第8章
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  Butwhenshecameclosetowherehestood,henolongerdoubtedshewashuman——forhehadcaughtsightofhersunnyhair,andherclearblueeyes,andtheloveliestfaceandformthathehadeverseen。

  Allatonceshebegansinginglikeanightingale,anddancingtoherownmusic,withhereyeseverturnedtowardsthemoon。

  Shepassedclosetowherehestood,dancingonbytheedgeofthetreesandawayinagreatcircletowardstheotherside,untilhecouldseebutaspotofwhiteintheyellowishgreenofthemoonlitgrass。

  Butwhenhefeareditwouldvanishquite,thespotgrew,andbecameafigureoncemore。Sheapproachedhimagain,singinganddancing,andwavingherarmsoverherhead,untilshehadcompletedthecircle。

  Justoppositehistreeshestood,ceasedhersong,droppedherarms,andbrokeoutintoalongclearlaugh,musicalasabrook。Then,asiftired,shethrewherselfonthegrass,andlaygazingatthemoon。

  Theprincewasalmostafraidtobreathelestheshouldstartleher,andsheshouldvanishfromhissight。Astoventuringnearher,thatnevercameintohishead。

  Shehadlainforalonghourorlonger,whentheprincebeganagaintodoubtconcerningher。Perhapsshewasbutavisionofhisownfancy。

  Orwassheaspiritofthewood,afterall?Ifso,hetoowouldhauntthewood,gladtohavelostkingdomandeverythingforthehopeofbeingnearher。Hewouldbuildhimahutintheforest,andtherehewouldliveforthepurechanceofseeingheragain。

  Uponnightslikethisatleastshewouldcomeoutandbaskinthemoonlight,andmakehissoulblessed。Butwhilehethusdreamedshesprangtoherfeet,turnedherfacefulltothemoon,andbegansingingasshewoulddrawherdownfromtheskybythepowerofherentrancingvoice。Shelookedmorebeautifulthanever。

  Againshebegandancingtoherownmusic,anddancedawayintothedistance。Oncemoreshereturnedinasimilarmanner;

  butalthoughhewaswatchingaseagerlyasbefore,whatwithfatigueandwhatwithgazing,hefellfastasleepbeforeshecamenearhim。

  Whenheawokeitwasbroaddaylight,andtheprincesswasnowhere。

  Hecouldnotleavetheplace。Whatifsheshouldcomethenextnight!

  Hewouldgladlyendureaday’shungertoseeheryetagain:

  hewouldbucklehisbeltquitetight。Hewalkedroundthegladetoseeifhecoulddiscoveranyprintsofherfeet。Butthegrasswassoshort,andherstepshadbeensolight,thatshehadnotleftasingletracebehindher。Hewalkedhalf-wayroundthewoodwithoutseeinganythingtoaccountforherpresence。Thenhespiedalovelylittlehouse,withthatchedroofandloweaves,surroundedbyanexquisitegarden,withdovesandpeacockswalkinginit。Ofcoursethismustbewherethegraciousladywholovedthemoonlightlived。Forgettinghisappearance,hewalkedtowardsthedoor,determinedtomakeinquiries,butashepassedalittlepondfullofgoldandsilverfishes,hecaughtsightofhimselfandturnedtofindthedoortothekitchen。Thereheknocked,andaskedforapieceofbread。Thegood-naturedcookbroughthimin,andgavehimanexcellentbreakfast,whichtheprincefoundnothingtheworseforbeingservedinthekitchen。Whileheate,hetalkedwithhisentertainer,andlearnedthatthiswasthefavouriteretreatofthePrincessDaylight。Buthelearnednothingmore,bothbecausehewasafraidofseeminginquisitive,andbecausethecookdidnotchoosetobeheardtalkingabouthermistresstoapeasantladwhohadbeggedforhisbreakfast。

  Asherosetotakehisleave,itoccurredtohimthathemightnotbesofarfromtheoldwoman’scottageashehadthought,andheaskedthecookwhethersheknewanythingofsuchaplace,describingitaswellashecould。Shesaidsheknewitwellenough,addingwithasmile——

  “It’sthereyou’regoing,isit?”

  “Yes,ifit’snotfaroff。”

  “It’snotmorethanthreemiles。Butmindwhatyouareabout,youknow。”

  “Whydoyousaythat?”

  “Ifyou’reafteranymischief,she’llmakeyourepentit。”

  “Thebestthingthatcouldhappenunderthecircumstances。”

  remarkedtheprince。

  “Whatdoyoumeanbythat?”askedthecook。

  “Why,itstandstoreason。”answeredtheprince“thatifyouwishtodoanythingwrong,thebestthingforyouistobemadetorepentofit。”

  “Isee。”saidthecook。“Well,Ithinkyoumayventure。

  She’sagoodoldsoul。”

  “Whichwaydoesitliefromhere?”askedtheprince。

  Shegavehimfullinstructions;andheleftherwithmanythanks。

  Beingnowrefreshed,however,theprincedidnotgobacktothecottagethatday:heremainedintheforest,amusinghimselfasbesthecould,butwaitinganxiouslyforthenight,inthehopethattheprincesswouldagainappear。Norwashedisappointed,for,directlythemoonrose,hespiedaglimmeringshapefaracrosstheglade。

  Asitdrewnearer,hesawitwassheindeed——notdressedinwhiteasbefore:inapalebluelikethesky,shelookedlovelierstill。

  Hethoughtitwasthatthebluesuitedheryetbetterthanthewhite;

  hedidnotknowthatshewasreallymorebeautifulbecausethemoonwasnearerthefull。Infactthenextnightwasfullmoon,andtheprincesswouldthenbeatthezenithofherloveliness。

  Theprincefearedforsometimethatshewasnotcomingnearhishiding-placethatnight;butthecirclesinherdanceeverwidenedasthemoonrose,untilatlasttheyembracedthewholeglade,andshecamestillclosertothetreeswherehewashidingthanshehadcomethenightbefore。Hewasentrancedwithherloveliness,foritwasindeedamarvellousthing。Allnightlonghewatchedher,butdarednotgonearher。Hewouldhavebeenashamedofwatchinghertoo,hadhenotbecomealmostincapableofthinkingofanythingbuthowbeautifulshewas。Hewatchedthewholenightlong,andsawthatasthemoonwentdownsheretreatedinsmallerandsmallercircles,untilatlasthecouldseehernomore。

  Wearyashewas,hesetoutfortheoldwoman’scottage,wherehearrivedjustintimeforherbreakfast,whichshesharedwithhim。

