r, and things got worse and worse.
Diamond could do little but drive old Diamond in the cab whenever he
could be of help that way, and sing to the two babies at home. At last,
one week was worse than anything they had yet had. They were almost
without bread before it was over.

It was Friday night, and Diamond like the rest of the household had had
very little to eat that day. His mother would always pay the week's rent
before she spent anything even for food. His father had been very
gloomy--so gloomy that he was very cross. It had been a stormy winter
and even now that spring had come, the north wind often blew. When
Diamond went to his bed, which was in a tiny room in the roof, he heard
it like the sea, moaning. As he fell asleep, he still heard the moaning,
and presently, he heard the voice of North Wind calling him. His heart
beat very fast, it was such a long time since he had heard that voice!
He jumped out of bed, but did not see her. Yet she kept on calling.

"Diamond, come here! Diamond, come here!" the voice repeated again and
again.

"Dear North Wind," said Diamond, "I want so much to come to you but I
can't tell where to find you."

"Come here, Diamond!" was all her answer.

So he opened his door and trotted down the long stair and out into the
yard. A great puff of wind at once came against him. He turned and went
with it, and it blew him up to the stable door and kept on blowing.

"She wants me to go into the stable," said Diamond. "But the door is
locked."

Just then, a great blast of wind brought down the key upon the stones at
his feet from where it was kept hanging high above his head. He picked
it up, opened the door, and went in without much noise. And what did he
hear? He heard the two horses, Diamond and Ruby, talking to each other.
They talked in a strange language, yet somehow he could understand it.

"You ought to be ashamed of yourself," old Diamond was saying, "sleek
and fat as _you_ are, and so lazy you get along no faster than a big
dray-horse that is pulling tons!"

"Oh, I like to be fat and lazy!" said Ruby.

"And you like to hear master abused on account of you, too, I dare say,"
replied old Diamond angrily. "Why don't you get up a little speed, while
you are drawing a fare, at least! The abuse master gets for your sake is
quite shameful! No wonder he doesn't get many fares when he has you!"

"Well, if I worked as hard as I could, I'd be a bag of bones like you!"

"I'm prou