第8章

类别:其他 作者:George MacDonald字数:19431更新时间:18/12/21 16:58:57
Butwhenshecameclosetowherehestood,henolongerdoubtedshewashuman——forhehadcaughtsightofhersunnyhair,andherclearblueeyes,andtheloveliestfaceandformthathehadeverseen。 Allatonceshebegansinginglikeanightingale,anddancingtoherownmusic,withhereyeseverturnedtowardsthemoon。 Shepassedclosetowherehestood,dancingonbytheedgeofthetreesandawayinagreatcircletowardstheotherside,untilhecouldseebutaspotofwhiteintheyellowishgreenofthemoonlitgrass。 Butwhenhefeareditwouldvanishquite,thespotgrew,andbecameafigureoncemore。Sheapproachedhimagain,singinganddancing,andwavingherarmsoverherhead,untilshehadcompletedthecircle。 Justoppositehistreeshestood,ceasedhersong,droppedherarms,andbrokeoutintoalongclearlaugh,musicalasabrook。Then,asiftired,shethrewherselfonthegrass,andlaygazingatthemoon。 Theprincewasalmostafraidtobreathelestheshouldstartleher,andsheshouldvanishfromhissight。Astoventuringnearher,thatnevercameintohishead。 Shehadlainforalonghourorlonger,whentheprincebeganagaintodoubtconcerningher。Perhapsshewasbutavisionofhisownfancy。 Orwassheaspiritofthewood,afterall?Ifso,hetoowouldhauntthewood,gladtohavelostkingdomandeverythingforthehopeofbeingnearher。Hewouldbuildhimahutintheforest,andtherehewouldliveforthepurechanceofseeingheragain。 Uponnightslikethisatleastshewouldcomeoutandbaskinthemoonlight,andmakehissoulblessed。Butwhilehethusdreamedshesprangtoherfeet,turnedherfacefulltothemoon,andbegansingingasshewoulddrawherdownfromtheskybythepowerofherentrancingvoice。Shelookedmorebeautifulthanever。 Againshebegandancingtoherownmusic,anddancedawayintothedistance。Oncemoreshereturnedinasimilarmanner; butalthoughhewaswatchingaseagerlyasbefore,whatwithfatigueandwhatwithgazing,hefellfastasleepbeforeshecamenearhim。 Whenheawokeitwasbroaddaylight,andtheprincesswasnowhere。 Hecouldnotleavetheplace。Whatifsheshouldcomethenextnight! Hewouldgladlyendureaday’shungertoseeheryetagain: hewouldbucklehisbeltquitetight。Hewalkedroundthegladetoseeifhecoulddiscoveranyprintsofherfeet。Butthegrasswassoshort,andherstepshadbeensolight,thatshehadnotleftasingletracebehindher。Hewalkedhalf-wayroundthewoodwithoutseeinganythingtoaccountforherpresence。Thenhespiedalovelylittlehouse,withthatchedroofandloweaves,surroundedbyanexquisitegarden,withdovesandpeacockswalkinginit。Ofcoursethismustbewherethegraciousladywholovedthemoonlightlived。Forgettinghisappearance,hewalkedtowardsthedoor,determinedtomakeinquiries,butashepassedalittlepondfullofgoldandsilverfishes,hecaughtsightofhimselfandturnedtofindthedoortothekitchen。Thereheknocked,andaskedforapieceofbread。Thegood-naturedcookbroughthimin,andgavehimanexcellentbreakfast,whichtheprincefoundnothingtheworseforbeingservedinthekitchen。Whileheate,hetalkedwithhisentertainer,andlearnedthatthiswasthefavouriteretreatofthePrincessDaylight。Buthelearnednothingmore,bothbecausehewasafraidofseeminginquisitive,andbecausethecookdidnotchoosetobeheardtalkingabouthermistresstoapeasantladwhohadbeggedforhisbreakfast。 Asherosetotakehisleave,itoccurredtohimthathemightnotbesofarfromtheoldwoman’scottageashehadthought,andheaskedthecookwhethersheknewanythingofsuchaplace,describingitaswellashecould。Shesaidsheknewitwellenough,addingwithasmile—— “It’sthereyou’regoing,isit?” “Yes,ifit’snotfaroff。” “It’snotmorethanthreemiles。Butmindwhatyouareabout,youknow。” “Whydoyousaythat?” “Ifyou’reafteranymischief,she’llmakeyourepentit。” “Thebestthingthatcouldhappenunderthecircumstances。” remarkedtheprince。 “Whatdoyoumeanbythat?”askedthecook。 “Why,itstandstoreason。”answeredtheprince“thatifyouwishtodoanythingwrong,thebestthingforyouistobemadetorepentofit。” “Isee。”saidthecook。“Well,Ithinkyoumayventure。 She’sagoodoldsoul。” “Whichwaydoesitliefromhere?”askedtheprince。 Shegavehimfullinstructions;andheleftherwithmanythanks。 Beingnowrefreshed,however,theprincedidnotgobacktothecottagethatday:heremainedintheforest,amusinghimselfasbesthecould,butwaitinganxiouslyforthenight,inthehopethattheprincesswouldagainappear。Norwashedisappointed,for,directlythemoonrose,hespiedaglimmeringshapefaracrosstheglade。 Asitdrewnearer,hesawitwassheindeed——notdressedinwhiteasbefore:inapalebluelikethesky,shelookedlovelierstill。 Hethoughtitwasthatthebluesuitedheryetbetterthanthewhite; hedidnotknowthatshewasreallymorebeautifulbecausethemoonwasnearerthefull。Infactthenextnightwasfullmoon,andtheprincesswouldthenbeatthezenithofherloveliness。 Theprincefearedforsometimethatshewasnotcomingnearhishiding-placethatnight;butthecirclesinherdanceeverwidenedasthemoonrose,untilatlasttheyembracedthewholeglade,andshecamestillclosertothetreeswherehewashidingthanshehadcomethenightbefore。Hewasentrancedwithherloveliness,foritwasindeedamarvellousthing。Allnightlonghewatchedher,butdarednotgonearher。