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speck upon the whiteness; and then it vanished altogether。 

And now Diamond felt that he would rather not run any farther;

and that the ice had got very rough。  Besides; he was near the

precipices that bounded the sea; so he slackened his pace to a walk;

saying aloud to himself:



〃When North Wind has punished me enough for making game of her;

she will come back to me; I know she will; for I can't go much

farther without her。〃



〃You dear boy!  It was only in fun。  Here I am!〃 said North Wind's

voice behind him。



Diamond turned; and saw her as he liked best to see her;

standing beside him; a tall lady。



〃Where's the tiger?〃 he asked; for he knew all the creatures from

a picture book that Miss Coleman had given him。  〃But; of course;〃

he added; 〃you were the tiger。  I was puzzled and forgot。  I saw

it such a long way off before me; and there you were behind me。 

It's so odd; you know。〃



〃It must look very odd to you; Diamond:  I see that。  But it

is no more odd to me than to break an old pine in two。〃



〃Well; that's odd enough;〃 remarked Diamond。



〃So it is!  I forgot。  Well; none of these things are odder to me

than it is to you to eat bread and butter。〃



〃Well; that's odd too; when I think of it;〃 persisted Diamond。 

〃I should just like a slice of bread and butter!  I'm afraid to say

how long it ishow long it seems to me; that issince I had anything

to eat。〃



〃Come then;〃 said North Wind; stooping and holding out her arms。 

〃You shall have some bread and butter very soon。  I am glad to find

you want some。〃



Diamond held up his arms to meet hers; and was safe upon her bosom。 

North Wind bounded into the air。  Her tresses began to lift and

rise and spread and stream and flow and flutter; and with a roar

from her hair and an answering roar from one of the great glaciers

beside them; whose slow torrent tumbled two or three icebergs

at once into the waves at their feet; North Wind and Diamond went

flying southwards。







CHAPTER XII



WHO MET DIAMOND AT SANDWICH





As THEY flew; so fast they went that the sea slid away from under

them like a great web of shot silk; blue shot with grey; and green

shot with purple。  They went so fast that the stars themselves

appeared to sail away past them overhead; 〃like golden boats;〃

on a blue sea turned upside down。  And they went so fast that Diamond

himself went the other way as fastI mean he went fast asleep

in North Wind's arms。



When he woke; a face was bending over him; but it was not North Wind's;

it was his mother's。 He put out his arms to her; and she clasped him

to her bosom and burst out crying。  Diamond kissed her again and again

to make her stop。  Perhaps kissing is the best thing for crying;

but it will not always stop it。



〃What is the matter; mother?〃 he said。



〃Oh; Diamond; my darling! you have been so ill!〃 she sobbed。



〃No; mother dear。  I've only been at the back of the north wind;〃

returned Diamond。



〃I thought you were dead;〃 said his mother。



But that moment the doctor came in。



〃Oh! there!〃 said the doctor with gentle cheerfulness; 〃we're better

to…day; I see。〃



Then he drew the mother aside; and told her not to talk to Diamond;

or to mind what he might say; for he must be kept as quiet as possible。 

And indeed Diamond was not much inclined to talk; for he felt

very strange and weak; which was little wonder; seeing that all

the time he had been away he had only sucked a few lumps of ice;

and there could not be much nourishment in them。



Now while he is lying there; getting strong again with chicken

broth and other nice things; I will tell my readers what had been

taking place at his home; for they ought to be told it。



They may have forgotten that Miss Coleman was in a very poor

state of health。  Now there were three reasons for this。 

In the first place; her lungs were not strong。  In the second place;

there was a gentleman somewhere who had not behaved very well to her。 

In the third place; she had not anything particular to do。 

These three nots together are enough to make a lady very ill indeed。 

Of course she could not help the first cause; but if the other two

causes had not existed; that would have been of little consequence;

she would only have to be a little careful。  The second she could not

help quite; but if she had had anything to do; and had done it well;

it would have been very difficult for any man to behave badly to her。 

And for this third cause of her illness; if she had had anything

to do that was worth doing; she might have borne his bad behaviour

so that even that would not have made her ill。  It is not always easy;

I confess; to find something to do that is worth doing; but the

most difficult things are constantly being done; and she might

have found something if she had tried。  Her fault lay in this;

that she had not tried。  But; to be sure; her father and mother

were to blame that they had never set her going。  Only then again;

nobody had told her father and mother that they ought to set her going

in that direction。  So as none of them would find it out of themselves;

North Wind had to teach them。



We know that North Wind was very busy that night on which she

left Diamond in the cathedral。  She had in a sense been blowing

through and through the Colemans' house the whole of the night。 

First; Miss Coleman's maid had left a chink of her mistress's

window open; thinking she had shut it; and North Wind had wound

a few of her hairs round the lady's throat。  She was considerably

worse the next morning。  Again; the ship which North Wind had sunk

that very night belonged to Mr。 Coleman。  Nor will my readers

understand what a heavy loss this was to him until I have informed

them that he had been getting poorer and poorer for some time。 

He was not so successful in his speculations as he had been; for he

speculated a great deal more than was right; and it was time he

should be pulled up。  It is a hard thing for a rich man to grow poor;

but it is an awful thing for him to grow dishonest; and some kinds

of speculation lead a man deep into dishonesty before he thinks

what he is about。  Poverty will not make a man worthlesshe may be

worth a great deal more when he is poor than he was when he was rich;

but dishonesty goes very far indeed to make a man of no value

a thing to be thrown out in the dust…hole of the creation;

like a bit of a broken basin; or a dirty rag。  So North Wind had

to look after Mr。 Coleman; and try to make an honest man of him。 

So she sank the ship which was his last venture; and he was what

himself and his wife and the world called ruined。



Nor was this all yet。  For on board that vessel Miss Coleman's

lover was a passenger; and when the news came that the vessel had

gone down; and that all on board had perished; we may be sure she

did not think the loss of their fine house and garden and furniture

the greatest misfortune in the world。



Of course; the trouble did not end with Mr。 Coleman and his family。 

Nobody can suffer alone。  When the cause of suffering is most deeply

hidden in the heart; and nobody knows anything about it but the

man himself; he must be a great and a good man indeed; such as few

of us have known; if the pain inside him does not make him behave

so as to cause all about him to be more or less uncomfortable。 

But when a man brings money…troubles on himself by making haste

to be rich; then most of the people he has to do with must suffer

in the same way with himself。  The elm…tree which North Wind blew

down that very night; as if small and great trials were to be

gathered in one heap; crushed Miss Coleman's pretty summer…house:

just so the fall of Mr。 Coleman crushed the little family that

lived over his coach…house and stable。  Before Diamond was well

enough to be taken home; there was no home for him to go to。 

Mr。 Colemanor his creditors; for I do not know the particulars

had sold house; carriage; horses; furniture; and everything。 

He and his wife and daughter and Mrs。 Crump had gone to live

in a small house in Hoxton; where he would be unknown;

and whence he could walk to his place of business in the City。 

For he was not an old man; and hoped yet to retrieve his fortunes。 

Let us hope that he lived to retrieve his honesty; the tail

of which had slipped through his fingers to the very last joint;

if not beyond it。



Of course; Diamond's father had nothing to do for a time; but it was

not so hard for him to have nothing to do as it was for Miss Coleman。 

He wrote to his wife that; if her sister would keep her there till

he got a place; it would be better for them; and he would be greatly

obliged to her。  Meantime; the gentleman who had bought the house

had allowed his furniture to remain where it was for a little while。



Diamond's aunt was quite willing to keep them as long as she could。 

And indeed Diamond w

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