only the
servant once more.

"Get, away" he said. "What are you doing on the doorstep?"

"Waiting for Mr. Raymond," answered Diamond, getting up.

"He's not at home."

"Then I'll wait till he comes," returned Diamond, sitting down again
with a smile.

What the man would have done next I do not know, but a step sounded from
the hall, and when Diamond looked round yet again, there was the tall
gentleman.

"Who's this, John?" he asked.

"I don't know, sir. An imperent little boy as will sit on the doorstep."

"Please sir" said Diamond, "he told me you weren't at home, and I sat
down to wait for you."

"Eh, what!" said Mr. Raymond. "John! John! This won't do. Is it a habit
of yours to turn away my visitors? There'll be some one else to turn
away, I'm afraid, if I find any more of this kind of thing. Come in, my
little man. I suppose you've come to claim your sixpence?"

"No, sir, not that."

"What! can't you read yet?"

"Yes, I can now, a little. But I'll come for that next time. I came to
tell you about Sal's Nanny."

"Who's Sal's Nanny?"

"The girl at the crossing you talked to the same day."

"Oh, yes; I remember. What's the matter? Has she got run over?"

Then Diamond told him all.

Now Mr. Raymond was one of the kindest men in London. He sent at once to
have the horse put to the brougham, took Diamond with him, and drove to
the Children's Hospital. There he was well known to everybody, for he
was not only a large subscriber, but he used to go and tell the children
stories of an afternoon. One of the doctors promised to go and find
Nanny, and do what could be done--have her brought to the hospital, if
possible.

That same night they sent a litter for her, and as she could be of no
use to old Sal until she was better, she did not object to having her
removed. So she was soon lying in the fever ward--for the first time in
her life in a nice clean bed. But she knew nothing of the whole affair.
She was too ill to know anything.

CHAPTER XXII. MR. RAYMOND'S RIDDLE

MR. RAYMOND took Diamond home with him, stopping at the Mews to tell his
mother that he would send him back soon. Diamond ran in with the message
himself, and when he reappeared he had in his hand the torn and crumpled
book which North Wind had given him.

"Ah! I see," said Mr. Raymond: "you are going to claim your sixpence
now."

"I wasn't thinking of that so much as of another thing," said Diamond.
"There's a rhyme in this