Hewouldhavebeenashamedofwatchinghertoo,hadhenotbecomealmostincapableofthinkingofanythingbuthowbeautifulshewas。Hewatchedthewholenightlong,andsawthatasthemoonwentdownsheretreatedinsmallerandsmallercircles,untilatlasthecouldseehernomore。 Wearyashewas,hesetoutfortheoldwoman’scottage,wherehearrivedjustintimeforherbreakfast,whichshesharedwithhim。 Hethenwenttobed,andsleptformanyhours。Whenheawokethesunwasdown,andhedepartedingreatanxietylestheshouldloseaglimpseofthelovelyvision。But,whetheritwasbythemachinationsoftheswamp-fairy,ormerelythatitisonethingtogoandanothertoreturnbythesameroad,helosthisway。 Ishallnotattempttodescribehismiserywhenthemoonrose,andhesawnothingbuttrees,trees,trees。 Shewashighintheheavensbeforehereachedtheglade。 Thenindeedhistroublesvanished,fortherewastheprincesscomingdancingtowardshim,inadressthatshonelikegold,andwithshoesthatglimmeredthroughthegrasslikefireflies。 Shewasofcoursestillmorebeautifulthanbefore。Likeanembodiedsunbeamshepassedhim,anddancedawayintothedistance。 Beforeshereturnedinhercircle,thecloudshadbeguntogatheraboutthemoon。Thewindrose,thetreesmoaned,andtheirlighterbranchesleanedallonewaybeforeit。Theprincefearedthattheprincesswouldgoin,andheshouldseehernomorethatnight。 Butshecamedancingonmorejubilantthanever,hergoldendressandhersunnyhairstreamingoutupontheblast,wavingherarmstowardsthemoon,andintheexuberanceofherdelightorderingthecloudsawayfromoffherface。Theprincecouldhardlybelieveshewasnotacreatureoftheelements,afterall。 Bythetimeshehadcompletedanothercircle,thecloudshadgathereddeep,andthereweregrowlingsofdistantthunder。 Justasshepassedthetreewherehestood,aflashoflightningblindedhimforamoment,andwhenhesawagain,tohishorror,theprincesslayontheground。Hedartedtoher,thinkingshehadbeenstruck;butwhensheheardhimcoming,shewasonherfeetinamoment。 “Whatdoyouwant?”sheasked。 “Ibegyourpardon。Ithought——thelightning“saidtheprince,hesitating。 “There’snothingthematter。”saidtheprincess,wavinghimoffratherhaughtily。 Thepoorprinceturnedandwalkedtowardsthewood。 “Comeback。”saidDaylight:“Ilikeyou。Youdowhatyouaretold。 Areyougood?” “NotsogoodasIshouldliketobe。”saidtheprince。 “Thengoandgrowbetter。”saidtheprincess。 Againthedisappointedprinceturnedandwent。 “Comeback。”saidtheprincess。 Heobeyed,andstoodbeforeherwaiting。 “Canyoutellmewhatthesunislike?”sheasked。 “No。”heanswered。“Butwhere’sthegoodofaskingwhatyouknow?” “ButIdon’tknow。”sherejoined。 “Why,everybodyknows。” “That’stheverything:I’mnoteverybody。I’veneverseenthesun。” “Thenyoucan’tknowwhatit’sliketillyoudoseeit。” “Ithinkyoumustbeaprince。”saidtheprincess。 “DoIlooklikeone?”saidtheprince。 “Ican’tquitesaythat。” “Thenwhydoyouthinkso?” “Becauseyoubothdowhatyouaretoldandspeakthetruth—— Isthesunsoverybright?” “Asbrightasthelightning。” “Butitdoesn’tgooutlikethat,doesit?” “Oh,no。Itshineslikethemoon,risesandsetslikethemoon,ismuchthesameshapeasthemoon,onlysobrightthatyoucan’tlookatitforamoment。” “ButIwouldlookatit。”saidtheprincess。 “Butyoucouldn’t。”saidtheprince。 “ButIcould。”saidtheprincess。 “Whydon’tyou,then?” “BecauseIcan’t。” “Whycan’tyou?” “BecauseIcan’twake。AndInevershallwakeuntil——“ Hereshehidherfaceinherhands,turnedaway,andwalkedintheslowest,stateliestmannertowardsthehouse。Theprinceventuredtofollowheratalittledistance,butsheturnedandmadearepellentgesture,which,likeatruegentleman-prince,heobeyedatonce。 Hewaitedalongtime,butasshedidnotcomenearhimagain,andasthenighthadnowcleared,hesetoffatlastfortheoldwoman’scottage。 Itwaslongpastmidnightwhenhereachedit,but,tohissurprise,theoldwomanwasparingpotatoesatthedoor。Fairiesarefondofdoingoddthings。Indeed,howevertheymaydissemble,thenightisalwaystheirday。Andsoitiswithallwhohavefairybloodinthem。 “Why,whatareyoudoingthere,thistimeofthenight,mother?” saidtheprince;forthatwasthekindwayinwhichanyyoungmaninhiscountrywouldaddressawomanwhowasmucholderthanhimself。 “Gettingyoursupperready,myson。”sheanswered。 “Oh,Idon’twantanysupper。”saidtheprince。 “Ah!you’veseenDaylight。”saidshe。 “I’veseenaprincesswhoneversawit。”saidtheprince。 “Doyoulikeher?”askedthefairy。 “Oh!don’tI?”saidtheprince。“Morethanyouwouldbelieve,mother。” “Afairycanbelieveanythingthateverwasorevercouldbe。” saidtheoldwoman。 “Thenareyouafairy?”askedtheprince。 “Yes。”saidshe。 “Thenwhatdoyoudoforthingsnottobelieve?”askedtheprince。 “There’splentyofthem——everythingthatneverwasnorevercouldbe。” “Plenty,Igrantyou。”saidtheprince。“Butdoyoubelievetherecouldbeaprincesswhoneversawthedaylight?Doyoubelievethatnow?” Thistheprincesaid,notthathedoubtedtheprincess,butthathewantedthefairytotellhimmore。 Shewastoooldafairy,however,tobecaughtsoeasily。 “Ofallpeople,fairiesmustnottellsecrets。Besides,she’saprincess。” “Well,I’lltellyouasecret。