ot in one of those precious dreams he so often had, in which he
floated about on the wind at will. Then something made him look up. To
his unspeakable delight, he found his uplifted hands lying in those of
North Wind! Yes, North Wind was dancing with him round and round the
long bare room, her hair now falling to the floor, now floating to the
ceiling. The sweetest of smiles was playing about her beautiful mouth.
She did not stoop in order to dance with him but held his hands high in
hers.

When he saw her, he gave one spring and his arms were about her neck and
her arms holding him to her breast. The same moment, she swept with him
out of the open window through which the moon was shining. Making a wide
and sweeping circuit, she settled with him in his own little nest at the
top of the big beech tree. Diamond was so entirely happy that he did not
care to speak a word. But presently, he felt as if he were going to
sleep and that would be to lose so much that he was not willing to do
it.

"Please, dear North Wind," said he, "I am so happy that I am afraid it
is a dream. How am I to know that it is not a dream?"

"What does it matter?" returned North Wind. "The dream--if it _is_ a
dream--is a pleasant one, is it not?"

"That is just why I want it to be true! It is not for the dream
itself--I mean it is not for the pleasure of it," answered Diamond, "for
I have that whether it is a dream or not. It is for _you_, North Wind! I
cannot bear to find it a dream because then I should lose _you_! You
would be nobody then and I could not bear that. You are not just a
dream, dear North Wind, are you? Do say _no_, for I shall not dare dream
of you again if you are nobody at all."

"Either I am not a dream, or there is something better which is not a
dream, Diamond," said North Wind in a rather sorrowful tone.

"But it is not something better, it is _you_ I want, North Wind," he
persisted.

She made no answer but rose with him in her arms and sailed away over
the tree-tops till they came to a meadow where a flock of sheep was
feeding.

"Do you remember the song you made up here in this meadow to sing to the
baby?" asked North Wind, "about Bo-peep's sheep that ran away from her
to follow after the sun? And when she went after them, she could not
find the old sheep at all--only some lambs--twice as many new lambs?"

"Oh, yes," said Diamond. "But I do not like that song. It seems to say
that one is just as good as another--or