he could begin whenever he liked.

The back of Mr. Coleman's house was to the lawn, and one of the
drawing-room windows looked out upon it. The ladies had not
gone to bed; for the light was still shining in that window.
But they had no idea that a little boy was standing on the lawn
in his night-gown, or they would have run out in a moment. And as
long as he saw that light, Diamond could not feel quite lonely.
He stood staring, not at the great warrior Orion in the sky,
nor yet at the disconsolate, neglected moon going down in the west,
but at the drawing-room window with the light shining through its
green curtains. He had been in that room once or twice that he could
remember at Christmas times; for the Colemans were kind people,
though they did not care much about children.

All at once the light went nearly out: he could only see a glimmer
of the shape of the window. Then, indeed, he felt that he was
left alone. It was so dreadful to be out in the night after
everybody was gone to bed! That was more than he could bear.
He burst out crying in good earnest, beginning with a wail
like that of the wind when it is waking up.

Perhaps you think this was very foolish; for could he not go home
to his own bed again when he liked? Yes; but it looked dreadful
to him to creep up that stair again and lie down in his bed again,
and know that North Wind's window was open beside him, and she gone,
and he might never see her again. He would be just as lonely there
as here. Nay, it would be much worse if he had to think that the
window was nothing but a hole in the wall.