But he could not quite
satisfy himself whether the whole affair was not a dream which
he had dreamed when he was a very little boy. Only he had been
to the back of the north wind since -- there could be no doubt
of that; for when he woke every morning, he always knew that he
had been there again. And as he thought and thought, he recalled
another thing that had happened that morning, which, although it
seemed a mere accident, might have something to do with what had
happened since. His father had intended going on the stand at
King's Cross that morning, and had turned into Gray's Inn Lane
to drive there, when they found the way blocked up, and upon
inquiry were informed that a stack of chimneys had been blown
down in the night, and had fallen across the road. They were just
clearing the rubbish away. Diamond's father turned, and made for
Charing Cross.
That night the father and mother had a great deal to talk
about.
"Poor things!" said the mother. "it's worse for them than
it is for us. You see they've been used to such grand things,
and for them to come down to a little poky house like that -- it
breaks my heart to think of it."
"I don't know" said Diamond thoughtfully, "whether Mrs.
Coleman had bells on her toes.
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