章节正文
and mistresses. And he was so angry at their daring to abuse North Wind,
that he jumped up, crying--"North Wind knows best what she is about.
She has a good right to blow the cobwebs from your windows, for she
was sent to do it. She sweeps them away from grander places,
I can tell you, for I've been with her at it."
This was what he began to say, but as he spoke his eyes came
wide open, and behold, there were neither Apostles nor vergers there--
not even a window with the effigies of holy men in it, but a dark heap
of hay all about him, and the little panes in the roof of his loft
glimmering blue in the light of the morning. Old Diamond was coming
awake down below in the stable. In a moment more he was on his feet,
and shaking himself so that young Diamond's bed trembled under him.
"He's grand at shaking himself," said Diamond. "I wish I could
shake myself like that. But then I can wash myself, and he can't.
What fun it would be to see Old Diamond washing his face with his
hoofs and iron shoes! Wouldn't it be a picture?"
So saying, he got up and dressed himself. Then he went out into
the garden. There must have been a tremendous wind in the night,
for although all was quiet now, there lay the little summer-house
crushed to the ground, and over it the great elm-tree, which
the wind had broken across, being much decayed in the middle.
Diamond almost cried to see the wilderness of green leaves, which used
to be so far up in the blue air, tossing about in the breeze,
and liking it best when the wind blew it most, now lying so near
the ground, and without any hope of ever getting up into the deep
air again.
"I wonder how old the tree is!" thought Diamond. "It must take
a long time to get so near the sky as that poor tree was."
"Yes, indeed," said a voice beside him, for Diamond had spoken
the last words aloud.
Diamond started, and looking around saw a clergyman, a brother of
Mrs. Coleman, who happened to be visiting her. He was a great scholar,
and was in the habit of rising early.
"Who are you, my man?" he added.
"Little Diamond," answered the boy.
"Oh! I have heard of you. How do you come to be up so early?"
"Because the sham Apostles talked such nonsense, they waked me up."
The clergyman stared. Diamond saw that he had better have held
his tongue, for he could not explain things.
"You must have been dreaming, my little man," said he. "Dear! dear!"
he went on, looking at the tree, "there has been terrible work here.
This is the north wind's doing. What a pity! I wish we lived at
the back of it, I'm sure."
"Where is that sir?" asked Diamond.
"Away in the Hyperborean regions," answered the clergyman, smiling.
"I never heard of the place," returned Diamond.
"I daresay not," answered the clergyman; "but if this tree had
been there now, it would not have been blown down, for there
is no wind there."
"But, please, sir, if it had been there," said Diamond, "we should
not have had to be sorry for it."
"Certainly not."
"Then we shouldn't have had to be glad for it, either."
"You're quite right, my boy," said the clergyman, looking at him
very kindly, as he turned away to the house, with his eyes bent
towards the earth. But Diamond thought within himself, "I will
ask North Wind next time I see her to take me to that country.
I think she did speak about it once before."
CHAPTER IX
HOW DIAMOND GOT TO THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND
WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother
already seated at the table. They were both busy with their bread
and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.
His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:
"I don't think the boy is looking well, husband."
"Don't you? Well, I don't know. I think he looks pretty bobbish.
How do you feel yourself, Diamond, my boy?"
"Quite well, thank you, father; at least, I think I've got
a little headache."
"There! I told you," said his father and mother both at once.
"The child's very poorly" added his mother.
"The child's quite well," added his father.
And then they both laughed.
"You see," said his mother, "I've had a letter from my sister
at Sandwich."
"Sleepy old hole!" said his father.
"Don't abuse the place; there's good people in it," said his mother.
"Right, old lady," returned his father; "only I don't believe there
are more than two pair of carriage-horses in the whole blessed place."
"Well, people can get to heaven without carriages--or coachmen
either, husband. Not that I should like to go without my coachman,
you know. But about the boy?"
"What boy?"
"That boy, there, staring at you with his goggle-eyes."
"Have I got goggle-eyes, mother?" asked Diamond, a little dismayed.
"Not too goggle," said his mother, who was quite proud of her
boy's eyes, only did not want to make him vain.
"Not too goggle; only you need not stare so."
"Well, what about him?" said his father.
"I told you I had got a letter."
"Yes, from your sister; not from Diamond."
"La, husband! you've got out of bed the wrong leg first this morning,
I do believe."
