you would
know if you had not let go of me. I merely scared an ugly nurse who was
calling a child bad names. I flew at her throat and she tumbled over
with a crash. I had to put on a bad shape before she could see me. I put
on a wolf's shape for that is what she is growing to be inside."
They were now climbing the slope of a grassy ascent. At the top, North
Wind stood and turned her face toward London. The stars were still
shining clear and cold overhead. There was not a cloud to be seen.
"Now," said North Wind, "do not let go of me again. I might have lost
you the last time, only I was not in a hurry then. Now I am in a hurry."
As she spoke, she was growing larger and larger. Her head went up and up
toward the stars. As she grew, her hair, longer and longer, lifted
itself from her head and went out in black waves. She put her hands
behind her head and began weaving and knotting her hair together. Then
she took up Diamond in her hands and threw him over her shoulder saying,
"I have made a place for you in my hair. Get in, Diamond."
Diamond soon found the woven nest and crept into it. The next moment he
was rising in the air. North Wind grew towering up to the place of the
clouds. Her hair went streaming out from her till it spread like a mist
over the stars. She flung herself abroad in space. Diamond made a little
place through the woven meshes of her hair and peeped through that, for
he did not dare look over the top of his nest.
The earth was rushing past like a river or a sea below him. Trees and
water and green grass hurried away beneath. Now there was nothing but
the roofs of houses sweeping along like a great torrent of stones and
rocks. Chimneys fell and tiles flew from the roofs. There was a great
roaring for the wind was dashing against London like a stormy sea.
Diamond, of course, at the back of North Wind, was in a calm but he
could hear it. Around and around and around, swept North Wind, her dark
hair rolling and flowing, sweeping the people all into their homes and
the bad smells out of the streets.
Suddenly, Diamond saw a little girl coming along a street. She was
dreadfully blown by the wind, and a broom she was trailing behind her
was very troublesome. It seemed as if the wind had a spite at her! It
kept worrying her and tearing at her rags. She was so lonely there!
"Oh, please, North Wind," cried Diamond, "won't you help that little
girl?"
"I cannot leave my work, Diamond. But you can help her if you like.
Only, I can't wait for you. And mind, the wind will get hold of you
too!"
"But how shall I get home again," cried Diamond, "if you don't wait for
me?"
"Well, you must think of that!" said North Wind.
"Oh," cried Diamond. "I am sure the wind will blow her over! I _must_
help her anyway! Let me go!"
Without a word, North Wind dropped into the street and set him down. The
same moment, he was caught in the coils of the blast and all but swept
away. North Wind vanished. The wind was roaring along the street. The
little girl was scudding before it, her hair flying, while behind her
she dragged her broom with which she swept her crossing. Her little legs
were going as fast as they could, to keep her from falling.
"Stop! stop! little girl!" shouted Diamond, starting in pursuit.
"I can't!" wailed the girl. "The wind won't let me!"
Diamond ran after her and caught hold of her frock but it tore in his
hand. Then he ran fast enough to get in front of her and turning around,
caught her in his arms. Just then, he thought he got a glimpse of North
Wind turning the corner in front of them. They must go with her of
course, and sure enough, when they turned the corner after her, they
found it quite quiet there.
"Now, you must lead me," said Diamond. "You show me the way you must go
to get home and I will take care of you."
So the little girl put her free hand in his and began to lead him. They
went around turning after turning, till they stopped at a cellar-door in
a very dirty lane. There the little girl knocked.
"What an awful place!" said Diamond. "I should not like to live here."
"Oh yes, you would, if you had no where else to go!" answered the girl.
"I only hope they'll let me in."
"Don't they always let you in?" said Diamond.
"No, they don't. And then I have to stay in the street all night and
scud back to my crossing the first thing in the morning. You see they
don't answer, now!"
"Well," said Diamond, "I don't want to get in. I want to go back to my
mother. Come with me and I will take you to my own home."
The little girl thought this would be much better than sitting in the
streets all night. So they started off. The trouble was that Diamond was
not at all sure that he could find the way without North Wind. But the
only thing to do was to try. So they wandered on and on, turning in this
direction and that, without any reason for one way more than another. At
last, they got out of the thick of the houses into a kind of waste
place. By this time, they were both very tired, and Diamond was
inclined to cry. For he said to himself that he had not done the little
girl any good and he had lost his own way home. But in this, he was
wrong for she was far happier in having him with her, and making people
happier is one of the best ways of doing them good.
[Illustration: IT WAS THE BACK DOOR OF A GARDEN]
They sat down and rested themselves a little and then went on. After a
time, they found themselves on a rising ground that sloped rather
steeply on the other side. The moment they reached the top, a gust of
wind seized them and blew them down hill as fast as they could run. Nor
could Diamond stop before he went bang! against one of the doors in a
wall. To his dismay, it burst open. When they came to themselves, they
peeped in. It was the back door of a garden.
"Oh! oh!" cried Diamond after staring for a few moments. "I know this
place--know it well! It is Mr. Coleman's garden and here I am at home
again. Oh, I am so glad! Come in, little girl! Come in with me and my
mother will give you some breakfast."
"No, no! I can't!" said the little girl. "We have been so long coming.
Look up! Don't you see that it is morning now? I must hurry back to my
crossing and sweep it and get money to take home or they will beat me!
I cannot stay. Good-bye, little boy, good-bye!"
She started back at once, ran up the hill and disappeared behind it.
Diamond called after her and called, but she did not even turn round. He
was sorry to see her go but there was no help for it. So when she was
gone quite out of sight, he shut the door of the garden as best he
could, and ran through the kitchen garden to the stables. And wasn't he
glad to get into his own blessed bed again!