But at the same moment there was horse Diamond's great head poked out of his box on to the ladder, for he knew boy Diamond although he was in his night-gown, and wanted him to pull his ears for him.

This Diamond did very gently for a minute or so, and patted and stroked his neck too, and kissed the big horse, and had begun to take the bits of straw and hay out of his mane, when all at once he recollected that the Lady North Wind was waiting for him in the yard.
"Good night, Diamond," he said, and darted up the ladder, across the loft, and down the stair to the door.

But when he got out into the yard, there was no lady.
Now it is always a dreadful thing to think there is somebody and find nobody.

Children in particular have not made up their minds to it; they generally cry at nobody, especially when they wake up at night.

But it was an especial disappointment to Diamond, for his little heart had been beating with joy: the face of the North Wind was so grand! To have a lady like that for a friend--with such long hair, too! Why, it was longer than twenty Diamonds' tails! She was gone.