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14 At the Back of the North Wind
felt about with his hand, and came upon the piece of paper his mother had pasted over the hole. Against this he laid his ear, and then he heard the voice quite distinctly. There was, in fact, a little corner of the paper loose, and through that, as from a mouth in the wall, the voice came.
"What do you mean, little boy, closing up my window?"
"What window?" asked Diamond.
"You stuffed hay into it three times last night. I had to blow it out again three times."
"You can't mean this little hole! It isn't a window; it's a hole in my bed."
"I did not say it was a window: I said it was my window."
" But it can't be a window, because windows are holes to see out of."
" Well, that's just what I made this window for."
" But you are outside: you can't want a window."
"You are quite mistaken. Windows are to see out of, you say. Well, I'm in my house, and I want windows to see out of it."
" But you've made a window into my bed."
"Well, your mother has got three windows into my dancing - room, and you have three into my garret."
" But I heard father say, when my mother wanted him to make a window through the wall, that it was against the law, for it would look into Mr. Dyves's garden."
The voice laughed. |
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