  Hethenwenttobed,andsleptformanyhours。Whenheawokethesunwasdown,andhedepartedingreatanxietylestheshouldloseaglimpseofthelovelyvision。But,whetheritwasbythemachinationsoftheswamp-fairy,ormerelythatitisonethingtogoandanothertoreturnbythesameroad,helosthisway。

  Ishallnotattempttodescribehismiserywhenthemoonrose,andhesawnothingbuttrees,trees,trees。

  Shewashighintheheavensbeforehereachedtheglade。

  Thenindeedhistroublesvanished,fortherewastheprincesscomingdancingtowardshim,inadressthatshonelikegold,andwithshoesthatglimmeredthroughthegrasslikefireflies。

  Shewasofcoursestillmorebeautifulthanbefore。Likeanembodiedsunbeamshepassedhim,anddancedawayintothedistance。

  Beforeshereturnedinhercircle,thecloudshadbeguntogatheraboutthemoon。Thewindrose,thetreesmoaned,andtheirlighterbranchesleanedallonewaybeforeit。Theprincefearedthattheprincesswouldgoin,andheshouldseehernomorethatnight。

  Butshecamedancingonmorejubilantthanever,hergoldendressandhersunnyhairstreamingoutupontheblast,wavingherarmstowardsthemoon,andintheexuberanceofherdelightorderingthecloudsawayfromoffherface。Theprincecouldhardlybelieveshewasnotacreatureoftheelements,afterall。

  Bythetimeshehadcompletedanothercircle,thecloudshadgathereddeep,andthereweregrowlingsofdistantthunder。

  Justasshepassedthetreewherehestood,aflashoflightningblindedhimforamoment,andwhenhesawagain,tohishorror,theprincesslayontheground。Hedartedtoher,thinkingshehadbeenstruck;butwhensheheardhimcoming,shewasonherfeetinamoment。

  “Whatdoyouwant?”sheasked。

  “Ibegyourpardon。Ithought——thelightning“saidtheprince,hesitating。

  “There’snothingthematter。”saidtheprincess,wavinghimoffratherhaughtily。

  Thepoorprinceturnedandwalkedtowardsthewood。

  “Comeback。”saidDaylight:“Ilikeyou。Youdowhatyouaretold。

  Areyougood?”

  “NotsogoodasIshouldliketobe。”saidtheprince。

  “Thengoandgrowbetter。”saidtheprincess。

  Againthedisappointedprinceturnedandwent。

  “Comeback。”saidtheprincess。

  Heobeyed,andstoodbeforeherwaiting。

  “Canyoutellmewhatthesunislike?”sheasked。

  “No。”heanswered。“Butwhere’sthegoodofaskingwhatyouknow?”

  “ButIdon’tknow。”sherejoined。

  “Why,everybodyknows。”

  “That’stheverything:I’mnoteverybody。I’veneverseenthesun。”

  “Thenyoucan’tknowwhatit’sliketillyoudoseeit。”

  “Ithinkyoumustbeaprince。”saidtheprincess。

  “DoIlooklikeone?”saidtheprince。

  “Ican’tquitesaythat。”

  “Thenwhydoyouthinkso?”

  “Becauseyoubothdowhatyouaretoldandspeakthetruth——

  Isthesunsoverybright?”

  “Asbrightasthelightning。”

  “Butitdoesn’tgooutlikethat,doesit?”

  “Oh,no。Itshineslikethemoon,risesandsetslikethemoon,ismuchthesameshapeasthemoon,onlysobrightthatyoucan’tlookatitforamoment。”

  “ButIwouldlookatit。”saidtheprincess。

  “Butyoucouldn’t。”saidtheprince。

  “ButIcould。”saidtheprincess。

  “Whydon’tyou,then?”

  “BecauseIcan’t。”

  “Whycan’tyou?”

  “BecauseIcan’twake。AndInevershallwakeuntil——“

  Hereshehidherfaceinherhands,turnedaway,andwalkedintheslowest,stateliestmannertowardsthehouse。Theprinceventuredtofollowheratalittledistance,butsheturnedandmadearepellentgesture,which,likeatruegentleman-prince,heobeyedatonce。

  Hewaitedalongtime,butasshedidnotcomenearhimagain,andasthenighthadnowcleared,hesetoffatlastfortheoldwoman’scottage。

  Itwaslongpastmidnightwhenhereachedit,but,tohissurprise,theoldwomanwasparingpotatoesatthedoor。Fairiesarefondofdoingoddthings。Indeed,howevertheymaydissemble,thenightisalwaystheirday。Andsoitiswithallwhohavefairybloodinthem。

  “Why,whatareyoudoingthere,thistimeofthenight,mother?”

  saidtheprince;forthatwasthekindwayinwhichanyyoungmaninhiscountrywouldaddressawomanwhowasmucholderthanhimself。

  “Gettingyoursupperready,myson。”sheanswered。

  “Oh,Idon’twantanysupper。”saidtheprince。

  “Ah!you’veseenDaylight。”saidshe。

  “I’veseenaprincesswhoneversawit。”saidtheprince。

  “Doyoulikeher?”askedthefairy。

  “Oh!don’tI?”saidtheprince。“Morethanyouwouldbelieve,mother。”

  “Afairycanbelieveanythingthateverwasorevercouldbe。”

  saidtheoldwoman。

  “Thenareyouafairy?”askedtheprince。

  “Yes。”saidshe。

  “Thenwhatdoyoudoforthingsnottobelieve?”askedtheprince。

  “There’splentyofthem——everythingthatneverwasnorevercouldbe。”

  “Plenty,Igrantyou。”saidtheprince。“Butdoyoubelievetherecouldbeaprincesswhoneversawthedaylight?Doyoubelievethatnow?”

  Thistheprincesaid,notthathedoubtedtheprincess,butthathewantedthefairytotellhimmore。

  Shewastoooldafairy,however,tobecaughtsoeasily。

  “Ofallpeople,fairiesmustnottellsecrets。Besides,she’saprincess。”

  “Well,I’lltellyouasecret。I’maprince。”

  “Iknowthat。”

  “Howdoyouknowit?”

  “Bythecurlofthethirdeyelashonyourlefteyelid。”

  “Whichcornerdoyoucountfrom?”

  “That’sasecret。”

  “Anothersecret?Well,atleast,ifIamaprince,therecanbenoharmintellingmeaboutaprincess。”

  “It’sjusttheprincesIcan’ttell。”

  “Thereain’tanymoreofthem——arethere?”saidtheprince。

  “What!youdon’tthinkyou’retheonlyprinceintheworld,doyou?”

