for him, in case I should find you had done the handsome thing by Ruby.

Will that be enough?”

“It's too much, sir. His body ain't worth it--shoes and all. It's only

his heart, sir--that's worth millions--but his heart'll be mine all the

same--so it's too much, sir.”

“I don't think so. It won't be, at least, by the time we've got him

fed up again. You take it and welcome. Just go on with your cabbing for

another month, only take it out of Ruby and let Diamond rest; and by

that time I shall be ready for you to go down into the country.”

“Thank you, sir, thank you. Diamond set you down for a friend, sir, the

moment he saw you. I do believe that child of mine knows more than other

people.”

“I think so, too,” said Mr. Raymond as he walked away.

He had meant to test Joseph when he made the bargain about Ruby, but had

no intention of so greatly prolonging the trial. He had been taken ill

in Switzerland, and had been quite unable to return sooner. He went away

now highly gratified at finding that he had stood the test, and was a

true man.

Joseph rushed in to his wife who had been standing at the window

anxiously waiting the result of the long colloquy. When she heard that

the horses were to go together in double harness, she burst forth into

an immoderate fit of laughter. Diamond came up with the baby in his arms

and made big anxious eyes at her, saying--

“What is the matter with you, mother dear? Do cry a little. It will do

you good. When father takes ever so small a drop of spirits, he puts

water to it.”

“You silly darling!” said his mother; “how could I but laugh at the

notion of that great fat Ruby going side by side with our poor old

Diamond?”

“But why not, mother? With a month's oats, and nothing to do, Diamond'll

be nearer Ruby's size than you will father's. I think it's very good for

different sorts to go together. Now Ruby will have a chance of teaching

Diamond better manners.”

“How dare you say such a thing, Diamond?” said his father, angrily.

“To compare the two for manners, there's no comparison possible. Our

Diamond's a gentleman.”

“I don't mean to say he isn't, father; for I daresay some gentlemen

judge their neighbours unjustly. That's all I mean. Diamond shouldn't

have thought such bad things of Ruby. He didn't try to make the best of

him.”

“How do you know that, pray?”

“I heard them talking about it one night.”

“Who?”

“Why Diamond and Ruby. Ruby's an angel.”

Joseph stared and said no more. For all his new gladness, he was very

gloomy as he re-harnessed the angel, for he thought his darling Diamond

was going out of his mind.

He could not help thinking rather differently, however, when he found

the change that had come over Ruby. Considering his fat, he exerted

himself amazingly, and got over the ground with incredible speed. So

willing, even anxious, was he to go now, that Joseph had to hold him

quite tight.

Then as he laughed at his own fancies, a new fear came upon him lest the

horse should break his wind, and Mr. Raymond have good cause to think

he had not been using him well. He might even suppose that he had taken

advantage of his new instructions, to let out upon the horse some of his

pent-up dislike; whereas in truth, it had so utterly vanished that he

felt as if Ruby, too, had been his friend all the time.

BEFORE the end of the month, Ruby had got respectably thin, and Diamond

respectably stout. They really began to look fit for double harness.

Joseph and his wife got their affairs in order, and everything ready for

migrating at the shortest notice; and they felt so peaceful and happy

that they judged all the trouble they had gone through well worth

enduring. As for Nanny, she had been so happy ever since she left the

hospital, that she expected nothing better, and saw nothing attractive

in the notion of the country. At the same time, she had not the least

idea of what the word country meant, for she had never seen anything

about her but streets and gas-lamps. Besides, she was more attached to

Jim than to Diamond: Jim was a reasonable being, Diamond in her eyes at

best only an amiable, over-grown baby, whom no amount of expostulation

would ever bring to talk sense, not to say think it. Now that she

could manage the baby as well as he, she judged herself altogether his

superior. Towards his father and mother, she was all they could wish.

Diamond had taken a great deal of pains and trouble to find Jim, and had

at last succeeded through the help of the tall policeman, who was glad

to renew his acquaintance with the strange child. Jim had moved his

quarters, and had not heard of Nanny's illness till some time after she

was taken to the hospital, where he was too shy to go and inquire about

her. But when at length she went to live with Diamond's family, Jim was

willing enough to go and see her. It was after one of his visits, during

which they had been talking of her new prospects, that Nanny expressed

to Diamond her opinion of the country.

“There ain't nothing in it but the sun and moon, Diamond.”

“There's trees and flowers,” said Diamond.

“Well, they ain't no count,” returned Nanny.

“Ain't they? They're so beautiful, they make you happy to look at them.”

“That's because you're such a silly.”

Diamond smiled with a far-away look, as if he were gazing through clouds

of green leaves and the vision contented him. But he was thinking with

himself what more he could do for Nanny; and that same evening he went

to find Mr. Raymond, for he had heard that he had returned to town.

“Ah! how do you do, Diamond?” said Mr. Raymond; “I am glad to see you.”

And he was indeed, for he had grown very fond of him. His opinion of him

was very different from Nanny's.

“What do you want now, my child?” he asked.

“I'm always wanting something, sir,” answered Diamond.

“Well, that's quite right, so long as what you want is right. Everybody

is always wanting something; only we don't mention it in the right place

often enough. What is it now?”

“There's a friend of Nanny's, a lame boy, called Jim.”

“I've heard of him,” said Mr. Raymond. “Well?”

“Nanny doesn't care much about going to the country, sir.”

“Well, what has that to do with Jim?”

“You couldn't find a corner for Jim to work in--could you, sir?”

“I don't know that I couldn't. That is, if you can show good reason for

it.”

“He's a good boy, sir.”

“Well, so much the better for him.”

“I know he can shine boots, sir.”

“So much the better for us.”

“You want your boots shined in the country--don't you, sir?”

“Yes, to be sure.”

“It wouldn't be nice to walk over the flowers with dirty boots--would

it, sir?”

“No, indeed.”

“They wouldn't like it--would they?”

“No, they wouldn't.”

“Then Nanny would be better pleased to go, sir.”

“If the flowers didn't like dirty boots to walk over them, Nanny

wouldn't mind going to the country? Is that it? I don't quite see it.”

“No, sir; I didn't mean that. I meant, if you would take Jim with you to

clean your boots, and do odd jobs, you know, sir, then Nanny would like

it better. She's so fond of Jim!”

“Now you come to the point, Diamond. I see what you mean, exactly. I

will turn it over in my mind. Could you bring Jim to see me?”