y would never
hit baby's mammy if he didn't take too much beer. He's very fond of
baby's mammy, and works from morning to night to get her breakfast and
dinner and supper, only at night he forgets, and pays the money away for
beer. And they put nasty stuff in beer, I've heard my daddy say, that
drives all the good out, and lets all the bad in. Daddy says when a man
takes a drink, there's a thirsty devil creeps into his inside, because
he knows he will always get enough there. And the devil is always crying
out for more drink, and that makes the man thirsty, and so he drinks
more and more, till he kills himself with it. And then the ugly devil
creeps out of him, and crawls about on his belly, looking for some other
cabman to get into, that he may drink, drink, drink. That's what my
daddy says, baby. And he says, too, the only way to make the devil come
out is to give him plenty of cold water and tea and coffee, and nothing
at all that comes from the public-house; for the devil can't abide that
kind of stuff, and creeps out pretty soon, for fear of being drowned
in it. But your daddy will drink the nasty stuff, poor man! I wish he
wouldn't, for it makes mammy cross with him, and no wonder! and then
when mammy's cross, he's crosser, and there's nobody in the house to
take care of them but baby; and you do take care of them, baby--don't
you, baby? I know you do. Babies always take care of their fathers and
mothers--don't they, baby? That's what they come for--isn't it, baby?
And when daddy stops drinking beer and nasty gin with turpentine in it,
father says, then mammy will be so happy, and look so pretty! and daddy
will be so good to baby! and baby will be as happy as a swallow, which
is the merriest fellow! And Diamond will be so happy too! And when
Diamond's a man, he'll take baby out with him on the box, and teach him
to drive a cab."

He went on with chatter like this till baby was asleep, by which time
he was tired, and father and mother were both wide awake--only rather
confused--the one from the beer, the other from the blow--and staring,
the one from his chair, the other from her bed, at Diamond. But he was
quite unaware of their notice, for he sat half-asleep, with his eyes
wide open, staring in his turn, though without knowing it, at the
cabman, while the cabman could not withdraw his gaze from Diamond's
white face and big eyes. For Diamond's face was always rather pale, and
now it was paler than usual with sleep