  “Oh,dear,no!notatall。ButIknowthere’sonetoomanyjustatpresent,excepttheprincess——“

  “Yes,yes,that’sit。”saidthefairy。

  “What’sit?”askedtheprince。

  Buthecouldgetnothingmoreoutofthefairy,andhadtogotobedunanswered,whichwassomethingofatrial。

  Nowwickedfairieswillnotbeboundbythelawwhichthegoodfairiesobey,andthisalwaysseemstogivethebadtheadvantageoverthegood,fortheyusemeanstogaintheirendswhichtheotherswillnot。

  Butitisallofnoconsequence,forwhattheydoneversucceeds;nay,intheenditbringsabouttheverythingtheyaretryingtoprevent。

  Soyouseethatsomehow,foralltheircleverness,wickedfairiesaredreadfullystupid,for,althoughfromthebeginningoftheworldtheyhavereallyhelpedinsteadofthwartingthegoodfairies,notoneofthemisabitwiserforit。Shewilltrythebadthingjustastheyalldidbeforeher;andsucceedsnobetterofcourse。

  Theprincehadsofarstolenamarchupontheswamp-fairythatshedidnotknowhewasintheneighbourhooduntilafterhehadseentheprincessthosethreetimes。Whensheknewit,sheconsoledherselfbythinkingthattheprincessmustbefartooproudandtoomodestforanyyoungmantoventureeventospeaktoherbeforehehadseenhersixtimesatleast。Buttherewasevenlessdangerthanthewickedfairythought;for,howevermuchtheprincessmightdesiretobesetfree,shewasdreadfullyafraidofthewrongprince。Now,however,thefairywasgoingtodoallshecould。

  Shesocontriveditbyherdeceitfulspells,thatthenextnighttheprincecouldnotbyanyendeavourfindhiswaytotheglade。

  Itwouldtakemetoolongtotellhertricks。Theywouldbeamusingtous,whoknowthattheycouldnotdoanyharm,buttheyweresomethingotherthanamusingtothepoorprince。

  Hewanderedabouttheforesttilldaylight,andthenfellfastasleep。

  Thesamethingoccurredforsevenfollowingdays,duringwhichneithercouldhefindthegoodfairy’scottage。Afterthethirdquarterofthemoon,however,thebadfairythoughtshemightbeateaseabouttheaffairforafortnightatleast,fortherewasnochanceoftheprincewishingtokisstheprincessduringthatperiod。

  Sothefirstdayofthefourthquarterhedidfindthecottage,andthenextdayhefoundtheglade。Fornearlyanotherweekhehauntedit。

  Buttheprincessnevercame。Ihavelittledoubtshewasonthefartheredgeofitsomepartofeverynight,butatthisperiodshealwaysworeblack,and,therebeinglittleornolight,theprinceneversawher。Norwouldhehaveknownherifhehadseenher。

  Howcouldhehavetakentheworndecrepitcreatureshewasnow,forthegloriousPrincessDaylight?

  Atlast,onenightwhentherewasnomoonatall,heventurednearthehouse。Thereheheardvoicestalking,althoughitwaspastmidnight;

  forherwomenwereinconsiderableuneasiness,becausetheonewhoseturnitwastowatchherhadfallenasleep,andhadnotseenwhichwayshewent,andthiswasanightwhenshewouldprobablywanderveryfar,describingacirclewhichdidnottouchtheopengladeatall,butstretchedawayfromthebackofthehouse,deepintothatsideoftheforest——apartofwhichtheprinceknewnothing。

  Whenheunderstoodfromwhattheysaidthatshehaddisappeared,andthatshemusthavegonesomewhereinthesaiddirection,heplungedatonceintothewoodtoseeifhecouldfindher。

  Forhoursheroamedwithnothingtoguidehimbutthevaguenotionofacirclewhichononesideborderedonthehouse,forsomuchhadhepickedupfromthetalkhehadoverheard。

  Itwasgettingtowardsthedawn,butasyettherewasnostreakoflightinthesky,whenhecametoagreatbirch-tree,andsatdownwearyatthefootofit。Whilehesat——verymiserable,youmaybesure——

  fulloffearfortheprincess,andwonderinghowherattendantscouldtakeitsoquietly,hebethoughthimselfthatitwouldnotbeabadplantolightafire,which,ifshewereanywherenear,wouldattracther。Thishemanagedwithatinder-box,whichthegoodfairyhadgivenhim。Itwasjustbeginningtoblazeup,whenheheardamoan,whichseemedtocomefromtheothersideofthetree。Hesprungtohisfeet,buthisheartthrobbedsothathehadtoleanforamomentagainstthetreebeforehecouldmove。

  Whenhegotround,therelayahumanforminalittledarkheapontheearth。Therewaslightenoughfromhisfiretoshowthatitwasnottheprincess。Helifteditinhisarms,hardlyheavierthanachild,andcarriedittotheflame。Thecountenancewasthatofanoldwoman,butithadafearfullystrangelook。

  Ablackhoodconcealedherhair,andhereyeswereclosed。

  Helaidherdownascomfortablyashecould,chafedherhands,putalittlecordialfromabottle,alsothegiftofthefairy,intohermouth;tookoffhiscoatandwrappeditabouther,andinshortdidthebesthecould。Inalittlewhilesheopenedhereyesandlookedathim——sopitifully!Thetearsroseandflowedfromhergreywrinkledcheeks,butshesaidneveraword。

  Sheclosedhereyesagain,butthetearskeptonflowing,andherwholeappearancewassoutterlypitifulthattheprincewasnearcryingtoo。Hebeggedhertotellhimwhatwasthematter,promisingtodoallhecouldtohelpher;butstillshedidnotspeak。

  Hethoughtshewasdying,andtookherinhisarmsagaintocarryhertotheprincess’shouse,wherehethoughtthegood-naturedcookmightheabletodosomethingforher。Whenheliftedher,thetearsflowedyetfaster,andshegavesuchasadmoanthatitwenttohisveryheart。

  “Mother,mother!“hesaid。“Poormother!“andkissedheronthewitheredlips。

  Shestarted;andwhateyestheywerethatopeneduponhim!