I’maprince。” “Iknowthat。” “Howdoyouknowit?” “Bythecurlofthethirdeyelashonyourlefteyelid。” “Whichcornerdoyoucountfrom?” “That’sasecret。” “Anothersecret?Well,atleast,ifIamaprince,therecanbenoharmintellingmeaboutaprincess。” “It’sjusttheprincesIcan’ttell。” “Thereain’tanymoreofthem——arethere?”saidtheprince。 “What!youdon’tthinkyou’retheonlyprinceintheworld,doyou?” “Oh,dear,no!notatall。ButIknowthere’sonetoomanyjustatpresent,excepttheprincess——“ “Yes,yes,that’sit。”saidthefairy。 “What’sit?”askedtheprince。 Buthecouldgetnothingmoreoutofthefairy,andhadtogotobedunanswered,whichwassomethingofatrial。 Nowwickedfairieswillnotbeboundbythelawwhichthegoodfairiesobey,andthisalwaysseemstogivethebadtheadvantageoverthegood,fortheyusemeanstogaintheirendswhichtheotherswillnot。 Butitisallofnoconsequence,forwhattheydoneversucceeds;nay,intheenditbringsabouttheverythingtheyaretryingtoprevent。 Soyouseethatsomehow,foralltheircleverness,wickedfairiesaredreadfullystupid,for,althoughfromthebeginningoftheworldtheyhavereallyhelpedinsteadofthwartingthegoodfairies,notoneofthemisabitwiserforit。Shewilltrythebadthingjustastheyalldidbeforeher;andsucceedsnobetterofcourse。 Theprincehadsofarstolenamarchupontheswamp-fairythatshedidnotknowhewasintheneighbourhooduntilafterhehadseentheprincessthosethreetimes。Whensheknewit,sheconsoledherselfbythinkingthattheprincessmustbefartooproudandtoomodestforanyyoungmantoventureeventospeaktoherbeforehehadseenhersixtimesatleast。Buttherewasevenlessdangerthanthewickedfairythought;for,howevermuchtheprincessmightdesiretobesetfree,shewasdreadfullyafraidofthewrongprince。Now,however,thefairywasgoingtodoallshecould。 Shesocontriveditbyherdeceitfulspells,thatthenextnighttheprincecouldnotbyanyendeavourfindhiswaytotheglade。 Itwouldtakemetoolongtotellhertricks。Theywouldbeamusingtous,whoknowthattheycouldnotdoanyharm,buttheyweresomethingotherthanamusingtothepoorprince。 Hewanderedabouttheforesttilldaylight,andthenfellfastasleep。 Thesamethingoccurredforsevenfollowingdays,duringwhichneithercouldhefindthegoodfairy’scottage。Afterthethirdquarterofthemoon,however,thebadfairythoughtshemightbeateaseabouttheaffairforafortnightatleast,fortherewasnochanceoftheprincewishingtokisstheprincessduringthatperiod。 Sothefirstdayofthefourthquarterhedidfindthecottage,andthenextdayhefoundtheglade。Fornearlyanotherweekhehauntedit。 Buttheprincessnevercame。Ihavelittledoubtshewasonthefartheredgeofitsomepartofeverynight,butatthisperiodshealwaysworeblack,and,therebeinglittleornolight,theprinceneversawher。Norwouldhehaveknownherifhehadseenher。 Howcouldhehavetakentheworndecrepitcreatureshewasnow,forthegloriousPrincessDaylight? Atlast,onenightwhentherewasnomoonatall,heventurednearthehouse。Thereheheardvoicestalking,althoughitwaspastmidnight; forherwomenwereinconsiderableuneasiness,becausetheonewhoseturnitwastowatchherhadfallenasleep,andhadnotseenwhichwayshewent,andthiswasanightwhenshewouldprobablywanderveryfar,describingacirclewhichdidnottouchtheopengladeatall,butstretchedawayfromthebackofthehouse,deepintothatsideoftheforest——apartofwhichtheprinceknewnothing。 Whenheunderstoodfromwhattheysaidthatshehaddisappeared,andthatshemusthavegonesomewhereinthesaiddirection,heplungedatonceintothewoodtoseeifhecouldfindher。 Forhoursheroamedwithnothingtoguidehimbutthevaguenotionofacirclewhichononesideborderedonthehouse,forsomuchhadhepickedupfromthetalkhehadoverheard。 Itwasgettingtowardsthedawn,butasyettherewasnostreakoflightinthesky,whenhecametoagreatbirch-tree,andsatdownwearyatthefootofit。Whilehesat——verymiserable,youmaybesure—— fulloffearfortheprincess,andwonderinghowherattendantscouldtakeitsoquietly,hebethoughthimselfthatitwouldnotbeabadplantolightafire,which,ifshewereanywherenear,wouldattracther。Thishemanagedwithatinder-box,whichthegoodfairyhadgivenhim。Itwasjustbeginningtoblazeup,whenheheardamoan,whichseemedtocomefromtheothersideofthetree。Hesprungtohisfeet,buthisheartthrobbedsothathehadtoleanforamomentagainstthetreebeforehecouldmove。 Whenhegotround,therelayahumanforminalittledarkheapontheearth。Therewaslightenoughfromhisfiretoshowthatitwasnottheprincess。Helifteditinhisarms,hardlyheavierthanachild,andcarriedittotheflame。Thecountenancewasthatofanoldwoman,butithadafearfullystrangelook。 Ablackhoodconcealedherhair,andhereyeswereclosed。 Helaidherdownascomfortablyashecould,chafedherhands,putalittlecordialfromabottle,alsothegiftofthefairy,intohermouth;tookoffhiscoatandwrappeditabouther,andinshortdidthebesthecould。Inalittlewhilesheopenedhereyesandlookedathim——sopitifully!Thetearsroseandflowedfromhergreywrinkledcheeks,butshesaidneveraword。 Sheclosedhereyesagain,butthetearskeptonflowing,andherwholeappearancewassoutterlypitifulthattheprincewasnearcryingtoo。Hebeggedhertotellhimwhatwasthematter,promisingtodoallhecouldtohelpher;butstillshedidnotspeak。 