At the Back of the North Wind

y other part? For of course I could know nothing about the story except Diamond had told it; and why should not Diamond tell about the country at the back of the nor

ot speak at all. I do not think he was right, but it may well have appeared so to Diamond. The fact is, we have different reports of the place from the most

rom his own experience, for he visited the country; the other from the testimony of a young peasant girl who came back from it for a month's visit to her f

nce, but then Durante-that was the name of the Italian, and it means Lasting, for his books will last as long as there are enough men in the world worthy of having them-Durante was an el

its little waves, as it hurried along, bent the grass, full of red and yellow flowers, through which it flowed. He says that the purest stream in the world beside this one would look as if it were mixed with something that did not belong to it, even although it was flowing ever in the brown shadow of the trees, and neither sun nor moon could shine upon it. He seems to imply that i

port such grand things as Durante, for, as the she

been she kn

seen what she co

en where the c

ver fell, and the

s the harp of t

heaven played

f the lovely for

here sin had

ove and a l

un, or moon

er swayed a l

a pure and c

vision it

an everlas

clear, I think, that Kilmeny must have described the same country as Durante saw, tho

nts of recollection as Diamond

came out of the flowers, which were very bright, but had no strong colour. He said the river-for all agree that there is a river there-flowed not only through, but over grass: its channel, instead of being rock, stones, pebbles, sand, or anything else, was of pure meadow grass, not over long. He insisted that if it did not sing tunes in people's ears, it sung tunes in their heads, in proof of which I ma

e happiness. Nothing went wrong at the back of the north wind. Neither was anything quite right, he thought. Only everything was going to be right some day. His account disagreed with that of Durante, and agreed with that

a little girl belonging to the gardener, who thought he had lost her, but was quite mistaken, for

alk to her

ey only look at each other,

cold

N

it h

N

is it

nk about such

eer place

very goo

nt to go b

have left it; I fee

ple there lo

eased, only a

y didn't

hey were waiting to

t that country. And now I will take up the story a