  Buthedidnotseethem,foritwasstillverydark,andhehadenoughtodotomakehiswaythroughthetreestowardsthehouse。

  Justasheapproachedthedoor,feelingmoretiredthanhecouldhaveimaginedpossible——shewassuchalittlethinoldthing——

  shebegantomove,andbecamesorestlessthat,unabletocarryheramomentlonger,hethoughttolayheronthegrass。Butshestooduprightonherfeet。Herhoodhaddropped,andherhairfellabouther。

  Thefirstgleamofthemorningwascaughtonherface:thatfacewasbrightasthenever-agingDawn,andhereyeswerelovelyastheskyofdarkestblue。Theprincerecoiledinovermasteringwonder。

  ItwasDaylightherselfwhomhehadbroughtfromtheforest!

  Hefellatherfeet,nordaredtolookupuntilshelaidherhanduponhishead。Herosethen。

  “YoukissedmewhenIwasanoldwoman:there!IkissyouwhenI

  amayoungprincess。”murmuredDaylight——“Isthatthesuncoming?”

  CHAPTERXXIX

  RUBY

  THEchildrenweredelightedwiththestory,andmademanyamusingremarksuponit。Mr。Raymondpromisedtosearchhisbrainforanother,andwhenhehadfoundonetobringittothem。DiamondhavingtakenleaveofNanny,andpromisedtogoandseeheragainsoon,wentawaywithhim。

  NowMr。RaymondhadbeenturningoverinhismindwhathecoulddobothforDiamondandforNanny。HehadthereforemadesomeacquaintancewithDiamond’sfather,andhadbeengreatlypleasedwithhim。

  Buthehadcometotheresolution,beforehedidanythingsogoodashewouldliketodoforthem,toputthemalltoacertaintest。

  Soastheywalkedawaytogether,hebegantotalkwithDiamondasfollows:——

  “Nannymustleavethehospitalsoon,Diamond。”

  “I’mgladofthat,sir。”

  “Why?Don’tyouthinkit’saniceplace?”

  “Yes,very。Butit’sbettertobewellanddoingsomething,youknow,evenifit’snotquitesocomfortable。”

  “Buttheycan’tkeepNannysolongastheywouldlike。Theycan’tkeephertillshe’squitestrong。Therearealwayssomanysickchildrentheywanttotakeinandmakebetter。Andthequestionis,Whatwillshedowhentheysendheroutagain?”

  “That’sjustwhatIcan’ttell,thoughI’vebeenthinkingofitoverandover,sir。Hercrossingwastakenlongago,andIcouldn’tbeartoseeNannyfightingforit,especiallywithsuchapoorfellowashastakenit。He’squitelame,sir。”

  “Shedoesn’tlookmuchlikefighting,now,doesshe,Diamond?”

  “No,sir。Shelookstoolikeanangel。Angelsdon’tfight——

  dothey,sir?”

  “Nottogetthingsforthemselves,atleast。”saidMr。Raymond。

  “Besides。”addedDiamond,“Idon’tquiteseethatshewouldhaveanybetterrighttothecrossingthantheboywhohasgotit。

  Nobodygaveittoher;sheonlytookit。Andnowhehastakenit。”

  “Ifsheweretosweepacrossing——soonatleast——aftertheillnessshehashad,shewouldbelaidupagaintheveryfirstwetday。”

  saidMr。Raymond。

  “Andthere’shardlyanymoneytobegotexceptonthewetdays。”

  remarkedDiamondreflectively。“Istherenothingelseshecoulddo,sir?”

  “Notwithoutbeingtaught,I’mafraid。”

  “Well,couldn’tsomebodyteachhersomething?”

  “Couldn’tyouteachher,Diamond?”

  “Idon’tknowanythingmyself,sir。Icouldteachhertodressthe,baby;butnobodywouldgiveheranythingfordoingthingslikethat:

  theyaresoeasy。Therewouldn’tbemuchgoodinteachinghertodriveacab,forwherewouldshegetthecabtodrive?

  Thereain’tfathersandoldDiamondseverywhere。AtleastpoorNannycan’tfindanyofthem,Idoubt。”

  “Perhapsifsheweretaughttobeniceandclean,andonlyspeakgentlewords“

  “Mothercouldteachherthat。”interruptedDiamond。

  “Andtodressbabies,andfeedthem,andtakecareofthem。”

  Mr。Raymondproceeded,“shemightgetaplaceasanursesomewhere,youknow。Peopledogivemoneyforthat。”

  “ThenI’llaskmother。”saidDiamond。

  “Butyou’llhavetogiveherherfoodthen;andyourfather,notbeingstrong,hasenoughtodoalreadywithoutthat。”

  “Buthere’sme。”saidDiamond:“Ihelphimoutwithit。Whenhe’stiredofdriving,upIget。Itdon’tmakeanydifferencetooldDiamond。

  Idon’tmeanhelikesmeaswellasmyfather——ofcoursehecan’t,youknow——nobodycould;buthedoeshisdutyallthesame。

  It’sgottobedone,youknow,sir;andDiamond’sagoodhorse——

  isn’the,sir?”

  “FromyourdescriptionIshouldsaycertainly;butIhavenotthepleasureofhisacquaintancemyself。”

  “Don’tyouthinkhewillgotoheaven,sir?”

  “ThatIdon’tknowanythingabout。”saidMr。Raymond。“IconfessIshouldbegladtothinkso。”headded,smilingthoughtfully。

  “I’msurehe’llgettothebackofthenorthwind,anyhow。”

  saidDiamondtohimself;buthehadlearnedtobeverycarefulofsayingsuchthingsaloud。

  “Isn’titrathertoomuchforhimtogointhecaballdayandeveryday?”resumedMr。Raymond。

  “Sofathersays,whenhefeelshisribsofamorning。Butthenhesaystheoldhorsedoeatwell,andthemomenthe’shadhissupper,downhegoes,andnevergetsuptillhe’scalled;and,forthelegsofhim,fathersaysthatmakesnoendofadiffer。Somehorses,sir!theywon’tliedownallnightlong,butgotosleepontheirfourpins,likeahaystack,fathersays。Ithinkit’sverystupidofthem,andsodoesoldDiamond。ButthenIsupposetheydon’tknowbetter,andsotheycan’thelpit。Wemustn’tbetooharduponthem,fathersays。”

  “Yourfathermustbeagoodman,Diamond。”DiamondlookedupinMr。Raymond’sface,wonderingwhathecouldmean。

  “Isaidyourfathermustbeagoodman,Diamond。”

  “Ofcourse。”saidDiamond。“Howcouldhedriveacabifhewasn’t?”