Hethoughtshewasdying,andtookherinhisarmsagaintocarryhertotheprincess’shouse,wherehethoughtthegood-naturedcookmightheabletodosomethingforher。Whenheliftedher,thetearsflowedyetfaster,andshegavesuchasadmoanthatitwenttohisveryheart。 “Mother,mother!“hesaid。“Poormother!“andkissedheronthewitheredlips。 Shestarted;andwhateyestheywerethatopeneduponhim! Buthedidnotseethem,foritwasstillverydark,andhehadenoughtodotomakehiswaythroughthetreestowardsthehouse。 Justasheapproachedthedoor,feelingmoretiredthanhecouldhaveimaginedpossible——shewassuchalittlethinoldthing—— shebegantomove,andbecamesorestlessthat,unabletocarryheramomentlonger,hethoughttolayheronthegrass。Butshestooduprightonherfeet。Herhoodhaddropped,andherhairfellabouther。 Thefirstgleamofthemorningwascaughtonherface:thatfacewasbrightasthenever-agingDawn,andhereyeswerelovelyastheskyofdarkestblue。Theprincerecoiledinovermasteringwonder。 ItwasDaylightherselfwhomhehadbroughtfromtheforest! Hefellatherfeet,nordaredtolookupuntilshelaidherhanduponhishead。Herosethen。 “YoukissedmewhenIwasanoldwoman:there!IkissyouwhenI amayoungprincess。”murmuredDaylight——“Isthatthesuncoming?” CHAPTERXXIX RUBY THEchildrenweredelightedwiththestory,andmademanyamusingremarksuponit。Mr。Raymondpromisedtosearchhisbrainforanother,andwhenhehadfoundonetobringittothem。DiamondhavingtakenleaveofNanny,andpromisedtogoandseeheragainsoon,wentawaywithhim。 NowMr。RaymondhadbeenturningoverinhismindwhathecoulddobothforDiamondandforNanny。HehadthereforemadesomeacquaintancewithDiamond’sfather,andhadbeengreatlypleasedwithhim。 Buthehadcometotheresolution,beforehedidanythingsogoodashewouldliketodoforthem,toputthemalltoacertaintest。 Soastheywalkedawaytogether,hebegantotalkwithDiamondasfollows:—— “Nannymustleavethehospitalsoon,Diamond。” “I’mgladofthat,sir。” “Why?Don’tyouthinkit’saniceplace?” “Yes,very。Butit’sbettertobewellanddoingsomething,youknow,evenifit’snotquitesocomfortable。” “Buttheycan’tkeepNannysolongastheywouldlike。Theycan’tkeephertillshe’squitestrong。Therearealwayssomanysickchildrentheywanttotakeinandmakebetter。Andthequestionis,Whatwillshedowhentheysendheroutagain?” “That’sjustwhatIcan’ttell,thoughI’vebeenthinkingofitoverandover,sir。Hercrossingwastakenlongago,andIcouldn’tbeartoseeNannyfightingforit,especiallywithsuchapoorfellowashastakenit。He’squitelame,sir。” “Shedoesn’tlookmuchlikefighting,now,doesshe,Diamond?” “No,sir。Shelookstoolikeanangel。Angelsdon’tfight—— dothey,sir?” “Nottogetthingsforthemselves,atleast。”saidMr。Raymond。 “Besides。”addedDiamond,“Idon’tquiteseethatshewouldhaveanybetterrighttothecrossingthantheboywhohasgotit。 Nobodygaveittoher;sheonlytookit。Andnowhehastakenit。” “Ifsheweretosweepacrossing——soonatleast——aftertheillnessshehashad,shewouldbelaidupagaintheveryfirstwetday。” saidMr。Raymond。 “Andthere’shardlyanymoneytobegotexceptonthewetdays。” remarkedDiamondreflectively。“Istherenothingelseshecoulddo,sir?” “Notwithoutbeingtaught,I’mafraid。” “Well,couldn’tsomebodyteachhersomething?” “Couldn’tyouteachher,Diamond?” “Idon’tknowanythingmyself,sir。Icouldteachhertodressthe,baby;butnobodywouldgiveheranythingfordoingthingslikethat: theyaresoeasy。Therewouldn’tbemuchgoodinteachinghertodriveacab,forwherewouldshegetthecabtodrive? Thereain’tfathersandoldDiamondseverywhere。AtleastpoorNannycan’tfindanyofthem,Idoubt。” “Perhapsifsheweretaughttobeniceandclean,andonlyspeakgentlewords“ “Mothercouldteachherthat。”interruptedDiamond。 “Andtodressbabies,andfeedthem,andtakecareofthem。” Mr。Raymondproceeded,“shemightgetaplaceasanursesomewhere,youknow。Peopledogivemoneyforthat。” “ThenI’llaskmother。”saidDiamond。 “Butyou’llhavetogiveherherfoodthen;andyourfather,notbeingstrong,hasenoughtodoalreadywithoutthat。” “Buthere’sme。”saidDiamond:“Ihelphimoutwithit。Whenhe’stiredofdriving,upIget。Itdon’tmakeanydifferencetooldDiamond。 Idon’tmeanhelikesmeaswellasmyfather——ofcoursehecan’t,youknow——nobodycould;buthedoeshisdutyallthesame。 It’sgottobedone,youknow,sir;andDiamond’sagoodhorse—— isn’the,sir?” “FromyourdescriptionIshouldsaycertainly;butIhavenotthepleasureofhisacquaintancemyself。” “Don’tyouthinkhewillgotoheaven,sir?” “ThatIdon’tknowanythingabout。”saidMr。Raymond。“IconfessIshouldbegladtothinkso。”headded,smilingthoughtfully。 “I’msurehe’llgettothebackofthenorthwind,anyhow。” saidDiamondtohimself;buthehadlearnedtobeverycarefulofsayingsuchthingsaloud。 “Isn’titrathertoomuchforhimtogointhecaballdayandeveryday?”resumedMr。Raymond。 “Sofathersays,whenhefeelshisribsofamorning。Butthenhesaystheoldhorsedoeatwell,andthemomenthe’shadhissupper,downhegoes,andnevergetsuptillhe’scalled;and,forthelegsofhim,fathersaysthatmakesnoendofadiffer。Somehorses,sir!theywon’tliedownallnightlong,butgotosleepontheirfourpins,likeahaystack,fathersays。