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 sleeplessness, and the light of the
street-lamp upon it. At length he found himself nodding, and he knew
then it was time to put the baby down, lest he should let him fall. So
he rose from the little three-legged stool, and laid the baby in the
cradle, and covered him up--it was well it was a warm night, and he did
not want much covering--and then he all but staggered out of the door,
he was so tipsy himself with sleep.
“Wife,” said the cabman, turning towards the bed, “I do somehow believe
that wur a angel just gone. Did you see him, wife? He warn't wery big,
and he hadn't got none o' them wingses, you know. It wur one o' them
baby-angels you sees on the gravestones, you know.”
“Nonsense, hubby!” said his wife; “but it's just as good. I might say
better, for you can ketch hold of him when you like. That's little
Diamond as everybody knows, and a duck o' diamonds he is! No woman could
wish for a better child than he be.”
“I ha' heerd on him in the stable, but I never see the brat afore. Come,
old girl, let bygones be bygones, and gie us a kiss, and we'll go to
bed.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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