"Yes," said Diamond, only a little ruefully.

"You're not afraid?" said the North Wind.

"No, ma'am; but mother never would let me go without shoes: she never
said anything about clothes, so I dare say she wouldn't mind that."

"I know your mother very well," said the lady. "She is a good woman.
I have visited her often. I was with her when you were born. I saw her
laugh and cry both at once. I love your mother, Diamond."

"How was it you did not know my name, then, ma'am? Please am I to say
ma'am to you, ma'am?"

"One question at a time, dear boy. I knew your name quite well, but I
wanted to hear what you would say for it. Don't you remember that day
when the man was finding fault with your name--how I blew the window
in?"

"Yes, yes," answered Diamond, eagerly. "Our window opens like a door,
right over the coach-house door. And the wind--you, ma'am--came in, and
blew the Bible out of the man's hands, and the leaves went all flutter,
flutter on the floor, and my mother picked it up and gave it back to him
open, and there----"

"Was your name in the Bible--the sixth stone in the high priest's
breastplate."

"Oh!--a stone, was it?" said Diamond. "I thought it had been a horse--I
did."

"Never mind. A horse is better than a stone any day. Well, you see, I
know all about you and your mother."

"Yes. I will go with you."

"Now for the next question: you're not to call me ma'am. You must call
me just my own name--respectfully, you know--just North Wind."

"Well, please, North Wind, you are so beautiful, I am quite ready to go
with you."

"You must not be ready to go with everything beautiful all at once,
Diamond."

"But what's beautiful can't be bad. You're not bad, North Wind?"

"No; I'm not bad. But sometimes beautiful things grow bad by doing
bad, and it takes some time for their badness to spoil their beauty.
So little boys may be mistaken if they go after things because they are
beautiful."

"Well, I will go with you because you are beautiful and good, too."

"Ah, but there's another thing, Diamond:--What if I should look ugly
without being bad--look ugly myself because I am making ugly things
beautiful?--What then?"

"I don't quite understand you, North Wind. You tell me what then."

"Well, I will tell you. If you see me with my face all black, don't be
frightened. If you see me flapping wings like a bat's, as big as the
whole sky, don't be frightened. If you hear me raging ten times worse