down for a run, for his legs were getting cramped
with sitting. And first of all he strolled with his hands in his pockets
up to the crossing, where the girl and her broom were to be found in all
weathers. Just as he was going to speak to her, a tall gentleman stepped
upon the crossing. He was pleased to find it so clean, for the streets
were muddy, and he had nice boots on; so he put his hand in his pocket,
and gave the girl a penny. But when she gave him a sweet smile in
return, and made him a pretty courtesy, he looked at her again, and
said:

"Where do you live, my child?"

"Paradise Row," she answered; "next door to the Adam and Eve--down the
area."

"Whom do you live with?" he asked.

"My wicked old grannie," she replied.

"You shouldn't call your grannie wicked," said the gentleman.

"But she is," said the girl, looking up confidently in his face. "If you
don't believe me, you can come and take a look at her."

The words sounded rude, but the girl's face looked so simple that
the gentleman saw she did not mean to be rude, and became still more
interested in her.

"Still you shouldn't say so," he insisted.

"Shouldn't I? Everybody calls her wicked old grannie--even them that's
as wicked as her. You should hear her swear. There's nothing like it in
the Row. Indeed, I assure you, sir, there's ne'er a one of them can shut
my grannie up once she begins and gets right a-going. You must put her
in a passion first, you know. It's no good till you do that--she's so
old now. How she do make them laugh, to be sure!"

Although she called her wicked, the child spoke so as plainly to
indicate pride in her grannie's pre-eminence in swearing.

The gentleman looked very grave to hear her, for he was sorry that such
a nice little girl should be in such bad keeping. But he did not know
what to say next, and stood for a moment with his eyes on the ground.
When he lifted them, he saw the face of Diamond looking up in his.

"Please, sir," said Diamond, "her grannie's very cruel to her sometimes,
and shuts her out in the streets at night, if she happens to be late."

"Is this your brother?" asked the gentleman of the girl.

"No, sir."

"How does he know your grandmother, then? He does not look like one of
her sort."

"Oh no, sir! He's a good boy--quite."

Here she tapped her forehead with her finger in a significant manner.

"What do you mean by that?" asked the gentleman, while Diamond looked on
smiling.

"The