is:

White hands of whiteness
Wash the stars' faces,
Till glitter, glitter, glit, goes their brightness
Down to poor places.

This, however, was so near sense that he thought it could not be really
what they did sing.

CHAPTER XXVI. DIAMOND TAKES A FARE THE WRONG WAY RIGHT

THE next morning Diamond was up almost as early as before. He had
nothing to fear from his mother now, and made no secret of what he was
about. By the time he reached the stable, several of the men were there.
They asked him a good many questions as to his luck the day before, and
he told them all they wanted to know. But when he proceeded to harness
the old horse, they pushed him aside with rough kindness, called him a
baby, and began to do it all for him. So Diamond ran in and had another
mouthful of tea and bread and butter; and although he had never been so
tired as he was the night before, he started quite fresh this morning.
It was a cloudy day, and the wind blew hard from the north--so hard
sometimes that, perched on the box with just his toes touching the
ground, Diamond wished that he had some kind of strap to fasten himself
down with lest he should be blown away. But he did not really mind it.

His head was full of the dream he had dreamed; but it did not make him
neglect his work, for his work was not to dig stars but to drive old
Diamond and pick up fares. There are not many people who can think about
beautiful things and do common work at the same time. But then there are
not many people who have been to the back of the north wind.

There was not much business doing. And Diamond felt rather cold,
notwithstanding his mother had herself put on his comforter and helped
him with his greatcoat. But he was too well aware of his dignity to
get inside his cab as some do. A cabman ought to be above minding the
weather--at least so Diamond thought. At length he was called to a
neighbouring house, where a young woman with a heavy box had to be taken
to Wapping for a coast-steamer.

He did not find it at all pleasant, so far east and so near the river;
for the roughs were in great force. However, there being no block, not
even in Nightingale Lane, he reached the entrance of the wharf, and set
down his passenger without annoyance. But as he turned to go back, some
idlers, not content with chaffing him, showed a mind to the fare the
young woman had given him. They were just pulling him off th