  “Therearesomemenwhodrivecabswhoarenotverygood。”

  objectedMr。Raymond。

  Diamondrememberedthedrunkencabman,andsawthathisfriendwasright。

  “Ah,but。”hereturned,“hemustbe,youknow,withsuchahorseasoldDiamond。”

  “Thatdoesmakeadifference。”saidMr。Raymond。“Butitisquiteenoughthatheisagoodmanwithoutourtryingtoaccountforit。

  Now,ifyoulike,IwillgiveyouaproofthatIthinkhimagoodman。

  IamgoingawayontheContinentforawhile——forthreemonths,Ibelieve——andIamgoingtoletmyhousetoagentlemanwhodoesnotwanttheuseofmybrougham。Myhorseisnearlyasold,Ifancy,asyourDiamond,butIdon’twanttopartwithhim,andIdon’twanthimtobeidle;fornobody,asyousay,oughttobeidle;

  butneitherdoIwanthimtobeworkedveryhard。Now,ithascomeintomyheadthatperhapsyourfatherwouldtakechargeofhim,andworkhimundercertainconditions。”

  “Myfatherwilldowhat’sright。”saidDiamond。“I’msureofthat。”

  “Well,soIthink。Willyouaskhimwhenhecomeshometocallandhavealittlechatwithme——to-day,sometime?”

  “Hemusthavehisdinnerfirst。”saidDiamond。“No,he’sgothisdinnerwithhimto-day。Itmustbeafterhe’shadhistea。”

  “Ofcourse,ofcourse。Anytimewilldo。Ishallbeathomeallday。”

  “Verywell,sir。Iwilltellhim。Youmaybesurehewillcome。

  Myfatherthinksyouaverykindgentleman,andIknowheisright,forIknowyourveryownself,sir。”

  Mr。Raymondsmiled,andastheyhadnowreachedhisdoor,theyparted,andDiamondwenthome。Assoonashisfatherenteredthehouse,DiamondgavehimMr。Raymond’smessage,andrecountedtheconversationthathadprecededit。Hisfathersaidlittle,buttookthought-saucetohisbreadandbutter,andassoonashehadfinishedhismeal,rose,saying:

  “Iwillgotoyourfrienddirectly,Diamond。Itwouldbeagrandthingtogetalittlemoremoney。Wedowantit。”DiamondaccompaniedhisfathertoMr。Raymond’sdoor,andtherelefthim。

  HewasshownatonceintoMr。Raymond’sstudy,wherehegazedwithsomewonderatthemultitudeofbooksonthewalls,andthoughtwhatalearnedmanMr。Raymondmustbe。

  PresentlyMr。Raymondentered,andaftersayingmuchthesameabouthisoldhorse,madethefollowingdistinctproposal——

  onenotover-advantageoustoDiamond’sfather,butforwhichhehadreasons——namely,thatJosephshouldhavetheuseofMr。Raymond’shorsewhilehewasaway,onconditionthatheneverworkedhimmorethansixhoursaday,andfedhimwell,andthat,besides,heshouldtakeNannyhomeassoonasshewasabletoleavethehospital,andprovideforherasoneofhisownchildren,neitherbetternorworse——solong,thatis,ashehadthehorse。

  Diamond’sfathercouldnothelpthinkingitaprettyclosebargain。

  Heshouldhaveboththegirlandthehorsetofeed,andonlysixhours’

  workoutofthehorse。

  “Itwillsaveyourownhorse。”saidMr。Raymond。

  “Thatistrue。”answeredJoseph;“butallIcangetbymyownhorseisonlyenoughtokeepus,andifIsavehimandfeedyourhorseandthegirl——don’tyousee,sir?”

  “Well,youcangohomeandthinkaboutit,andletmeknowbytheendoftheweek。Iaminnohurrybeforethen。”

  SoJosephwenthomeandrecountedtheproposaltohiswife,addingthathedidnotthinktherewasmuchadvantagetobegotoutofit。

  “Notmuchthatway,husband。”saidDiamond’smother;“buttherewouldbeanadvantage,andwhatmatterwhogetsit!“

  “Idon’tseeit。”answeredherhusband。“Mr。Raymondisagentlemanofproperty,andIdon’tdiscoveranymuchgoodinhelpinghimtosavealittlemore。Hewon’teasilygetonetomakesuchabargain,andI

  don’tmeanheshallgetme。Itwouldbealossratherthanagain——

  Idothink——atleastifItooklessworkoutofourownhorse。”

  “OnehourwouldmakeadifferencetooldDiamond。Butthat’snotthemainpoint。Youmustthinkwhatanadvantageitwouldbetothepoorgirlthathasn’tahometogoto!“

  “SheisoneofDiamond’sfriends。”thoughthisfather。

  “Icouldbekindtoher,youknow。”themotherwenton,“andteachherhousework,andhowtohandleababy;and,besides,shewouldhelpme,andIshouldbethestrongerforit,andabletodoanoddbitofcharingnowandthen,whenIgotthechance。”

  “Iwon’thearofthat。”saidherhusband。“Havethegirlbyallmeans。

  I’mashamedIdidnotthinkofbothsidesofthethingatonce。

  Iwonderifthehorseisagreateater。Tobesure,ifIgaveDiamondtwohours’additionalrest,itwouldbeallthebetterfortheoldbonesofhim,andtherewouldbefourhoursextraoutoftheotherhorse。

  ThatwouldgiveDiamondsomethingtodoeveryday。HecoulddriveoldDiamondafterdinner,andIcouldtaketheotherhorseoutforsixhoursaftertea,orinthemorning,asIfoundbest。Itmightpayforthekeepofbothofthem,——thatis,ifIhadgoodluck。

  IshouldliketoobligeMr。Raymond,thoughheberatherhard,forhehasbeenverykindtoourDiamond,wife。Hasn’thenow?”

  “Hehasindeed,Joseph。”saidhiswife,andtheretheconversationended。

  Diamond’sfatherwenttheverynextdaytoMr。Raymond,andacceptedhisproposal;sothattheweekafterhavinggotanotherstallinthesamestable,hehadtwohorsesinsteadofone。Oddlyenough,thenameofthenewhorsewasRuby,forhewasaveryredchestnut。

  Diamond’snamecamefromawhitelozengeonhisforehead。

  YoungDiamondsaidtheywererichnow,withsuchabigdiamondandsuchabigruby。

  CHAPTERXXX

  NANNY’SDREAM

  NANNYwasnotfittobemovedforsometimeyet,andDiamondwenttoseeherasoftenashecould。Butbeingmoreregularlyengagednow,seeinghewentouteverydayforafewhourswitholdDiamond,andhadhisbabytomind,andoneofthehorsestoattendto,hecouldnotgosooftenashewouldhaveliked。

  Oneevening,ashesatbyherbedside,shesaidtohim:

  “I’vehadsuchabeautifuldream,Diamond!Ishouldliketotellityou。”

  “Oh!do。”saidDiamond;“Iamsofondofdreams!“

  “Shemusthavebeentothebackofthenorthwind。”hesaidtohimself。

  “Itwasaveryfoolishdream,youknow。Butsomehowitwassopleasant!

