"All right," said his father. "Only take care of yourself, Diamond."

So Diamond set off to find his way to Nanny's home. It was a long
distance and he had to ask his way over and over again. But he kept on
without getting discouraged and at last he came to it.

Happily for Diamond, the ugly old granny had gone out. He laid his ear
to the door and thought he heard a moaning within. He tried the door and
found it was not locked. It was a dreary place indeed--and very dark,
for the window was below the level of the street and was covered with
mud. And the smell in the room was dreadful!

He could see next to nothing at first but he heard the moaning plainly
enough now. Soon he found his friend lying with closed eyes and a white
suffering face on a heap of rags in a corner. He went up to her and
spoke but she made him no answer. She did not even hear him. Taking out
a lump of barley sugar candy he had brought for her he laid it down
beside her and hurried away. He was going to find Mr. Raymond and see if
he could not do something for Nanny.

It was a long walk to Mr. Raymond's door but he got there at last. Yet
after all, the servant was not going to let him in, only Mr. Raymond
came out into the hall just then and saw him and recognized him at once.

"Come in, my little man," he said. "I suppose you have come to claim
your six-pence."

"No, sir, not that."

"What! Can't you read yet?"

"Yes," said Diamond. "I can now a little. But I've come to tell you
about Nanny--the little girl at the crossing."

"Oh, yes, I remember her," said Mr. Raymond. "What is it about Nanny?"

Diamond told him all about her--how she was sick, and how dark it was
where she lived and with bad smells. Now, Mr. Raymond was one of the
kindest men in London and was well known at the children's hospital. He
hurried there now, and some one went from there at once to find Nanny.
Before night, they sent a litter for her and soon the little girl was
lying in a nice clean bed, though she was too sick to know anything
about it.

Diamond overheard a doctor say to Mr. Raymond, "How do you suppose the
little chap knew what to do about Nanny?"

"He doesn't know that I have been at the back of the north wind," he
said to himself. "If you have once been there, it just comes to you how
to do a little to help."

After Nanny had been well seen to, Mr. Raymond took the boy home with
him and they soon settled the matter of the six-pence between them.