Ithinkit’sverystupidofthem,andsodoesoldDiamond。ButthenIsupposetheydon’tknowbetter,andsotheycan’thelpit。Wemustn’tbetooharduponthem,fathersays。” “Yourfathermustbeagoodman,Diamond。”DiamondlookedupinMr。Raymond’sface,wonderingwhathecouldmean。 “Isaidyourfathermustbeagoodman,Diamond。” “Ofcourse。”saidDiamond。“Howcouldhedriveacabifhewasn’t?” “Therearesomemenwhodrivecabswhoarenotverygood。” objectedMr。Raymond。 Diamondrememberedthedrunkencabman,andsawthathisfriendwasright。 “Ah,but。”hereturned,“hemustbe,youknow,withsuchahorseasoldDiamond。” “Thatdoesmakeadifference。”saidMr。Raymond。“Butitisquiteenoughthatheisagoodmanwithoutourtryingtoaccountforit。 Now,ifyoulike,IwillgiveyouaproofthatIthinkhimagoodman。 IamgoingawayontheContinentforawhile——forthreemonths,Ibelieve——andIamgoingtoletmyhousetoagentlemanwhodoesnotwanttheuseofmybrougham。Myhorseisnearlyasold,Ifancy,asyourDiamond,butIdon’twanttopartwithhim,andIdon’twanthimtobeidle;fornobody,asyousay,oughttobeidle; butneitherdoIwanthimtobeworkedveryhard。Now,ithascomeintomyheadthatperhapsyourfatherwouldtakechargeofhim,andworkhimundercertainconditions。” “Myfatherwilldowhat’sright。”saidDiamond。“I’msureofthat。” “Well,soIthink。Willyouaskhimwhenhecomeshometocallandhavealittlechatwithme——to-day,sometime?” “Hemusthavehisdinnerfirst。”saidDiamond。“No,he’sgothisdinnerwithhimto-day。Itmustbeafterhe’shadhistea。” “Ofcourse,ofcourse。Anytimewilldo。Ishallbeathomeallday。” “Verywell,sir。Iwilltellhim。Youmaybesurehewillcome。 Myfatherthinksyouaverykindgentleman,andIknowheisright,forIknowyourveryownself,sir。” Mr。Raymondsmiled,andastheyhadnowreachedhisdoor,theyparted,andDiamondwenthome。Assoonashisfatherenteredthehouse,DiamondgavehimMr。Raymond’smessage,andrecountedtheconversationthathadprecededit。Hisfathersaidlittle,buttookthought-saucetohisbreadandbutter,andassoonashehadfinishedhismeal,rose,saying: “Iwillgotoyourfrienddirectly,Diamond。Itwouldbeagrandthingtogetalittlemoremoney。Wedowantit。”DiamondaccompaniedhisfathertoMr。Raymond’sdoor,andtherelefthim。 HewasshownatonceintoMr。Raymond’sstudy,wherehegazedwithsomewonderatthemultitudeofbooksonthewalls,andthoughtwhatalearnedmanMr。Raymondmustbe。 PresentlyMr。Raymondentered,andaftersayingmuchthesameabouthisoldhorse,madethefollowingdistinctproposal—— onenotover-advantageoustoDiamond’sfather,butforwhichhehadreasons——namely,thatJosephshouldhavetheuseofMr。Raymond’shorsewhilehewasaway,onconditionthatheneverworkedhimmorethansixhoursaday,andfedhimwell,andthat,besides,heshouldtakeNannyhomeassoonasshewasabletoleavethehospital,andprovideforherasoneofhisownchildren,neitherbetternorworse——solong,thatis,ashehadthehorse。 Diamond’sfathercouldnothelpthinkingitaprettyclosebargain。 Heshouldhaveboththegirlandthehorsetofeed,andonlysixhours’ workoutofthehorse。 “Itwillsaveyourownhorse。”saidMr。Raymond。 “Thatistrue。”answeredJoseph;“butallIcangetbymyownhorseisonlyenoughtokeepus,andifIsavehimandfeedyourhorseandthegirl——don’tyousee,sir?” “Well,youcangohomeandthinkaboutit,andletmeknowbytheendoftheweek。Iaminnohurrybeforethen。” SoJosephwenthomeandrecountedtheproposaltohiswife,addingthathedidnotthinktherewasmuchadvantagetobegotoutofit。 “Notmuchthatway,husband。”saidDiamond’smother;“buttherewouldbeanadvantage,andwhatmatterwhogetsit!“ “Idon’tseeit。”answeredherhusband。“Mr。Raymondisagentlemanofproperty,andIdon’tdiscoveranymuchgoodinhelpinghimtosavealittlemore。Hewon’teasilygetonetomakesuchabargain,andI don’tmeanheshallgetme。Itwouldbealossratherthanagain—— Idothink——atleastifItooklessworkoutofourownhorse。” “OnehourwouldmakeadifferencetooldDiamond。Butthat’snotthemainpoint。Youmustthinkwhatanadvantageitwouldbetothepoorgirlthathasn’tahometogoto!“ “SheisoneofDiamond’sfriends。”thoughthisfather。 “Icouldbekindtoher,youknow。”themotherwenton,“andteachherhousework,andhowtohandleababy;and,besides,shewouldhelpme,andIshouldbethestrongerforit,andabletodoanoddbitofcharingnowandthen,whenIgotthechance。” “Iwon’thearofthat。”saidherhusband。“Havethegirlbyallmeans。 I’mashamedIdidnotthinkofbothsidesofthethingatonce。 Iwonderifthehorseisagreateater。Tobesure,ifIgaveDiamondtwohours’additionalrest,itwouldbeallthebetterfortheoldbonesofhim,andtherewouldbefourhoursextraoutoftheotherhorse。 ThatwouldgiveDiamondsomethingtodoeveryday。HecoulddriveoldDiamondafterdinner,andIcouldtaketheotherhorseoutforsixhoursaftertea,orinthemorning,asIfoundbest。Itmightpayforthekeepofbothofthem,——thatis,ifIhadgoodluck。 IshouldliketoobligeMr。Raymond,thoughheberatherhard,forhehasbeenverykindtoourDiamond,wife。Hasn’thenow?” “Hehasindeed,Joseph。”saidhiswife,andtheretheconversationended。 Diamond’sfatherwenttheverynextdaytoMr。Raymond,andacceptedhisproposal;sothattheweekafterhavinggotanotherstallinthesamestable,hehadtwohorsesinsteadofone。