"I always get out with both at once," said his father, laughing.
"Well, listen then. His aunt wants the boy to go down and see her."
"And that's why you want to make out that he ain't looking well."
"No more he is. I think he had better go."
"Well, I don't care, if you can find the money," said his father.
"I'll manage that," said his mother; and so it was agreed that
Diamond should go to Sandwich.
I will not describe the preparations Diamond made. You would have
thought he had been going on a three months' voyage. Nor will I
describe the journey, for our business is now at the place.
He was met at the station by his aunt, a cheerfulmiddle-aged woman,
and conveyed in safety to the sleepy old town, as his father called it.
And no wonder that it was sleepy, for it was nearly dead of old age.
Diamond went about staring with his beautiful goggle-eyes,
at the quaint old streets, and the shops, and the houses.
Everything looked very strange, indeed; for here was a town
abandoned by its nurse, the sea, like an old oyster left on the
shore till it gaped for weariness. It used to be one of the five
chief seaports in England, but it began to hold itself too high,
and the consequence was the sea grew less and less intimate with it,
gradually drew back, and kept more to itself, till at length it
left it high and dry: Sandwich was a seaport no more; the sea
went on with its own tide-business a long way off, and forgot it.
Of course it went to sleep, and had no more to do with ships.
That's what comes to cities and nations, and boys and girls, who say,
"I can do without your help. I'm enough for myself."
Diamond soon made great friends with an old woman who kept a toyshop,
for his mother had given him twopence for pocket-money before he left,
and he had gone into her shop to spend it, and she got talking
to him. She looked very funny, because she had not got any teeth,
but Diamond liked her, and went often to her shop, although he had
nothing to spend there after the twopence was gone.
One afternoon he had been wandering rather wearily about the
streets for some time. It was a hot day, and he felt tired.
As he passed the toyshop, he stepped in.
"Please may I sit down for a minute on this box?" he said,
thinking the old woman was somewhere in the shop. But he got
no answer, and sat down without one. Around him were a great many
toys of all prices, from a penny up to shillings. All at once he
heard a gentle whirring somewhere amongst them. It made him start
and look behind him. There were the sails of a windmill going
round and round almost close to his ear. He thought at first it
must be one of those toys which are wound up and go with clockwork;
but no, it was a common penny toy, with the windmill at the end
of a whistle, and when the whistle blows the windmill goes.
But the wonder was that there was no one at the whistle end blowing,
and yet the sails were turning round and round--now faster, now slower,
now faster again.
"What can it mean?" said Diamond, aloud.
"It means me," said the tiniest voice he had ever heard.
"Who are you, please?" asked Diamond.
"Well, really, I begin to be ashamed of you," said the voice.
"I wonder how long it will be before you know me; or how often
I might take you in before you got sharp enough to suspect me.
You are as bad as a baby that doesn't know his mother in a new bonnet."
"Not quite so bad as that, dear North Wind," said Diamond, "for I
didn't see you at all, and indeed I don't see you yet, although I
recognise your voice. Do grow a little, please."
"Not a hair's-breadth," said the voice, and it was the smallest
voice that ever spoke. "What are you doing here?"
"I am come to see my aunt. But, please, North Wind, why didn't
you come back for me in the church that night?"
"I did. I carried you safe home. All the time you were dreaming
about the glass Apostles, you were lying in my arms."
"I'm so glad," said Diamond. "I thought that must be it, only I
wanted to hear you say so. Did you sink the ship, then?"
"Yes."
"And drown everybody?"
"Not quite. One boat got away with six or seven men in it."
"How could the boat swim when the ship couldn't?"
"Of course I had some trouble with it. I had to contrive a bit,
and manage the waves a little. When they're once thoroughly
waked up, I have a good deal of trouble with them sometimes.
They're apt to get stupid with tumbling over each other's heads.
That's when they're fairly at it. However, the boat got to a desert
island before noon next day."
"And what good will come of that?"
"I don't know. I obeyed orders. Good bye."
"Oh! stay, North Wind, do stay!" cried Diamond, dismayed to see
the windmill get slower and slower.
"What is it, my dear child?" said North Wind, and the windmill
began turning again so swiftly that Diamond could scarcely see it.
"What a big voice you've got! and what a noise you do make with it?
What is it you want? I have little to do, but that little must
be done."
"I want you to take me to the country at the back of the north wind."
