At the Back of the North Wind

inds of heaven seemed to lay hold upon him, and buffet him hither and thither. His hair blew one way, his night-gown another, his legs threatened to float from under him, and

hat just because she was so big and could not help it, and just because her ear and her mouth must seem to him so dreadfully far away, she spoke to him more tenderly and graciously than ever before. Her voice was like the bass of a deep organ, without the groan in it; like the most delicate of violin tones without the wail in it; lik

a man. What is fearful to you i

you," murmured Diam

have you in my arms,

mond. "But it looks so dreadfu

dear. That is what

no sky. Diamond had not seen the lightning, for he had been intent on finding the face of North Wind. Every moment the folds of her garment would sweep across his eyes

feet, and clasped her round the column of her ankle. She instantly stooped, lifted him from

ar, this wil

quite comfortable, I assure you, dear North Wind. If you

feel the wind

eel your arms through it," answered Diam

ned North Wind, pr

e that. It's not courage at all

o my hair? Then you would not

about me. It is a thousand times better to have them and the wind together,

ely more comfo

to think there are better th

will feel the wind, but not too much. I shall only want one arm to

h Wind! how ca

ver talk; I always

to sink the ship w

es

not li

you kn

r little boy with one arm, and there you are sin

me? I can't be t

dy can be

which m

ink. There loo

-You can't be knowing the th

N

me do y

e in the world," answered Dia

I good

n't k

er done anyt

N

to you because I choo

es

ould I

cause-becau

I like to be

it be because it's g

m good to you becaus

u be good to other peo

t I don't know.

ither. Then why

use I

nd. "I don't see that you are.

amond. You know the one me,

es

w the other

t. I should

know the other me. You a

es

ure there can'

es

be the same as the me you do kn

es

on't know must be as kin

es

it doesn't look like it. That I confess f

rth Wind; I am q

ct. You might say that the me you know is like

't be, because y

nly a pretence for the sake o

o her tighter t

ust love me, else how did I come to love you? How could you know how to put on such a beautiful face if you did not love me and t

g in his ears; for even when the thunder came he knew now that it was the billows of the great ocean of the air dashing against each other in their haste to fill the hollow scooped out by the lightning; now it took his breath quite away by sucking it from his body with the speed of its rush. But he did not mind it. He only gasped first and then laughed, for the arm of North Wind was about him, and he was leaning against her bosom. It is quite impossible for me to describe what he saw. Did you ever watch a great wave shoot into a winding passage amongst rocks? If you ever did, you would see that the water rushed every way at once, some of it even turning back and opposing the rest; greater confusion you might see nowhere except in a crowd of frightened people. Well, the wind was like that, except that it went much faster, and therefore was much wilder, and

d the fierce chaos, revealing in varied yellow and blue and grey and dusky red the vapourous contention; peal after peal of thunder tore the infinite waste; but