Oddlyenough,thenameofthenewhorsewasRuby,forhewasaveryredchestnut。 Diamond’snamecamefromawhitelozengeonhisforehead。 YoungDiamondsaidtheywererichnow,withsuchabigdiamondandsuchabigruby。 CHAPTERXXX NANNY’SDREAM NANNYwasnotfittobemovedforsometimeyet,andDiamondwenttoseeherasoftenashecould。Butbeingmoreregularlyengagednow,seeinghewentouteverydayforafewhourswitholdDiamond,andhadhisbabytomind,andoneofthehorsestoattendto,hecouldnotgosooftenashewouldhaveliked。 Oneevening,ashesatbyherbedside,shesaidtohim: “I’vehadsuchabeautifuldream,Diamond!Ishouldliketotellityou。” “Oh!do。”saidDiamond;“Iamsofondofdreams!“ “Shemusthavebeentothebackofthenorthwind。”hesaidtohimself。 “Itwasaveryfoolishdream,youknow。Butsomehowitwassopleasant! Whatagoodthingitisthatyoubelievethedreamallthetimeyouareinit!“ MyreadersmustnotsupposethatpoorNannywasabletosaywhatshemeantsowellasIputitdownhere。Shehadneverbeentoschool,andhadheardverylittleelsethanvulgarspeechuntilshecametothehospital。ButIhavebeentoschool,andalthoughthatcouldnevermakemeabletodreamsowellasNanny,ithasmademeabletotellherdreambetterthanshecouldherself。 AndIamthemoredesirousofdoingthisforherthatIhavealreadydonethebestIcouldforDiamond’sdream,anditwouldbeashametogivetheboyalltheadvantage。 “IwilltellyouallIknowaboutit。”saidNanny。“Thedaybeforeyesterday,aladycametoseeus——averybeautifullady,andverybeautifullydressed。Iheardthematronsaytoherthatitwasverykindofhertocomeinblueandgold;andsheansweredthatsheknewwedidn’tlikedullcolours。Shehadsuchalovelyshawlon,justlikerednessdippedinmilk,andallworkedoverwithflowersofthesamecolour。Itdidn’tshinemuch,itwassilk,butitkeptintheshine。Whenshecametomybedside,shesatdown,justwhereyouaresitting,Diamond,andlaidherhandonthecounterpane。 Iwassittingup,withmytablebeforemereadyformytea。Herhandlookedsoprettyinitsblueglove,thatIwastemptedtostrokeit。 Ithoughtshewouldn’tbeangry,foreverybodythatcomestothehospitaliskind。It’sonlyinthestreetstheyain’tkind。 Butshedrewherhandaway,andIalmostcried,forIthoughtI hadbeenrude。Insteadofthat,however,itwasonlythatshedidn’tlikegivingmeherglovetostroke,forshedrewitoff,andthenlaidherhandwhereitwasbefore。Iwasn’tsure,butI venturedtoputoutmyuglyhand。” “Yourhandain’tugly,Nanny。”saidDiamond;butNannywenton—— “AndIstrokeditagain,andthenshestrokedmine,——thinkofthat! Andtherewasaringonherfinger,andIlookeddowntoseewhatitwaslike。Andshedrewitoff,andputitupononeofmyfingers。 Itwasaredstone,andshetoldmetheycalleditaruby。” “Oh,thatisfunny!“saidDiamond。“OurnewhorseiscalledRuby。 We’vegotanotherhorse——aredone——suchabeauty!“ ButNannywentonwithherstory。 “Ilookedattherubyallthetimetheladywastalkingtome,—— itwassobeautiful!AndasshetalkedIkeptseeingdeeperanddeeperintothestone。Atlastsherosetogoaway,andIbegantopulltheringoffmyfinger;andwhatdoyouthinkshesaid?——“Wearitallnight,ifyoulike。Onlyyoumusttakecareofit。 Ican’tgiveityou,forsomeonegaveittome;butyoumaykeepittillto-morrow。”Wasn’titkindofher?Icouldhardlytakemytea,Iwassodelightedtohearit;andIdothinkitwastheringthatsetmedreaming;for,afterIhadtakenmytea,Ileanedback,halflyingandhalfsitting,andlookedattheringonmyfinger。 BydegreesIbegantodream。Theringgrewlargerandlarger,untilatlastIfoundthatIwasnotlookingataredstone,butataredsunset,whichshoneinattheendofalongstreetnearwhereGrannielives。IwasdressedinragsasIusedtobe,andIhadgreatholesinmyshoes,atwhichthenastymudcamethroughtomyfeet。Ididn’tusetominditbefore,butnowIthoughtithorrid。Andtherewasthegreatredsunset,withstreaksofgreenandgoldbetween,standinglookingatme。Whycouldn’tIliveinthesunsetinsteadofinthatdirt?Whywasitsofarawayalways? Whydiditnevercomeintoourwretchedstreet?Itfadedaway,asthesunsetsalwaysdo,andatlastwentoutaltogether。 Thenacoldwindbegantoblow,andflutterallmyragsabout——“ “ThatwasNorthWindherself。”saidDiamond。 “Eh?”saidNanny,andwentonwithherstory。 “Iturnedmybacktoit,andwanderedaway。IdidnotknowwhereI wasgoing,onlyitwaswarmertogothatway。Idon’tthinkitwasanorthwind,forIfoundmyselfinthewestendatlast。 Butitdoesn’tmatterinadreamwhichwinditwas。” “Idon’tknowthat。”saidDiamond。“IbelieveNorthWindcangetintoourdreams——yes,andblowinthem。Sometimesshehasblownmeoutofadreamaltogether。” “Idon’tknowwhatyoumean,Diamond。”saidNanny。 “Nevermind。”answeredDiamond。“Twopeoplecan’talwaysunderstandeachother。They’dbothbeatthebackofthenorthwinddirectly,andwhatwouldbecomeoftheotherplaceswithoutthem?” “Youdotalksooddly!“saidNanny。“Isometimesthinktheymusthavebeenrightaboutyou。” “Whatdidtheysayaboutme?”askedDiamond。 “TheycalledyouGod’sbaby。” “Howkindofthem!ButIknewthat。” “Didyouknowwhatitmeant,though?Itmeantthatyouwerenotrightinthehead。” “Ifeelallright。”saidDiamond,puttingbothhandstohishead,asifithadbeenaglobehecouldtakeoffandsetonagain。 “Well,aslongasyouarepleasedIampleased。”saidNanny。 “Thankyou,Nanny。