Wind stood still, and Diamond, hearing a great growl, started in
terror, and there, instead of North Wind, was a huge wolf by his side.
He let go his hold in dismay, and the wolf bounded up the stair. The
windows of the house rattled and shook as if guns were firing, and the
sound of a great fall came from above. Diamond stood with white face
staring up at the landing.

"Surely," he thought, "North Wind can't be eating one of the children!"
Coming to himself all at once, he rushed after her with his little fist
clenched. There were ladies in long trains going up and down the stairs,
and gentlemen in white neckties attending on them, who stared at him,
but none of them were of the people of the house, and they said nothing.
Before he reached the head of the stair, however, North Wind met him,
took him by the hand, and hurried down and out of the house.

"I hope you haven't eaten a baby, North Wind!" said Diamond, very
solemnly.

North Wind laughed merrily, and went tripping on faster. Her grassy robe
swept and swirled about her steps, and wherever it passed over withered
leaves, they went fleeing and whirling in spirals, and running on their
edges like wheels, all about her feet.

"No," she said at last, "I did not eat a baby. You would not have had
to ask that foolish question if you had not let go your hold of me. You
would have seen how I served a nurse that was calling a child bad names,
and telling her she was wicked. She had been drinking. I saw an ugly gin
bottle in a cupboard."

"And you frightened her?" said Diamond.

"I believe so!" answered North Wind laughing merrily. "I flew at her
throat, and she tumbled over on the floor with such a crash that they
ran in. She'll be turned away to-morrow--and quite time, if they knew as
much as I do."

"But didn't you frighten the little one?"

"She never saw me. The woman would not have seen me either if she had
not been wicked."

"Oh!" said Diamond, dubiously.

"Why should you see things," returned North Wind, "that you wouldn't
understand or know what to do with? Good people see good things; bad
people, bad things."

"Then are you a bad thing?"

"No. For you see me, Diamond, dear," said the girl, and she looked down
at him, and Diamond saw the loving eyes of the great lady beaming from
the depths of her falling hair.

"I had to make myself look like a bad thing before she could see me. If
I had put on any other shape than a wolf's she would not have see