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第23节

at the back of the north wind-第23节

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〃Good evening; ma'am;〃 said he。  〃Is the little master in?〃



〃Yes; to be sure he isat your service; I'm sure; Mr。 Stonecrop;〃

said his mother。



〃No; no; ma'am; it's I'm at his service。  I'm just a…going out

with my own cab; and if he likes to come with me; he shall drive

my old horse till he's tired。〃



〃It's getting rather late for him;〃 said his mother thoughtfully。 

〃You see he's been an invalid。〃



Diamond thought; what a funny thing!  How could he have been an invalid

when he did not even know what the word meant?  But; of course;

his mother was right。



〃Oh; well;〃 said Mr。 Stonecrop; 〃I can just let him drive through

Bloomsbury Square; and then he shall run home again。〃



〃Very good; sir。  And I'm much obliged to you;〃 said his mother。 

And Diamond; dancing with delight; got his cap; put his hand in

Mr。 Stonecrop's; and went with him to the yard where the cab was waiting。 

He did not think the horse looked nearly so nice as Diamond;

nor Mr。 Stonecrop nearly so grand as his father; but he was none;

the less pleased。  He got up on the box; and his new friend got up

beside him。



〃What's the horse's name?〃 whispered Diamond; as he took the reins

from the man。



〃It's not a nice name;〃 said Mr。 Stonecrop。  〃You needn't call him

by it。  I didn't give it him。  He'll go well enough without it。 

Give the boy a whip; Jack。  I never carries one when I drive old〃



He didn't finish the sentence。  Jack handed Diamond a whip;

with which; by holding it half down the stick; he managed just

to flack the haunches of the horse; and away he went。



〃Mind the gate;〃 said Mr。 Stonecrop; and Diamond did mind the gate;

and guided the nameless horse through it in safety; pulling him this

way and that according as was necessary。  Diamond learned to drive

all the sooner that he had been accustomed to do what he was told;

and could obey the smallest hint in a moment。  Nothing helps one to get

on like that。  Some people don't know how to do what they are told;

they have not been used to it; and they neither understand quickly

nor are able to turn what they do understand into action quickly。 

With an obedient mind one learns the rights of things fast enough;

for it is the law of the universe; and to obey is to understand。



〃Look out!〃 cried Mr。 Stonecrop; as they were turning the corner

into Bloomsbury Square。



It was getting dusky now。  A cab was approaching rather rapidly

from the opposite direction; and Diamond pulling aside; and the

other driver pulling up; they only just escaped a collision。 

Then they knew each other。



〃Why; Diamond; it's a bad beginning to run into your own father;〃

cried the driver。



〃But; father; wouldn't it have been a bad ending to run into your

own son?〃 said Diamond in return; and the two men laughed heartily。



〃This is very kind of you; I'm sure; Stonecrop;〃 said his father。



〃Not a bit。  He's a brave fellow; and'll be fit to drive on his own

hook in a week or two。  But I think you'd better let him drive you

home now; for his mother don't like his having over much of the

night air; and I promised not to take him farther than the square。〃



〃Come along then; Diamond;〃 said his father; as he brought his cab

up to the other; and moved off the box to the seat beside it。 

Diamond jumped across; caught at the reins; said 〃Good…night; and

thank you; Mr。 Stonecrop;〃 and drove away home; feeling more of a

man than he had ever yet had a chance of feeling in all his life。 

Nor did his father find it necessary to give him a single hint

as to his driving。  Only I suspect the fact that it was old Diamond;

and old Diamond on his way to his stable; may have had something

to do with young Diamond's success。



〃Well; child;〃 said his mother; when he entered the room;