Dogoonwithyourstory。IthinkIlikedreamsevenbetterthanfairytales。Buttheymustbeniceones,likeyours,youknow。” “Well,Iwenton,keepingmybacktothewind,untilIcametoafinestreetonthetopofahill。HowithappenedIdon’tknow,butthefrontdoorofoneofthehouseswasopen,andnotonlythefrontdoor,butthebackdooraswell,sothatIcouldseerightthroughthehouse—— andwhatdoyouthinkIsaw?Agardenplacewithgreengrass,andthemoonshininguponit!Thinkofthat!Therewasnomooninthestreet,butthroughthehousetherewasthemoon。Ilookedandtherewasnobodynear:Iwouldnotdoanyharm,andthegrasswassomuchnicerthanthemud!ButIcouldn’tthinkofgoingonthegrasswithsuchdirtyshoes:Ikickedthemoffinthegutter,andraninonmybarefeet,upthesteps,andthroughthehouse,andontothegrass;andthemomentIcameintothemoonlight,Ibegantofeelbetter。” “That’swhyNorthWindblewyouthere。”saidDiamond。 “ItcameofMr。Raymond’sstoryaboutPrincessDaylight。”returnedNanny。 “Well,IlaydownuponthegrassinthemoonlightwithoutthinkinghowIwastogetoutagain。Somehowthemoonsuitedmeexactly。 Therewasnotabreathofthenorthwindyoutalkabout;itwasquitegone。” “Youdidn’twantheranymore,justthen。Shenevergoeswhereshe’snotwanted。”saidDiamond。“Butsheblewyouintothemoonlight,anyhow。” “Well,wewon’tdisputeaboutit。”saidNanny:“you’vegotatileloose,youknow。” “SupposeIhave。”returnedDiamond,“don’tyouseeitmayletinthemoonlight,orthesunlightforthatmatter?” “Perhapsyes,perhapsno。”saidNanny。 “Andyou’vegotyourdreams,too,Nanny。” “Yes,butIknowthey’redreams。” “SodoI。ButIknowbesidestheyaresomethingmoreaswell。” “Oh!doyou?”rejoinedNanny。“Idon’t。” “Allright。”saidDiamond。“Perhapsyouwillsomeday。” “PerhapsIwon’t。”saidNanny。 Diamondheldhispeace,andNannyresumedherstory。 “Ilayalongtime,andthemoonlightgotinateverytearinmyclothes,andmademefeelsohappy——“ “There,Itellyou!“saidDiamond。 “Whatdoyoutellme?”returnedNanny。 “NorthWind——“ “Itwasthemoonlight,Itellyou。”persistedNanny,andagainDiamondheldhispeace。 “AllatonceIfeltthatthemoonwasnotshiningsostrong。 Ilookedup,andtherewasacloud,allcrapeyandfluffy,tryingtodrownthebeautifulcreature。Butthemoonwassoround,justlikeawholeplate,thatthecloudcouldn’tsticktoher。 Sheshookitoff,andsaidthereandshoneoutclearerandbrighterthanever。Butupcameathickercloud,——and“Youshan’t。” saidthemoon;and“Iwill。”saidthecloud,——butitcouldn’t:outshonethemoon,quitelaughingatitsimpudence。Iknewherways,forI’vealwaysbeenusedtowatchher。She’stheonlythingworthlookingatinourstreetatnight。” “Don’tcallityourstreet。”saidDiamond。“You’renotgoingbacktoit。You’recomingtous,youknow。” “That’stoogoodtobetrue。”saidNanny。 “Thereareveryfewthingsgoodenoughtobetrue。”saidDiamond; “butIhopethisis。Toogoodtobetrueitcan’tbe。Isn’ttruegood?andisn’tgoodgood?Andhow,then,cananythingbetoogoodtobetrue?That’slikeoldSal——tosaythat。” “Don’tabuseGrannie,Diamond。She’sahorridoldthing,sheandherginbottle;butshe’llrepentsomeday,andthenyou’llbegladnottohavesaidanythingagainsther。” “Why?”saidDiamond。 “Becauseyou’llbesorryforher。” “Iamsorryforhernow。” “Verywell。That’sright。She’llbesorrytoo。Andthere’llbeanendofit。” “Allright。Youcometous。”saidDiamond。 “WherewasI?”saidNanny。 “Tellingmehowthemoonservedtheclouds。” “Yes。Butitwouldn’tdo,allofit。Upcamethecloudsandtheclouds,andtheycamefasterandfaster,untilthemoonwascoveredup。 Youcouldn’texpecthertothrowoffahundredofthematonce—— couldyou?” “Certainlynot。”saidDiamond。 “Soitgrewverydark;andadogbegantoyelpinthehouse。Ilookedandsawthatthedoortothegardenwasshut。Presentlyitwasopened—— nottoletmeout,buttoletthedogin——yelpingandbounding。 Ithoughtifhecaughtsightofme,Iwasinforabitingfirst,andthepoliceafter。SoIjumpedup,andranforalittlesummer-houseinthecornerofthegarden。Thedogcameafterme,butIshutthedoorinhisface。Itwaswellithadadoor—— wasn’tit?” “Youdreamedofthedoorbecauseyouwantedit。”saidDiamond。 “No,Ididn’t;itcameofitself。Itwasthere,inthetruedream。” “There——I’vecaughtyou!“saidDiamond。“IknewyoubelievedinthedreamasmuchasIdo。” “Oh,well,ifyouwilllaytrapsforabody!“saidNanny。 “Anyhow,Iwassafeinsidethesummer-house。Andwhatdoyouthink?—— Therewasthemoonbeginningtoshineagain——butonlythroughoneofthepanes——andthatonewasjustthecolouroftheruby。 Wasn’titfunny?” “No,notabitfunny。”saidDiamond。 “Ifyouwillbecontrary!“saidNanny。 “No,no。”saidDiamond;“IonlymeantthatwastheverypaneI shouldhaveexpectedhertoshinethrough。” “Oh,verywell!“returnedNanny。 WhatDiamondmeant,Idonotpretendtosay。Hehadcuriousnotionsaboutthings。 “Andnow。”saidNanny,“Ididn’tknowwhattodo,forthedogkeptbarkingatthedoor,andIcouldn’tgetout。ButthemoonwassobeautifulthatIcouldn’tkeepfromlookingatitthroughtheredpane。 AndasIlookeditgotlargerandlargertillitfilledthewholepaneandoutgrewit,sothatIcouldseeitthroughtheotherpanes; anditgrewtillitfilledthemtooandthewholewindow,sothatthesummer-housewasnearlyasbrightasday。 “Thedogstoppedbarking,andIheardagentletappingatthedoor,likethewindblowingalittlebranchagainstit。” “Justlikeher。”saidDiamond,whothoughteverythingstrangeandbeautifulmustbedonebyNorthWind。 “SoIturnedfromthewindowandopenedthedoor;andwhatdoyouthinkIsaw?” “Abeautifullady。”saidDiamond。 “No——themoonitself,asbigasalittlehouse,andasroundasaball,shininglikeyellowsilver。Itstoodonthegrass—— downontheverygrass:Icouldseenothingelseforthebrightnessofit:AndasIstaredandwondered,adooropenedinthesideofit,neartheground,andacuriouslittleoldman,withacrookedthingoverhisshoulder,lookedout,andsaid: ’Comealong,Nanny;myladywantsyou。We’recometofetchyou。” Iwasn’tabitfrightened。Iwentuptothebeautifulbrightthing,andtheoldmanhelddownhishand,andItookholdofit,andgaveajump,andhegavemealift,andIwasinsidethemoon。 Andwhatdoyouthinkitwaslike?Itwassuchaprettylittlehouse,withbluewindowsandwhitecurtains!Atoneofthewindowssatabeautifullady,withherheadleaningonherhand,lookingout。 Sheseemedrathersad,andIwassorryforher,andstoodstaringather。 “`Youdidn’tthinkIhadsuchabeautifulmistressasthat!’ saidthequeerlittleman。`No,indeed!’Ianswered:`whowouldhavethoughtit?’`Ah!whoindeed?Butyouseeyoudon’tknoweverything。’ Thelittlemanclosedthedoor,andbegantopullataropewhichhungbehinditwithaweightattheend。Afterhehadpulledawhile,hesaid——`There,thatwilldo;we’reallrightnow。’Thenhetookmebythehandandopenedalittletrapinthefloor,andledmedowntwoorthreesteps,andIsawlikeagreatholebelowme。 `Don’tbefrightened,’saidthetittleman。`It’snotahole。 It’sonlyawindow。Putyourfacedownandlookthrough。’Ididashetoldme,andtherewasthegardenandthesummer-house,faraway,lyingatthebottomofthemoonlight。`There!’saidthelittleman; `we’vebroughtyouoff!Doyouseethelittledogbarkingatusdownthereinthegarden?’ItoldhimIcouldn’tseeanythingsofar。`Canyouseeanythingsosmallandsofaroff?’Isaid。 `Blessyou,child!’saidthelittleman;`IcouldpickupaneedleoutofthegrassifIhadonlyalongenougharm。There’sonelyingbythedoorofthesummer-housenow。’Ilookedathiseyes。 Theywereverysmall,butsobrightthatIthinkhesawbythelightthatwentoutofthem。Thenhetookmeup,andupagainbyalittlestairinacorneroftheroom,andthroughanothertrapdoor,andtherewasonegreatroundwindowaboveus,andIsawtheblueskyandtheclouds,andsuchlotsofstars,allsobigandshiningashardasevertheycould!“ “Thelittlegirl-angelshadbeenpolishingthem。”saidDiamond。 “Whatnonsenseyoudotalk!“saidNanny。 “Butmynonsenseisjustasgoodasyours,Nanny。Whenyouhavedone,I’lltellyoumydream。Thestarsareinit——notthemoon,though。 Shewasawaysomewhere。Perhapsshewasgonetofetchyouthen。 Idon’tthinkthat,though,formydreamwaslongeragothanyours。 Shemighthavebeentofetchsomeoneelse,though;forwecan’tfancyit’sonlyusthatgetsuchfinethingsdoneforthem。 Butdotellmewhatcamenext。” Perhapsoneofmychild-readersmayrememberwhetherthemooncamedowntofetchhimorherthesamenightthatDiamondhadhisdream。 Icannottell,ofcourse。Iknowshedidnotcometofetchme,thoughIdidthinkIcouldmakeherfollowmewhenIwasaboy—— notaverytinyoneeither。 “Thelittlemantookmeallroundthehouse,andmademelookoutofeverywindow。Oh,itwasbeautiful!Therewewere,allupintheair,insuchanice,cleanlittlehouse!`Yourworkwillbetokeepthewindowsbright,’saidthelittleman。 `Youwon’tfinditverydifficult,forthereain’tmuchdustuphere。 Only,thefrostsettlesonthemsometimes,andthedropsofrainleavemarksonthem。’`Icaneasilycleantheminside,’Isaid; `buthowamItogetthefrostandrainofftheoutsideofthem?’ `Oh!’hesaid,`it’squiteeasy。Thereareladdersallabout。 You’veonlygottogooutatthedoor,andclimbabout。Thereareagreatmanywindowsyouhaven’tseenyet,andsomeofthemlookintoplacesyoudon’tknowanythingabout。Iusedtocleanthemmyself,butI’mgettingratherold,yousee。Ain’tInow?’`Ican’ttell,’ Ianswered。`YouseeIneversawyouwhenyouwereyounger。’ `Neversawthemaninthemoon?’saidhe。`Notverynear,’ Ianswered,`nottotellhowyoungorhowoldhelooked。Ihaveseenthebundleofsticksonhisback。’ForJimhadpointedthatouttome。Jimwasveryfondoflookingatthemaninthemoon。 PoorJim!Iwonderhehasn’tbeentoseeme。I’mafraidhe’silltoo。” “I’lltrytofindout。”saidDiamond,“andletyouknow。” “Thankyou。”saidNanny。“YouandJimoughttobefriends。” “Butwhatdidthemaninthemoonsay,whenyoutoldhimyouhadseenhimwiththebundleofsticksonhisback?” “Helaughed。ButIthoughthelookedoffendedtoo。Hislittlenoseturnedupsharper,andhedrewthecornersofhismouthdownfromthetipsofhisearsintohisneck。Buthedidn’tlookcross,youknow。” “Didn’thesayanything?” “Oh,yes!Hesaid:`That’sallnonsense。Whatyousawwasmybundleofdusters。Iwasgoingtocleanthewindows。Ittakesagoodmany,youknow。Really,whattheydosayoftheirsuperiorsdownthere!’ `It’sonlybecausetheydon’tknowbetter,’Iventuredtosay。 `Ofcourse,ofcourse,’saidthelittleman。`Nobodyeverdoesknowbetter。Well,Iforgivethem,andthatsetsitallright,Ihope。’`It’sverygoodofyou,’Isaid。`No!’saidhe,`it’snotintheleastgoodofme。Icouldn’tbecomfortableotherwise。’