The question of the tall gentleman as to whether Diamond could read or not, set his father to thinking it was high time he could. As soon as old Diamond was fed and bedded, he began the task of teaching him that very night. It was not much of a task to Diamond for his father took for the lesson book the same one which North Wind had waved the leaves of on the sands at Sandwich. Within a month, he was able to spell out most of the verses for himself. But he never found in it the river song which he thought his mother had read from it. Could it have been North Wind doing the reading in his mother’s voice?

It was not long before Diamond managed with many blunders to read all the rhymes in his book to his mother. Then he said, “In a week or so, I shall be able to go to the tall gentleman and tell him I can read.” But before the week was out he had another reason for going to the gentleman, whose name he found out was Mr. Raymond. For three days, Nanny had not been at her crossing. Diamond was quite anxious about her, fearing she must be ill. On the fourth day not seeing her yet, he said to his father, “I want to go and look after Nanny. She can’t be well.”

“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?”