At the very moment when he burst out crying, the old nurse who had
grown to be one of the family, for she had not gone away when Miss
Coleman did not want any more nursing, came to the back door,
which was of glass, to close the shutters. She thought she heard
a cry, and, peering out with a hand on each side of her eyes
like Diamond's blinkers, she saw something white on the lawn.
Too old and too wise to be frightened, she opened the door,
and went straight towards the white thing to see what it was.
And when Diamond saw her coming he was not frightened either,
though Mrs. Crump was a little cross sometimes; for there is
a good kind of crossness that is only disagreeable, and there is
a bad kind of crossness that is very nasty indeed. So she came
up with her neck stretched out, and her head at the end of it,
and her eyes foremost of all, like a snail's, peering into the night
to see what it could be that went on glimmering white before her.
When she did see, she made a great exclamation, and threw up
her hands. Then without a word, for she thought Diamond was walking
in his sleep, she caught hold of him, and led him towards the house.
He made no objection, for he was just in the mood to be grateful
for notice of any sort, and Mrs. Crump led him straight into the
drawing-room.

Now, from the neglect of the new housemaid, the fire in Miss
Coleman's bedroom had gone out, and her mother had told her to brush
her hair by the drawing-room fire--a disorderly proceeding which
a mother's wish could justify. The young lady was very lovely,
though not nearly so beautiful as North Wind; and her hair was
extremely long, for it came down to her knees--though that was
nothing at all to North Wind's hair. Yet when she looked round,
with her hair all about her, as Diamond entered, he thought