"That's not so easy," said North Wind, and was silent for so long
that Diamond thought she was gone indeed. But after he had quite
given her up, the voice began again.
"I almost wish old Herodotus had held his tongue about it.
Much he knew of it!"
"Why do you wish that, North Wind?"
"Because then that clergyman would never have heard of it, and set
you wanting to go. But we shall see. We shall see. You must go
home now, my dear, for you don't seem very well, and I'll see what
can be done for you. Don't wait for me. I've got to break a few
of old Goody's toys; she's thinking too much of her new stock.
Two or three will do. There! go now."
Diamond rose, quite sorry, and without a word left the shop,
and went home.
It soon appeared that his mother had been right about him,
for that same afternoon his head began to ache very much, and he
had to go to bed.
He awoke in the middle of the night. The lattice window of his room
had blown open, and the curtains of his little bed were swinging
about in the wind.
"If that should be North Wind now!" thought Diamond.
But the next moment he heard some one closing the window,
that he jumped up, crying--"North Wind knows best what she is about.
She has a good right to blow the cobwebs from your windows, for she
was sent to do it. She sweeps them away from grander places,
I can tell you, for I've been with her at it."
This was what he began to say, but as he spoke his eyes came
wide open, and behold, there were neither Apostles nor vergers there--
not even a window with the effigies of holy men in it, but a dark heap
of hay all about him, and the little panes in the roof of his loft
glimmering blue in the light of the morning. Old Diamond was coming
awake down below in the stable. In a moment more he was on his feet,
and shaking himself so that young Diamond's bed trembled under him.
"He's grand at shaking himself," said Diamond. "I wish I could
shake myself like that. But then I can wash myself, and he can't.
What fun it would be to see Old Diamond washing his face with his
hoofs and iron shoes! Wouldn't it be a picture?"
So saying, he got up and dressed himself. Then he went out into
the garden. There must have been a tremendous wind in the night,
for although all was quiet now, there lay the little summer-house
crushed to the ground, and over it the great elm-tree, which
the wind had broken across, being much decayed in the middle.
Diamond almost cried to see the wilderness of green leaves, which used
to be so far up in the blue air, tossing about in the breeze,
and liking it best when the wind blew it most, now lying so near
the ground, and without any hope of ever getting up into the deep
air again.
"I wonder how old the tree is!" thought Diamond. "It must take
a long time to get so near the sky as that poor tree was."
"Yes, indeed," said a voice beside him, for Diamond had spoken
the last words aloud.
Diamond started, and looking around saw a clergyman, a brother of
Mrs. Coleman, who happened to be visiting her. He was a great scholar,
and was in the habit of rising early.
"Who are you, my man?" he added.
"Little Diamond," answered the boy.
"Oh! I have heard of you. How do you come to be up so early?"
"Because the sham Apostles talked such nonsense, they waked me up."
The clergyman stared. Diamond saw that he had better have held
his tongue, for he could not explain things.
"You must have been dreaming, my little man," said he. "Dear! dear!"
he went on, looking at the tree, "there has been terrible work here.
This is the north wind's doing. What a pity! I wish we lived at
the back of it, I'm sure."
"Where is that sir?" asked Diamond.
"Away in the Hyperborean regions," answered the clergyman, smiling.
"I never heard of the place," returned Diamond.
"I daresay not," answered the clergyman; "but if this tree had
been there now, it would not have been blown down, for there
is no wind there."
"But, please, sir, if it had been there," said Diamond, "we should
not have had to be sorry for it."
"Certainly not."
"Then we shouldn't have had to be glad for it, either."
"You're quite right, my boy," said the clergyman, looking at him
very kindly, as he turned away to the house, with his eyes bent
towards the earth. But Diamond thought within himself, "I will
ask North Wind next time I see her to take me to that country.
I think she did speak about it once before."
CHAPTER IX
HOW DIAMOND GOT TO THE BACK OF THE NORTH WIND
WHEN Diamond went home to breakfast, he found his father and mother
already seated at the table. They were both busy with their bread
and butter, and Diamond sat himself down in his usual place.
His mother looked up at him, and, after watching him for a moment, said:
"I don't think the boy is looking well, husband."
"Don't you? Well, I don't know. I think he looks pretty bobbish.
How do you feel yourself, Diamond, my boy?"
"Quite well, thank you, father; at least, I think I've got
a little headache."
