pulling up, they only just escaped a collision. Then they knew each

other.

“Why, Diamond, it's a bad beginning to run into your own father,” cried

the driver.

“But, father, wouldn't it have been a bad ending to run into your own

son?” said Diamond in return; and the two men laughed heartily.

“This is very kind of you, I'm sure, Stonecrop,” said his father.

“Not a bit. He's a brave fellow, and'll be fit to drive on his own hook

in a week or two. But I think you'd better let him drive you home now,

for his mother don't like his having over much of the night air, and I

promised not to take him farther than the square.”

“Come along then, Diamond,” said his father, as he brought his cab up to

the other, and moved off the box to the seat beside it. Diamond jumped

across, caught at the reins, said “Good-night, and thank you, Mr.

Stonecrop,” and drove away home, feeling more of a man than he had ever

yet had a chance of feeling in all his life. Nor did his father find it

necessary to give him a single hint as to his driving. Only I suspect

the fact that it was old Diamond, and old Diamond on his way to his

stable, may have had something to do with young Diamond's success.

“Well, child,” said his mother, when he entered the room, “you've not

been long gone.”

“No, mother; here I am. Give me the baby.”

“The baby's asleep,” said his mother.

“Then give him to me, and I'll lay him down.”

But as Diamond took him, he woke up and began to laugh. For he was

indeed one of the merriest children. And no wonder, for he was as plump

as a plum-pudding, and had never had an ache or a pain that lasted more

than five minutes at a time. Diamond sat down with him and began to sing

to him.

baby baby babbing your father's gone a-cabbing to catch a shilling for

its pence to make the baby babbing dance for old Diamond's a duck they

say he can swim but the duck of diamonds is baby that's him and of all

the swallows the merriest fellows that bake their cake with the water

they shake out of the river flowing for ever and make dust into clay on

the shiniest day to build their nest father's the best and mother's the

whitest and her eyes are the brightest of all the dams that watch their

lambs cropping the grass where the waters pass singing for ever and of

all the lambs with the shakingest tails and the jumpingest feet baby's

the funniest baby's the bonniest and he never wails and he's always

sweet and Diamond's his nurse and Diamond's his nurse and Diamond's his

nurse

When Diamond's rhymes grew scarce, he always began dancing the baby.

Some people wondered that such a child could rhyme as he did, but his

rhymes were not very good, for he was only trying to remember what he

had heard the river sing at the back of the north wind.

DIAMOND became a great favourite with all the men about the mews. Some

may think it was not the best place in the world for him to be brought

up in; but it must have been, for there he was. At first, he heard a

good many rough and bad words; but he did not like them, and so they did

him little harm. He did not know in the least what they meant, but there

was something in the very sound of them, and in the tone of voice in

which they were said, which Diamond felt to be ugly. So they did not

even stick to him, not to say get inside him. He never took any notice

of them, and his face shone pure and good in the middle of them, like

a primrose in a hailstorm. At first, because his face was so quiet

and sweet, with a smile always either awake or asleep in his eyes, and

because he never heeded their ugly words and rough jokes, they said he

wasn't all there, meaning that he was half an idiot, whereas he was a

great deal more there than they had the sense to see. And before long

the bad words found themselves ashamed to come out of the men's mouths

when Diamond was near. The one would nudge the other to remind him that

the boy was within hearing, and the words choked themselves before they

got any farther. When they talked to him nicely he had always a good

answer, sometimes a smart one, ready, and that helped much to make them

change their minds about him.

One day Jack gave him a curry-comb and a brush to try his hand upon

old Diamond's coat. He used them so deftly, so gently, and yet so

thoroughly, as far as he could reach, that the man could not help

admiring him.

“You must make haste and, grow” he said. “It won't do to have a horse's

belly clean and his back dirty, you know.”

“Give me a leg,” said Diamond, and in a moment he was on the old horse's

back with the comb and brush. He sat on his withers, and reaching

forward as he ate his hay, he curried and he brushed, first at one side

of his neck, and then at the other. When that was done he asked for a

dressing-comb, and combed his mane thoroughly. Then he pushed himself on

to his back, and did his shoulders as far down as he could reach. Then

he sat on his croup, and did his back and sides; then he turned around

like a monkey, and attacked his hind-quarters, and combed his tail. This

last was not so easy to manage, for he had to lift it up, and every now

and then old Diamond would whisk it out of his hands, and once he sent

the comb flying out of the stable door, to the great amusement of the

men. But Jack fetched it again, and Diamond began once more, and did not

leave off until he had done the whole business fairly well, if not in

a first-rate, experienced fashion. All the time the old horse went

on eating his hay, and, but with an occasional whisk of his tail when

Diamond tickled or scratched him, took no notice of the proceeding.

But that was all a pretence, for he knew very well who it was that

was perched on his back, and rubbing away at him with the comb and the

brush. So he was quite pleased and proud, and perhaps said to himself

something like this--

“I'm a stupid old horse, who can't brush his own coat; but there's my

young godson on my back, cleaning me like an angel.”

I won't vouch for what the old horse was thinking, for it is very

difficult to find out what any old horse is thinking.

“Oh dear!” said Diamond when he had done, “I'm so tired!”

And he laid himself down at full length on old Diamond's back.

By this time all the men in the stable were gathered about the two

Diamonds, and all much amused. One of them lifted him down, and from

that time he was a greater favourite than before. And if ever there was

a boy who had a chance of being a prodigy at cab-driving, Diamond was

that boy, for the strife came to be who should have him out with him on

the box.

His mother, however, was a little shy of the company for him, and

besides she could not always spare him. Also his father liked to have

him himself when he could; so that he was more desired than enjoyed

among the cabmen.

But one way and another he did learn to drive all sorts of horses, and

to drive them well, and that through the most crowded streets in London

City. Of course there was the man always on the box-seat beside him, but

before long there was seldom the least occasion to take the reins

from out of his hands. For one thing he never got frightened, and

consequently was never in too great a hurry. Yet when the moment came