For a while he could not come quite awake, for the noise kept beating
him down, so that his heart was troubled and fluttered painfully.
A second peal of thunder burst over his head, and almost choked him
with fear. Nor did he recover until the great blast that followed,
having torn some tiles off the roof, sent a spout of wind down
into his bed and over his face, which brought him wide awake,
and gave him back his courage. The same moment he heard a mighty
yet musical voice calling him.

"Come up, Diamond," it said. "It's all ready. I'm waiting for you."

He looked out of the bed, and saw a gigantic, powerful, but most
lovely arm--with a hand whose fingers were nothing the less ladylike
that they could have strangled a boa-constrictor, or choked a tigress
off its prey--stretched down through a big hole in the roof.
Without a moment's hesitation he reached out his tiny one, and laid
it in the grand palm before him.




CHAPTER VI

OUT IN THE STORM


THE hand felt its way up his arm, and, grasping it gently and
strongly above the elbow, lifted Diamond from the bed. The moment
he was through the hole in the roof, all the winds of heaven
seemed to lay hold upon him, and buffet him hither and thither.