  Whatagoodthingitisthatyoubelievethedreamallthetimeyouareinit!“

  MyreadersmustnotsupposethatpoorNannywasabletosaywhatshemeantsowellasIputitdownhere。Shehadneverbeentoschool,andhadheardverylittleelsethanvulgarspeechuntilshecametothehospital。ButIhavebeentoschool,andalthoughthatcouldnevermakemeabletodreamsowellasNanny,ithasmademeabletotellherdreambetterthanshecouldherself。

  AndIamthemoredesirousofdoingthisforherthatIhavealreadydonethebestIcouldforDiamond’sdream,anditwouldbeashametogivetheboyalltheadvantage。

  “IwilltellyouallIknowaboutit。”saidNanny。“Thedaybeforeyesterday,aladycametoseeus——averybeautifullady,andverybeautifullydressed。Iheardthematronsaytoherthatitwasverykindofhertocomeinblueandgold;andsheansweredthatsheknewwedidn’tlikedullcolours。Shehadsuchalovelyshawlon,justlikerednessdippedinmilk,andallworkedoverwithflowersofthesamecolour。Itdidn’tshinemuch,itwassilk,butitkeptintheshine。Whenshecametomybedside,shesatdown,justwhereyouaresitting,Diamond,andlaidherhandonthecounterpane。

  Iwassittingup,withmytablebeforemereadyformytea。Herhandlookedsoprettyinitsblueglove,thatIwastemptedtostrokeit。

  Ithoughtshewouldn’tbeangry,foreverybodythatcomestothehospitaliskind。It’sonlyinthestreetstheyain’tkind。

  Butshedrewherhandaway,andIalmostcried,forIthoughtI

  hadbeenrude。Insteadofthat,however,itwasonlythatshedidn’tlikegivingmeherglovetostroke,forshedrewitoff,andthenlaidherhandwhereitwasbefore。Iwasn’tsure,butI

  venturedtoputoutmyuglyhand。”

  “Yourhandain’tugly,Nanny。”saidDiamond;butNannywenton——

  “AndIstrokeditagain,andthenshestrokedmine,——thinkofthat!

  Andtherewasaringonherfinger,andIlookeddowntoseewhatitwaslike。Andshedrewitoff,andputitupononeofmyfingers。

  Itwasaredstone,andshetoldmetheycalleditaruby。”

  “Oh,thatisfunny!“saidDiamond。“OurnewhorseiscalledRuby。

  We’vegotanotherhorse——aredone——suchabeauty!“

  ButNannywentonwithherstory。

  “Ilookedattherubyallthetimetheladywastalkingtome,——

  itwassobeautiful!AndasshetalkedIkeptseeingdeeperanddeeperintothestone。Atlastsherosetogoaway,andIbegantopulltheringoffmyfinger;andwhatdoyouthinkshesaid?——“Wearitallnight,ifyoulike。Onlyyoumusttakecareofit。

  Ican’tgiveityou,forsomeonegaveittome;butyoumaykeepittillto-morrow。”Wasn’titkindofher?Icouldhardlytakemytea,Iwassodelightedtohearit;andIdothinkitwastheringthatsetmedreaming;for,afterIhadtakenmytea,Ileanedback,halflyingandhalfsitting,andlookedattheringonmyfinger。

  BydegreesIbegantodream。Theringgrewlargerandlarger,untilatlastIfoundthatIwasnotlookingataredstone,butataredsunset,whichshoneinattheendofalongstreetnearwhereGrannielives。IwasdressedinragsasIusedtobe,andIhadgreatholesinmyshoes,atwhichthenastymudcamethroughtomyfeet。Ididn’tusetominditbefore,butnowIthoughtithorrid。Andtherewasthegreatredsunset,withstreaksofgreenandgoldbetween,standinglookingatme。Whycouldn’tIliveinthesunsetinsteadofinthatdirt?Whywasitsofarawayalways?

  Whydiditnevercomeintoourwretchedstreet?Itfadedaway,asthesunsetsalwaysdo,andatlastwentoutaltogether。

  Thenacoldwindbegantoblow,andflutterallmyragsabout——“

  “ThatwasNorthWindherself。”saidDiamond。

  “Eh?”saidNanny,andwentonwithherstory。

  “Iturnedmybacktoit,andwanderedaway。IdidnotknowwhereI

  wasgoing,onlyitwaswarmertogothatway。Idon’tthinkitwasanorthwind,forIfoundmyselfinthewestendatlast。

  Butitdoesn’tmatterinadreamwhichwinditwas。”

  “Idon’tknowthat。”saidDiamond。“IbelieveNorthWindcangetintoourdreams——yes,andblowinthem。Sometimesshehasblownmeoutofadreamaltogether。”

  “Idon’tknowwhatyoumean,Diamond。”saidNanny。

  “Nevermind。”answeredDiamond。“Twopeoplecan’talwaysunderstandeachother。They’dbothbeatthebackofthenorthwinddirectly,andwhatwouldbecomeoftheotherplaceswithoutthem?”

  “Youdotalksooddly!“saidNanny。“Isometimesthinktheymusthavebeenrightaboutyou。”

  “Whatdidtheysayaboutme?”askedDiamond。

  “TheycalledyouGod’sbaby。”

  “Howkindofthem!ButIknewthat。”

  “Didyouknowwhatitmeant,though?Itmeantthatyouwerenotrightinthehead。”

  “Ifeelallright。”saidDiamond,puttingbothhandstohishead,asifithadbeenaglobehecouldtakeoffandsetonagain。

  “Well,aslongasyouarepleasedIampleased。”saidNanny。

  “Thankyou,Nanny。Dogoonwithyourstory。IthinkIlikedreamsevenbetterthanfairytales。Buttheymustbeniceones,likeyours,youknow。”

