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I Make Diamond's Acquaintance 355
calmness of his face rebuked my unkind desire and made me ashamed of it.
" I am reading the story of the Little Lady and the Goblin Prince," said Diamond.
" I am sorry I don't know the story," I returned. "Who is it by?"
" Mr. Raymond made it."
" Is he your uncle?" I asked at a guess.
" No. He's my master."
" What do you do for him?" I asked respectfully.
" Anything he wishes me to do," he answered. "I am busy for him now. He gave me this story to read. He wants my opinion upon it."
" Don't you find it rather hard to make up your mind?"
" Oh dear no! Any story always tells me itself what I'm to think about it. Mr. Raymond doesn't want me to say whether it is a clever story or not, but whether I like it, and why I like it. I never can tell what they call clever from what they call silly, but I always know whether I like a story or not."
" And can you always tell why you like it or not?"
"No. Very often I can't at all. Sometimes I can. I always know, but I can't always tell why. Mr. Raymond writes the stories, and then tries them on me. Mother does the same when she makes jam. She's made such a lot of jam since we came here! And she always makes me taste it to see if it'll do. Mother knows by the face I make whether it will or not."
At this moment I caught sight of two more children approaching. One was a handsome girl, the other a pale-faced, awkward-looking boy, who limped much |
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