r seen any place he would like so much
to live in as that sky. For it is not fine things that make home a nice
place, but your mother and your father.

As he was looking at the lovely colours, the gates were thrown open,
and there was old Diamond and his friend in the carriage, dancing with
impatience to get at their stalls and their oats. And in they came.
Diamond was not in the least afraid of his father driving over him, but,
careful not to spoil the grand show he made with his fine horses and his
multitudinous cape, with a red edge to every fold, he slipped out of the
way and let him dash right on to the stables. To be quite safe he had
to step into the recess of the door that led from the yard to the
shrubbery.

As he stood there he remembered how the wind had driven him to this same
spot on the night of his dream. And once more he was almost sure that
it was no dream. At all events, he would go in and see whether things
looked at all now as they did then. He opened the door, and passed
through the little belt of shrubbery. Not a flower was to be seen in the
beds on the lawn. Even the brave old chrysanthemums and Christmas roses
had passed away before the frost. What? Yes! There was one! He ran and
knelt down to look at it.

It was a primrose--a dwarfish thing, but perfect in shape--a
baby-wonder. As he stooped his face to see it close, a little wind began
to blow, and two or three long leaves that stood up behind the flower
shook and waved and quivered, but the primrose lay still in the green
hollow, looking up at the sky, and not seeming to know that the wind was
blowing at all. It was just a one eye that the dull black wintry earth
had opened to look at the sky with. All at once Diamond thought it was
saying its prayers, and he ought not to be staring at it so. He ran to
the stable to see his father make Diamond's bed. Then his father took
him in his arms, carried him up the ladder, and set him down at the
table where they were going to have their tea.

"Miss is very poorly," said Diamond's father. "Mis'ess has been to
the doctor with her to-day, and she looked very glum when she came out
again. I was a-watching of them to see what doctor had said."

"And didn't Miss look glum too?" asked his mother.

"Not half as glum as Mis'ess," returned the coachman. "You see--"

But he lowered his voice, and Diamond could not make out more than a
word here and there. For Diamond's father was not only one of the fines