hair went streaming out from her, till it
spread like a mist over the stars. She flung herself abroad in space.

Diamond held on by two of the twisted ropes which, parted and
interwoven, formed his shelter, for he could not help being a little
afraid. As soon as he had come to himself, he peeped through the woven
meshes, for he did not dare to look over the top of the nest. The earth
was rushing past like a river or a sea below him. Trees and water and
green grass hurried away beneath. A great roar of wild animals rose
as they rushed over the Zoological Gardens, mixed with a chattering of
monkeys and a screaming of birds; but it died away in a moment behind
them. And now there was nothing but the roofs of houses, sweeping along
like a great torrent of stones and rocks. Chimney-pots fell, and tiles
flew from the roofs; but it looked to him as if they were left behind
by the roofs and the chimneys as they scudded away. There was a great
roaring, for the wind was dashing against London like a sea; but at
North Wind's back Diamond, of course, felt nothing of it all. He was in
a perfect calm. He could hear the sound of it, that was all.

By and by he raised himself and looked over the edge of his nest. There
were the houses rushing up and shooting away below him, like a fierce
torrent of rocks instead of water. Then he looked up to the sky, but
could see no stars; they were hidden by the blinding masses of the
lady's hair which swept between. He began to wonder whether she would
hear him if he spoke. He would try.

"Please, North Wind," he said, "what is that noise?"

From high over his head came the voice of North Wind, answering him,
gently--

"The noise of my besom. I am the old woman that sweeps the cobwebs from
the sky; only I'm busy with the floor now."

"What makes the houses look as if they were running away?"

"I am sweeping so fast over them."

"But, please, North Wind, I knew London was very big, but I didn't know
it was so big as this. It seems as if we should never get away from it."

"We are going round and round, else we should have left it long ago."

"Is this the way you sweep, North Wind?"

"Yes; I go round and round with my great besom."

"Please, would you mind going a little slower, for I want to see the
streets?"

"You won't see much now."

"Why?"

"Because I have nearly swept all the people home."

"Oh! I forgot," said Diamond, and was quiet after that, for he did not
want to be tr