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"What do you do, then? You ain't big enough for most things."

"I don't know what I do. Nothing, I suppose. My father's Mr. Coleman's coachman."

"You have a father?" she asked, her voice rising.

Diamond looked puzzled. "Yes, haven't you?" he asked.

""No, nor mother either," she said, "Old Sal's all I got." Now she began crying again.

"Move on!" shouted a policeman, who had just come up behind them. The wind seemed a bit calmer now.

Holding Diamond's hand, the girl, who was called Nanny, led him to her home. They went down a narrow, dirty alley and Nanny knocked on a cellar door. There was no answer.

They went down a narrow, dirty alley.

"Sal's home but she won't let me in," Nanny said. "She does this whenever I'm out late." She began to cry again. Then she wiped her tears with her frock and took Diamond's hand.

Diamond looked up and down the narrow street and at all the dark buildings. He had never been here before. "I don't really know," he said.

Hand in hand, they wandered down the streets, turning right or left, whichever way seemed to look better. Diamond was sure he was being no help at all, and he began to feel foolish and a little afraid.

They couldn't stop because of the wind!

He didn't know it, but he was helping Nanny. She was much happier with him than she had been alone.

There were fewer and fewer houses along this street. Nanny and Diamond were passing out of the city. To their right was a bare field with some big empty barrels lying in the dry grass. Soon Diamond and Nanny turned off the road inot a narrow lane. It went on and on, into the country.

The wind was much calmer now. The lane began climbing a hill. "North Wind must be gone home by now," Diamond said. "I shouldn't have been out so late, but I got down to help you."

Nanny stared at Diamond. "What?" she said. So Diamond had to tell Nanny the whole story about North Wind and him. Nanny said she didn't believe a word of it.

Just then they reached the top of a hill. Suddenly a blast of wind hit them in the back, and they had to run down the hill as fast as they could. At the bottom of the hill ran a stone wall. They were headed straight toward a wooden door in the wall. They couldn't stop because of the wind, and as Diamond hit the door at a full run, it swung open.

"Ah ha!" cried Diamond. "North Wind has brought me home to our master's garden. Come in with me, Nanny. Mother will give you some breakfast."

"No, thank you. I must be off. It's nearly morning." She ran up the hill and disappeared over the top.

Diamond ran through the garden to the stable door and climbed up into his loft. And it felt so nice to be in his own little bed again.