  “Well,Iwenton,keepingmybacktothewind,untilIcametoafinestreetonthetopofahill。HowithappenedIdon’tknow,butthefrontdoorofoneofthehouseswasopen,andnotonlythefrontdoor,butthebackdooraswell,sothatIcouldseerightthroughthehouse——

  andwhatdoyouthinkIsaw?Agardenplacewithgreengrass,andthemoonshininguponit!Thinkofthat!Therewasnomooninthestreet,butthroughthehousetherewasthemoon。Ilookedandtherewasnobodynear:Iwouldnotdoanyharm,andthegrasswassomuchnicerthanthemud!ButIcouldn’tthinkofgoingonthegrasswithsuchdirtyshoes:Ikickedthemoffinthegutter,andraninonmybarefeet,upthesteps,andthroughthehouse,andontothegrass;andthemomentIcameintothemoonlight,Ibegantofeelbetter。”

  “That’swhyNorthWindblewyouthere。”saidDiamond。

  “ItcameofMr。Raymond’sstoryaboutPrincessDaylight。”returnedNanny。

  “Well,IlaydownuponthegrassinthemoonlightwithoutthinkinghowIwastogetoutagain。Somehowthemoonsuitedmeexactly。

  Therewasnotabreathofthenorthwindyoutalkabout;itwasquitegone。”

  “Youdidn’twantheranymore,justthen。Shenevergoeswhereshe’snotwanted。”saidDiamond。“Butsheblewyouintothemoonlight,anyhow。”

  “Well,wewon’tdisputeaboutit。”saidNanny:“you’vegotatileloose,youknow。”

  “SupposeIhave。”returnedDiamond,“don’tyouseeitmayletinthemoonlight,orthesunlightforthatmatter?”

  “Perhapsyes,perhapsno。”saidNanny。

  “Andyou’vegotyourdreams,too,Nanny。”

  “Yes,butIknowthey’redreams。”

  “SodoI。ButIknowbesidestheyaresomethingmoreaswell。”

  “Oh!doyou?”rejoinedNanny。“Idon’t。”

  “Allright。”saidDiamond。“Perhapsyouwillsomeday。”

  “PerhapsIwon’t。”saidNanny。

  Diamondheldhispeace,andNannyresumedherstory。

  “Ilayalongtime,andthemoonlightgotinateverytearinmyclothes,andmademefeelsohappy——“

  “There,Itellyou!“saidDiamond。

  “Whatdoyoutellme?”returnedNanny。

  “NorthWind——“

  “Itwasthemoonlight,Itellyou。”persistedNanny,andagainDiamondheldhispeace。

  “AllatonceIfeltthatthemoonwasnotshiningsostrong。

  Ilookedup,andtherewasacloud,allcrapeyandfluffy,tryingtodrownthebeautifulcreature。Butthemoonwassoround,justlikeawholeplate,thatthecloudcouldn’tsticktoher。

  Sheshookitoff,andsaidthereandshoneoutclearerandbrighterthanever。Butupcameathickercloud,——and“Youshan’t。”

  saidthemoon;and“Iwill。”saidthecloud,——butitcouldn’t:outshonethemoon,quitelaughingatitsimpudence。Iknewherways,forI’vealwaysbeenusedtowatchher。She’stheonlythingworthlookingatinourstreetatnight。”

  “Don’tcallityourstreet。”saidDiamond。“You’renotgoingbacktoit。You’recomingtous,youknow。”

  “That’stoogoodtobetrue。”saidNanny。

  “Thereareveryfewthingsgoodenoughtobetrue。”saidDiamond;

  “butIhopethisis。Toogoodtobetrueitcan’tbe。Isn’ttruegood?andisn’tgoodgood?Andhow,then,cananythingbetoogoodtobetrue?That’slikeoldSal——tosaythat。”

  “Don’tabuseGrannie,Diamond。She’sahorridoldthing,sheandherginbottle;butshe’llrepentsomeday,andthenyou’llbegladnottohavesaidanythingagainsther。”

  “Why?”saidDiamond。

  “Becauseyou’llbesorryforher。”

  “Iamsorryforhernow。”

  “Verywell。That’sright。She’llbesorrytoo。Andthere’llbeanendofit。”

  “Allright。Youcometous。”saidDiamond。

  “WherewasI?”saidNanny。

  “Tellingmehowthemoonservedtheclouds。”

  “Yes。Butitwouldn’tdo,allofit。Upcamethecloudsandtheclouds,andtheycamefasterandfaster,untilthemoonwascoveredup。

  Youcouldn’texpecthertothrowoffahundredofthematonce——

  couldyou?”

  “Certainlynot。”saidDiamond。

  “Soitgrewverydark;andadogbegantoyelpinthehouse。Ilookedandsawthatthedoortothegardenwasshut。Presentlyitwasopened——

  nottoletmeout,buttoletthedogin——yelpingandbounding。

  Ithoughtifhecaughtsightofme,Iwasinforabitingfirst,andthepoliceafter。SoIjumpedup,andranforalittlesummer-houseinthecornerofthegarden。Thedogcameafterme,butIshutthedoorinhisface。Itwaswellithadadoor——

  wasn’tit?”

  “Youdreamedofthedoorbecauseyouwantedit。”saidDiamond。

  “No,Ididn’t;itcameofitself。Itwasthere,inthetruedream。”

  “There——I’vecaughtyou!“saidDiamond。“IknewyoubelievedinthedreamasmuchasIdo。”

  “Oh,well,ifyouwilllaytrapsforabody!“saidNanny。

  “Anyhow,Iwassafeinsidethesummer-house。Andwhatdoyouthink?——

  Therewasthemoonbeginningtoshineagain——butonlythroughoneofthepanes——andthatonewasjustthecolouroftheruby。

  Wasn’titfunny?”

  “No,notabitfunny。”saidDiamond。

  “Ifyouwillbecontrary!“saidNanny。

  “No,no。”saidDiamond;“IonlymeantthatwastheverypaneI

  shouldhaveexpectedhertoshinethrough。”

  “Oh,verywell!“returnedNanny。

  WhatDiamondmeant,Idonotpretendtosay。Hehadcuriousnotionsaboutthings。

  “Andnow。”saidNanny,“Ididn’tknowwhattodo,forthedogkeptbarkingatthedoor,andIcouldn’tgetout。ButthemoonwassobeautifulthatIcouldn’tkeepfromlookingatitthroughtheredpane。

  AndasIlookeditgotlargerandlargertillitfilledthewholepaneandoutgrewit,sothatIcouldseeitthroughtheotherpanes;

  anditgrewtillitfilledthemtooandthewholewindow,sothatthesummer-housewasnearlyasbrightasday。

  “Thedogstoppedbarking,andIheardagentletappingatthedoor,likethewindblowingalittlebranchagainstit。”

  “Justlikeher。”saidDiamond,whothoughteverythingstrangeandbeautifulmustbedonebyNorthWind。

  “SoIturnedfromthewindowandopenedthedoor;andwhatdoyouthinkIsaw?”

