ive the penny to Nanny and say, "I have a father and mother and
little brother and you have nothing but a wicked old granny. You may
have my penny."

The girl put the penny in her pocket and Diamond asked, "Is she as cruel
as ever?"

"Just the same. But I get more coppers, so I can buy myself some food.
She is so blind that she doesn't see that I do not eat her old scraps. I
hide them in my pocket."

"What do you want them for?"

"To give to cripple Jim. His leg was broken when he was young, so he
isn't good for much. But I love Jim. I always keep something for him."

"Diamond! Diamond!" called his father, just then.

So Diamond ran back and told him about the gentleman and showed him the
card he had given him.

"Why, it is not many doors from our stables!" cried his father looking
at the address. "Take care of it, Diamond. One needs all the friends he
can get in this world."

"We've got many friends," said Diamond. "Haven't we? There's mother and
the baby and old Diamond--and the man next door who drinks--and his wife
and baby--and Mrs. Coleman and Miss Coleman--and--and a many!"

His father just laughed and drove off.

[Illustration: WITHIN A MONTH HE WAS ABLE TO SPELL OUT MOST OF THE
VERSES FOR HIMSELF]

CHAPTER VII

DIAMOND DRIVES THE CAB

The question of the tall gentleman as to whether Diamond could read or
not, set his father to thinking it was high time he could. As soon as
old Diamond was fed and bedded, he began the task of teaching him that
very night. It was not much of a task to Diamond for his father took for
the lesson book the same one which North Wind had waved the leaves of on
the sands at Sandwich. Within a month, he was able to spell out most of
the verses for himself. But he never found in it the river song which he
thought his mother had read from it. Could it have been North Wind doing
the reading in his mother's voice?

It was not long before Diamond managed with many blunders to read all
the rhymes in his book to his mother. Then he said, "In a week or so, I
shall be able to go to the tall gentleman and tell him I can read." But
before the week was out he had another reason for going to the
gentleman, whose name he found out was Mr. Raymond. For three days,
Nanny had not been at her crossing. Diamond was quite anxious about her,
fearing she must be ill. On the fourth day not seeing her yet, he said
to his father, "I want to go and look after Nanny. She can't be well."