〃you've not been long gone。〃



〃No; mother; here I am。  Give me the baby。〃



〃The baby's asleep;〃 said his mother。



〃Then give him to me; and I'll lay him down。〃



But as Diamond took him; he woke up and began to laugh。 

For he was indeed one of the merriest children。  And no wonder;

for he was as plump as a plum…pudding; and had never had an

ache or a pain that lasted more than five minutes at a time。 

Diamond sat down with him and began to sing to him。



baby baby babbing your father's gone a…cabbing to catch a shilling

for its pence to make the baby babbing dance for old Diamond's

a duck they say he can swim but the duck of diamonds is baby that's

him and of all the swallows the merriest fellows that bake their

cake with the water they shake out of the river flowing for ever

and make dust into clay on the shiniest day to build their nest

father's the best and mother's the whitest and her eyes are the

brightest of all the dams that watch their lambs cropping the grass

where the waters pass singing for ever and of all the lambs with

the shakingest tails and the jumpingest feet baby's the funniest

baby's the bonniest and he never wails and he's always sweet

and Diamond's his nurse and Diamond's his nurse and Diamond's his nurse





When Diamond's rhymes grew scarce; he always began dancing the baby。 

Some people wondered that such a child could rhyme as he did;

but his rhymes were not very good; for he was only trying to remember

what he had heard the river sing at the back of the north wind。







CHAPTER XVII



DIAMOND GOES ON





DIAMOND became a great favourite with all the men about the mews。 

Some may think it was not the best place in the world for him

to be brought up in; but it must have been; for there he was。 

At first; he heard a good many rough and bad words; but he did

not like them; and so they did him little harm。  He did not know

in the least what they meant; but there was something in the very

sound of them; and in the tone of voice in which they were said;

which Diamond felt to be ugly。  So they did not even stick to him;

not to say get inside him。  He never took any notice of them;

and his face shone pure and good in the middle of them; like a

primrose in a hailstorm。  At first; because his face was so quiet

and sweet; with a smile always either awake or asleep in his eyes;

and because he never heeded their ugly words and rough jokes;

they said he wasn't all there; meaning that he was half an idiot;

whereas he was a great deal more there than they had the sense to see。 

And before long the bad words found themselves ashamed to come

out of the men's mouths when Diamond was near。  The one would

nudge the other to remind him that the boy was within hearing;

and the words choked themselves before they got any farther。 

When they talked to him nicely he had always a good answer; sometimes a

smart one; ready; and that helped much to make them change their minds

about him。



One day Jack gave him a curry…comb and a brush to try his hand

upon old Diamond's coat。  He used them so deftly; so gently;

and yet so thoroughly; as far as he could reach; that the man could

not help admiring him。



〃You must make haste and; grow〃 he said。  〃It won't do to have

a horse's belly clean and his back dirty; you know。〃



〃Give me a leg;〃 said Diamond; and in a moment he was on the old

horse's back with the comb and brush。  He sat on his withers;

and reaching forward as he ate his hay; he curried and he brushed;

first at one side of his neck; and then at the other。 

When that was done he asked for a dressing…comb; and combed

his mane thoroughly。  Then he pushed himself on to his back;

and did his shoulders as far down as he could reach。  Then he sat

on his croup; and did his back and sides; then he turned around

like a monkey; and attacked his hind…quarters; and combed his tail。 

This last was not so easy to manage; for he had to lift it up;

and every now and then old Diamond would whisk it out of his hands;

and once he sent the comb flying out of the stable door; to the

great amusement of the men。  But Jack fetched it again; and Diamond

began once more; and did not leave off until he had done the whole

business fairly well; if not in a first…rate; experienced fashion。 

All the time the old horse went on eating his hay; and; but with an

occasional whisk of his tail when Diamond tickled or scratched him;

took no notice of the proceeding。  But that was all a pretence;

for he knew very well who it was that was perched on his back;

and rubbing away at him with the comb and the brush。  So he was

quite pleased and proud; and perhaps said to himself something

like this



〃I'm a stupid old horse; who can't brush his own coat; but there's

my young godson on my back; cleaning me like an angel。〃



I won't vouch for what the old horse was thinking; for it

is very difficult to find out what any old horse is thinking。



〃Oh dear!〃 said Diamond when he had done; 〃I'm so tired!〃



And he laid himself down at full length on old Diamond's back。



By this time all the men in the stable we

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