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38 - At the Back of the North Wind by George MacDonald · At the Back of the North Wind

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  Speaker 1: Chapter thirty eight, at the back of the north Wind.
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  Speaker 1: I did not see Diamond for a week or so
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  Speaker 1: after this, and then he told me what I have
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  Speaker 1: now told you. I should have been astonished at his
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  Speaker 1: being able even to report such conversations as he said
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  Speaker 1: he had with north Wind. Had I not known already
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  Speaker 1: that some children are profound in metaphysics? But a fear
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  Speaker 1: crosses me. Lest by telling you so much about my friend,
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  Speaker 1: I should lead people to mistake him for one of
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  Speaker 1: those consequential, priggish little monsters who are always trying to
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  Speaker 1: say clever things and looking to see whether people appreciate them.
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  Speaker 1: When a child like that dies, instead of having a
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  Speaker 1: silly book written about him, he should be stuffed like
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  Speaker 1: one of those awful, big headed fishes you see in museums.
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  Speaker 1: But Diamond never troubled his head about what people thought
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  Speaker 1: of him. He never set up for knowing better than others.
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  Speaker 1: The wisest things he said came out when he wanted
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  Speaker 1: one to help him with some difficulty he was in.
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  Speaker 1: He was not even offended with Nanny and Jim for
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  Speaker 1: calling him a silly He supposed there was something in it,
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  Speaker 1: though he could not quite understand what. I suspect, however,
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  Speaker 1: that the other name they gave him, God's Baby had
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  Speaker 1: some share in reconciling him to it. Happily, for me,
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  Speaker 1: I was as much interested in metaphysics as Diamond himself,
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  Speaker 1: and therefore, while he recounted his conversations with north Wind,
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  Speaker 1: I did not find myself at all in a strange sea,
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  Speaker 1: although certainly I could not always feel the bottom, being
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  Speaker 1: indeed convinced that the bottom was miles away. Could it
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  Speaker 1: be all dreaming, do you think, sir? He asked anxiously.
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  Speaker 1: I daren't say, Diamond, I answered, but at least there
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  Speaker 1: is one thing you may be sure of that there
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  Speaker 1: is a still better love than that of the wonderful
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  Speaker 1: being you call north Wind. Even if she be a dream,
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  Speaker 1: The dream of such a beautiful creature could not come
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  Speaker 1: to you by chance. Yes, I know, returned Diamond. I
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  Speaker 1: know then he was silent, but I confess appeared more
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  Speaker 1: thoughtful than satisfied. The next time I saw him, he
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  Speaker 1: looked paler than usual. Have you seen your friend again,
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  Speaker 1: I asked him, Yes, he answered solemnly. Did she take
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  Speaker 1: you out with her? No? She did not speak to me.
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  Speaker 1: I awoke all at once, as I generally do when
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  Speaker 1: I am going to see her, And there she was
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  Speaker 1: against the door into the big room, sitting just as
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  Speaker 1: I saw her sit on her own doorstep, as white
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  Speaker 1: as snow, and her eyes as blue as the heart
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  Speaker 1: of an iceberg. She looked at me, but never moved
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  Speaker 1: or spoke. Weren't you afraid? I asked, No? Why should
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  Speaker 1: I have been? He answered, I only felt a little cold.
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  Speaker 1: Did she stay long? I don't know. I fell asleep again.
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  Speaker 1: I think I have been rather cold ever since, though,
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  Speaker 1: he said, with a smile. I did not quite like this,
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  Speaker 1: but I said nothing. Four days after I called again
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  Speaker 1: at the mound. The maid who opened the door looked grave,
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  Speaker 1: but I suspected nothing. When I reached the drawing room,
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  Speaker 1: I saw missus Raymond had been crying. Haven't you heard,
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  Speaker 1: she said, seeing my questioning looks, I've heard nothing, I answered.
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  Speaker 1: This morning we found our dear little Diamond lying on
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  Speaker 1: the floor of the big attic room, just outside his
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  Speaker 1: own door, fast asleep, as we thought. But when we
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  Speaker 1: took him up, we did not think he was asleep.
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  Speaker 1: We saw that here the kind hearted lady broke out
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  Speaker 1: crying afresh. May I go and see him. I asked, yes,
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  Speaker 1: she sobbed, you know your way to the top of
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  Speaker 1: the tower. I walked up the winding stairs and entered
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  Speaker 1: his room. A lovely figure, as white and almost as
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  Speaker 1: clear as alabaster, was lying on the bed. I saw
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  Speaker 1: at once how it was they thought he was dead.
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  Speaker 1: I knew that he had gone to the back of
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  Speaker 1: the North Wind. End of Chapter thirty eight. End of
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  Speaker 1: At the Back of the North Wind by George mc donald,
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  Speaker 1: recording by maricel Quie. Thank you for listening.