"There! I told you," said his father and mother both at once.
"The child's very poorly" added his mother.
"The child's quite well," added his father.
And then they both laughed.
"You see," said his mother, "I've had a letter from my sister
at Sandwich."
"Sleepy old hole!" said his father.
"Don't abuse the place; there's good people in it," said his mother.
"Right, old lady," returned his father; "only I don't believe there
are more than two pair of carriage-horses in the whole blessed place."
"Well, people can get to heaven without carriages--or coachmen
either, husband. Not that I should like to go without my coachman,
you know. But about the boy?"
"What boy?"
"That boy, there, staring at you with his goggle-eyes."
"Have I got goggle-eyes, mother?" asked Diamond, a little dismayed.
"Not too goggle," said his mother, who was quite proud of her
boy's eyes, only did not want to make him vain.
"Not too goggle; only you need not stare so."
"Well, what about him?" said his father.
"I told you I had got a letter."
"Yes, from your sister; not from Diamond."
"La, husband! you've got out of bed the wrong leg first this morning,
I do believe."
"I always get out with both at once," said his father, laughing.
"Well, listen then. His aunt wants the boy to go down and see her."
"And that's why you want to make out that he ain't looking well."
"No more he is. I think he had better go."
"Well, I don't care, if you can find the money," said his father.
"I'll manage that," said his mother; and so it was agreed that
Diamond should go to Sandwich.
I will not describe the preparations Diamond made. You would have
thought he had been going on a three months' voyage. Nor will I
describe the journey, for our business is now at the place.
He was met at the station by his aunt, a cheerfulmiddle-aged woman,
and conveyed in safety to the sleepy old town, as his father called it.
And no wonder that it was sleepy, for it was nearly dead of old age.
Diamond went about staring with his beautiful goggle-eyes,
at the quaint old streets, and the shops, and the houses.
Everything looked very strange, indeed; for here was a town
abandoned by its nurse, the sea, like an old oyster left on the
shore till it gaped for weariness. It used to be one of the five
chief seaports in England, but it began to hold itself too high,
and the consequence was the sea grew less and less intimate with it,
gradually drew back, and kept more to itself, till at length it
left it high and dry: Sandwich was a seaport no more; the sea
went on with its own tide-business a long way off, and forgot it.
Of course it went to sleep, and had no more to do with ships.
That's what comes to cities and nations, and boys and girls, who say,
"I can do without your help. I'm enough for myself."
Diamond soon made great friends with an old woman who kept a toyshop,
for his mother had given him twopence for pocket-money before he left,
and he had gone into her shop to spend it, and she got talking
to him. She looked very funny, because she had not got any teeth,
but Diamond liked her, and went often to her shop, although he had
nothing to spend there after the twopence was gone.
One afternoon he had been wandering rather wearily about the
streets for some time. It was a hot day, and he felt tired.
As he passed the toyshop, he stepped in.
"Please may I sit down for a minute on this box?" he said,
thinking the old woman was somewhere in the shop. But he got
no answer, and sat down without one. Around him were a great many
toys of all prices, from a penny up to shillings. All at once he
heard a gentle whirring somewhere amongst them. It made him start
and look behind him. There were the sails of a windmill going
round and round almost close to his ear. He thought at first it
must be one of those toys which are wound up and go with clockwork;
but no, it was a common penny toy, with the windmill at the end
of a whistle, and when the whistle blows the windmill goes.
But the wonder was that there was no one at the whistle end blowing,
and yet the sails were turning round and round--now faster, now slower,
now faster again.
"What can it mean?" said Diamond, aloud.
"It means me," said the tiniest voice he had ever heard.
"Who are you, please?" asked Diamond.
"Well, really, I begin to be ashamed of you," said the voice.
"I wonder how long it will be before you know me; or how often
I might take you in before you got sharp enough to suspect me.
You are as bad as a baby that doesn't know his mother in a new bonnet."
"Not quite so bad as that, dear North Wind," said Diamond, "for I
didn't see you at all, and indeed I don't see you yet, although I
recognise your voice. Do grow a little, please."
"Not a hair's-breadth," said the voice, and it was the smallest
voice that ever spoke. "What are you doing here?"
"I am come to see my aunt. But, please, North Wind, why didn't
you come back for me in the church that night?"
