At the Back of the North Wind Illustrated - online book

A Complete Illustrated children's fantasy book by George MacDonald.

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The Summer-House                67
" Won't you?"
And North Wind grew a tall lady, and looked him in the eyes, and Diamond said—
" Please take me. You cannot be cruel."
"No; I could not be cruel if I would. I can do nothing cruel, although I often do what looks like cruel to those who do not know what I really am doing. The people they say I drown, I only carry away to— to—to—well, the back of the North Wind—that is what they used to call it long ago, only / never saw the place."
" How can you carry them there if you never saw it?"
" I know the way."
" But how is it you never saw it?"
" Because it is behind me."
" But you can look round."
" Not far enough to see my own back. No; I always look before me. In fact, I grow quite blind and deaf when I try to see my back. I only mind my work."
" But how does it be your work?"
" Ah, that I can't tell you. I only know it is, because when I do it I feel all right, and when I don't I feel all wrong. East Wind says—only one does not exactly know how much to believe of what she says, for she is very naughty sometimes—she says it is all managed by a baby; but whether she is good or naughty when she says that, I don't know. I just stick to my work. It is all one to me to let a bee out of a tulip, or to sweep the cobwebs from the sky. You would like to go with me to-night?"
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