es home, and you'll catch it, for going prying into her house
when she's out. If you don't give me your jacket directly, I'll go and
fetch her."

"I can't give you my jacket," said Diamond. "It belongs to my father and
mother, you know. It's not mine to give. Is it now? You would not think
it right to give away what wasn't yours--would you now?"

"Give it away! No, that I wouldn't; I'd keep it," she said, with a rough
laugh. "But if the jacket ain't yours, what right have you to keep it?
Here, Cherry, make haste. It'll be one go apiece."

They all began to tug at the jacket, while Diamond stooped and kept his
arms bent to resist them. Before they had done him or the jacket any
harm, however, suddenly they all scampered away; and Diamond, looking in
the opposite direction, saw the tall policeman coming towards him.

"You had better have let me come with you, little man," he said, looking
down in Diamond's face, which was flushed with his resistance.

"You came just in the right time, thank you," returned Diamond. "They've
done me no harm."

"They would have if I hadn't been at hand, though."

"Yes; but you were at hand, you know, so they couldn't."

Perhaps the answer was deeper in purport than either Diamond or the
policeman knew. They walked away together, Diamond telling his new
friend how ill poor Nanny was, and that he was going to let the tall
gentleman know. The policeman put him in the nearest way for Bloomsbury,
and stepping out in good earnest, Diamond reached Mr. Raymond's door
in less than an hour. When he asked if he was at home, the servant, in
return, asked what he wanted.

"I want to tell him something."

"But I can't go and trouble him with such a message as that."

"He told me to come to him--that is, when I could read--and I can."

"How am I to know that?"

Diamond stared with astonishment for one moment, then answered:

"Why, I've just told you. That's how you know it."

But this man was made of coarser grain than the policeman, and, instead
of seeing that Diamond could not tell a lie, he put his answer down as
impudence, and saying, "Do you think I'm going to take your word for
it?" shut the door in his face.

Diamond turned and sat down on the doorstep, thinking with himself that
the tall gentleman must either come in or come out, and he was therefore
in the best possible position for finding him. He had not waited long
before the door opened again; but when he looked round, it was