  “Abeautifullady。”saidDiamond。

  “No——themoonitself,asbigasalittlehouse,andasroundasaball,shininglikeyellowsilver。Itstoodonthegrass——

  downontheverygrass:Icouldseenothingelseforthebrightnessofit:AndasIstaredandwondered,adooropenedinthesideofit,neartheground,andacuriouslittleoldman,withacrookedthingoverhisshoulder,lookedout,andsaid:

  ’Comealong,Nanny;myladywantsyou。We’recometofetchyou。”

  Iwasn’tabitfrightened。Iwentuptothebeautifulbrightthing,andtheoldmanhelddownhishand,andItookholdofit,andgaveajump,andhegavemealift,andIwasinsidethemoon。

  Andwhatdoyouthinkitwaslike?Itwassuchaprettylittlehouse,withbluewindowsandwhitecurtains!Atoneofthewindowssatabeautifullady,withherheadleaningonherhand,lookingout。

  Sheseemedrathersad,andIwassorryforher,andstoodstaringather。

  “`Youdidn’tthinkIhadsuchabeautifulmistressasthat!’

  saidthequeerlittleman。`No,indeed!’Ianswered:`whowouldhavethoughtit?’`Ah!whoindeed?Butyouseeyoudon’tknoweverything。’

  Thelittlemanclosedthedoor,andbegantopullataropewhichhungbehinditwithaweightattheend。Afterhehadpulledawhile,hesaid——`There,thatwilldo;we’reallrightnow。’Thenhetookmebythehandandopenedalittletrapinthefloor,andledmedowntwoorthreesteps,andIsawlikeagreatholebelowme。

  `Don’tbefrightened,’saidthetittleman。`It’snotahole。

  It’sonlyawindow。Putyourfacedownandlookthrough。’Ididashetoldme,andtherewasthegardenandthesummer-house,faraway,lyingatthebottomofthemoonlight。`There!’saidthelittleman;

  `we’vebroughtyouoff!Doyouseethelittledogbarkingatusdownthereinthegarden?’ItoldhimIcouldn’tseeanythingsofar。`Canyouseeanythingsosmallandsofaroff?’Isaid。

  `Blessyou,child!’saidthelittleman;`IcouldpickupaneedleoutofthegrassifIhadonlyalongenougharm。There’sonelyingbythedoorofthesummer-housenow。’Ilookedathiseyes。

  Theywereverysmall,butsobrightthatIthinkhesawbythelightthatwentoutofthem。Thenhetookmeup,andupagainbyalittlestairinacorneroftheroom,andthroughanothertrapdoor,andtherewasonegreatroundwindowaboveus,andIsawtheblueskyandtheclouds,andsuchlotsofstars,allsobigandshiningashardasevertheycould!“

  “Thelittlegirl-angelshadbeenpolishingthem。”saidDiamond。

  “Whatnonsenseyoudotalk!“saidNanny。

  “Butmynonsenseisjustasgoodasyours,Nanny。Whenyouhavedone,I’lltellyoumydream。Thestarsareinit——notthemoon,though。

  Shewasawaysomewhere。Perhapsshewasgonetofetchyouthen。

  Idon’tthinkthat,though,formydreamwaslongeragothanyours。

  Shemighthavebeentofetchsomeoneelse,though;forwecan’tfancyit’sonlyusthatgetsuchfinethingsdoneforthem。

  Butdotellmewhatcamenext。”

  Perhapsoneofmychild-readersmayrememberwhetherthemooncamedowntofetchhimorherthesamenightthatDiamondhadhisdream。

  Icannottell,ofcourse。Iknowshedidnotcometofetchme,thoughIdidthinkIcouldmakeherfollowmewhenIwasaboy——

  notaverytinyoneeither。

  “Thelittlemantookmeallroundthehouse,andmademelookoutofeverywindow。Oh,itwasbeautiful!Therewewere,allupintheair,insuchanice,cleanlittlehouse!`Yourworkwillbetokeepthewindowsbright,’saidthelittleman。

  `Youwon’tfinditverydifficult,forthereain’tmuchdustuphere。

  Only,thefrostsettlesonthemsometimes,andthedropsofrainleavemarksonthem。’`Icaneasilycleantheminside,’Isaid;

  `buthowamItogetthefrostandrainofftheoutsideofthem?’

  `Oh!’hesaid,`it’squiteeasy。Thereareladdersallabout。

  You’veonlygottogooutatthedoor,andclimbabout。Thereareagreatmanywindowsyouhaven’tseenyet,andsomeofthemlookintoplacesyoudon’tknowanythingabout。Iusedtocleanthemmyself,butI’mgettingratherold,yousee。Ain’tInow?’`Ican’ttell,’

  Ianswered。`YouseeIneversawyouwhenyouwereyounger。’

  `Neversawthemaninthemoon?’saidhe。`Notverynear,’

  Ianswered,`nottotellhowyoungorhowoldhelooked。Ihaveseenthebundleofsticksonhisback。’ForJimhadpointedthatouttome。Jimwasveryfondoflookingatthemaninthemoon。

  PoorJim!Iwonderhehasn’tbeentoseeme。I’mafraidhe’silltoo。”

  “I’lltrytofindout。”saidDiamond,“andletyouknow。”

  “Thankyou。”saidNanny。“YouandJimoughttobefriends。”

  “Butwhatdidthemaninthemoonsay,whenyoutoldhimyouhadseenhimwiththebundleofsticksonhisback?”

  “Helaughed。ButIthoughthelookedoffendedtoo。Hislittlenoseturnedupsharper,andhedrewthecornersofhismouthdownfromthetipsofhisearsintohisneck。Buthedidn’tlookcross,youknow。”

  “Didn’thesayanything?”

  “Oh,yes!Hesaid:`That’sallnonsense。Whatyousawwasmybundleofdusters。Iwasgoingtocleanthewindows。Ittakesagoodmany,youknow。Really,whattheydosayoftheirsuperiorsdownthere!’

  `It’sonlybecausetheydon’tknowbetter,’Iventuredtosay。

  `Ofcourse,ofcourse,’saidthelittleman。`Nobodyeverdoesknowbetter。Well,Iforgivethem,andthatsetsitallright,Ihope。’`It’sverygoodofyou,’Isaid。`No!’saidhe,`it’snotintheleastgoodofme。Icouldn’tbecomfortableotherwise。’

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