"I did. I carried you safe home. All the time you were dreaming
about the glass Apostles, you were lying in my arms."
"I'm so glad," said Diamond. "I thought that must be it, only I
wanted to hear you say so. Did you sink the ship, then?"
"Yes."
"And drown everybody?"
"Not quite. One boat got away with six or seven men in it."
"How could the boat swim when the ship couldn't?"
"Of course I had some trouble with it. I had to contrive a bit,
and manage the waves a little. When they're once thoroughly
waked up, I have a good deal of trouble with them sometimes.
They're apt to get stupid with tumbling over each other's heads.
That's when they're fairly at it. However, the boat got to a desert
island before noon next day."
"And what good will come of that?"
"I don't know. I obeyed orders. Good bye."
"Oh! stay, North Wind, do stay!" cried Diamond, dismayed to see
the windmill get slower and slower.
"What is it, my dear child?" said North Wind, and the windmill
began turning again so swiftly that Diamond could scarcely see it.
"What a big voice you've got! and what a noise you do make with it?
What is it you want? I have little to do, but that little must
be done."
"I want you to take me to the country at the back of the north wind."
"That's not so easy," said North Wind, and was silent for so long
that Diamond thought she was gone indeed. But after he had quite
given her up, the voice began again.
"I almost wish old Herodotus had held his tongue about it.
Much he knew of it!"
"Why do you wish that, North Wind?"
"Because then that clergyman would never have heard of it, and set
you wanting to go. But we shall see. We shall see. You must go
home now, my dear, for you don't seem very well, and I'll see what
can be done for you. Don't wait for me. I've got to break a few
of old Goody's toys; she's thinking too much of her new stock.
Two or three will do. There! go now."
Diamond rose, quite sorry, and without a word left the shop,
and went home.
It soon appeared that his mother had been right about him,
for that same afternoon his head began to ache very much, and he
had to go to bed.
He awoke in the middle of the night. The lattice window of his room
had blown open, and the curtains of his little bed were swinging
about in the wind.
"If that should be North Wind now!" thought Diamond.
But the next moment he heard some one closing the window,
- stable [´steibəl]
n.马棚 a.稳固的 (初中英语单词) - tremendous [tri´mendəs] a.可怕的；巨大的 (初中英语单词)
- wilderness [´wildənis] n.荒地，荒野 (初中英语单词)
- voyage [´vɔi-idʒ] n.&vi.航海；航程；旅行 (初中英语单词)
- cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)
- oyster [´ɔistə] n.牡蛎 (初中英语单词)
- consequence [´kɔnsikwəns] n.结果；后果；推断 (初中英语单词)
- intimate [´intimit] a.亲密的 n.知己 (初中英语单词)
- sandwich [´sænwidʒ, ´sændwitʃ] n.三明治，夹心面包片 (初中英语单词)
- whistle [´wisəl] v.吹哨 n.口哨；汽笛 (初中英语单词)
- ashamed [ə´ʃeimd] a.惭愧；不好意思 (初中英语单词)
- suspect [´sʌspekt, sə´spekt] v.怀疑；觉得 n.嫌疑犯 (初中英语单词)
- stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)
- swiftly [´swiftli] ad.迅速地，敏捷地 (初中英语单词)
- saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
- clergyman [´klə:dʒimən] n.牧师；教士 (高中英语单词)
- nonsense [´nɔnsəns] n.胡说 int.胡说!废话 (高中英语单词)
- sleepy [´sli:pi] a.困的，想睡的 (高中英语单词)
- quaint [kweint] a.离奇的；奇妙的 (高中英语单词)
- amongst [ə´mʌŋst] prep.其中之一 =among (高中英语单词)
- contrive [kən´traiv] v.发明；设计；图谋 (高中英语单词)
- daring [´deəriŋ] a.&n.勇敢(的) (英语四级单词)
- blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
- weariness [wiərinis] n.疲倦；厌烦 (英语四级单词)
- wearily [´wiərili] ad.疲倦地；厌烦地 (英语四级单词)
- liking [´laikiŋ] n.爱好；嗜好；喜欢 (英语六级单词)
- middle-aged [´midl´eidʒid] a.中年的 (英语六级单词)
- seaport [´si:pɔ:t] n.海港 (英语六级单词)
- wanting [´wɔntiŋ, wɑ:n-] a.短缺的；不足的 (英语六级单词)
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章节正文
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