“I looked at the ruby all the time the lady was talking to me,--it was so beautiful! And as she talked I kept seeing deeper and deeper into the stone. At last she rose to go away, and I began to pull the ring off my finger; and what do you think she said?--'Wear it all night, if you like. Only you must take care of it. I can't give it you, for some one gave it to me; but you may keep it till to-morrow.' Wasn't it kind of her? I could hardly take my tea, I was so delighted to hear it; and I do think it was the ring that set me dreaming; for, after I had taken my tea, I leaned back, half lying and half sitting, and looked at the ring on my finger. By degrees I began to dream. The ring grew larger and larger, until at last I found that I was not looking at a red stone, but at a red sunset, which shone in at the end of a long street near where Grannie lives. I was dressed in rags as I used to be, and I had great holes in my shoes, at which the nasty mud came through to my feet. I didn't use to mind it before, but now I thought it horrid. And there was the great red sunset, with streaks of green and gold between, standing looking at me. Why couldn't I live in the sunset instead of in that dirt? Why was it so far away always? Why did it never come into our wretched street? It faded away, as the sunsets always do, and at last went out altogether. Then a cold wind began to blow, and flutter all my rags about----” “That was North Wind herself,” said Diamond. “Eh?” said Nanny, and went on with her story. “I turned my back to it, and wandered away. I did not know where I was going, only it was warmer to go that way. I don't think it was a north wind, for I found myself in the west end at last. But it doesn't matter in a dream which wind it was.” “I don't know that,” said Diamond. “I believe North Wind can get into our dreams--yes, and blow in them. Sometimes she has blown me out of a dream altogether.” “I don't know what you mean, Diamond,” said Nanny. “Never mind,” answered Diamond. “Two people can't always understand each other. They'd both be at the back of the north wind directly, and what would become of the other places without them?” “You do talk so oddly!” said Nanny. “I sometimes think they must have been right about you.” “What did they say about me?” asked Diamond. “They called you God's baby.” “How kind of them! But I knew that.” “Did you know what it meant, though? It meant that you were not right in the head.” “I feel all right,” said Diamond, putting both hands to his head, as if it had been a globe he could take off and set on again. “Well, as long as you are pleased I am pleased,” said Nanny. “Thank you, Nanny. Do go on with your story. I think I like dreams even better than fairy tales. But they must be nice ones, like yours, you know.”