At the Back of the North Wind (Illustrated Edition). George MacDonald

his eyes came wide open, and behold, there were neither Apostles nor vergers there—not even a window with the effigies of holy men in it, but a dark heap of hay all about him, and the little panes in the roof of his loft glimmering blue in the light of the morning. Old Diamond was coming awake down below in the stable. In a moment more he was on his feet, and shaking himself so that young Diamond's bed trembled under him.

      "He's grand at shaking himself," said Diamond. "I wish I could shake myself like that. But then I can wash myself, and he can't. What fun it would be to see Old Diamond washing his face with his hoofs and iron shoes! Wouldn't it be a picture?"

      So saying, he got up and dressed himself. Then he went out into the garden. There must have been a tremendous wind in the night, for although all was quiet now, there lay the little summer-house crushed to the ground, and over it the great elm-tree, which the wind had broken across, being much decayed in the middle. Diamond almost cried to see the wilderness of green leaves, which used to be so far up in the blue air, tossing about in the breeze, and liking it best when the wind blew it most, now lying so near the ground, and without any hope of ever getting up into the deep air again.

      "I wonder how old the tree is!" thought Diamond. "It must take a long time to get so near the sky as that poor tree was."

      "Yes, indeed," said a voice beside him, for Diamond had spoken the last words aloud.

      Diamond started, and looking around saw a clergyman, a brother of Mrs. Coleman, who happened to be visiting her. He was a great scholar, and was in the habit of rising early.

      "Who are you, my man?" he added.

      "Little Diamond," answered the boy.

      "Oh! I have heard of you. How do you come to be up so early?"

      "Because the sham Apostles talked such nonsense, they waked me up."

      The clergyman stared. Diamond saw that he had better have held his tongue, for he could not explain things.

      "You must have been dreaming, my little man," said he. "Dear! dear!" he went on, looking at the tree, "there has been terrible work here. This is the north wind's doing. What a pity! I wish we lived at the back of it, I'm sure."

      "Where is that sir?" asked Diamond.

      "Away in the Hyperborean regions," answered the clergyman, smiling.

      "I never heard of the place," returned Diamond.

      "I daresay not," answered the clergyman; "but if this tree had been there now, it would not have been blown down, for there is no wind there."

      "But, please, sir, if it had been there," said Diamond, "we should not have had to be sorry for it."

      "Certainly not."

      "Then we shouldn't have had to be glad for it, either."

      "You're quite right, my boy," said the clergyman, looking at him very kindly, as he turned away to the house, with his eyes bent towards the earth. But Diamond thought within himself, "I will ask North Wind next time I see her to take me to that country. I think she did speak about it once before."