"My dear boy--my dear Tom," said the old man affectionately, as he toddled up to the back of his son's chair, and stood there patting his shoulders. "It isn't that--it isn't that. I'm very, very proud of my children. Bless you, my dear Tom; bless you, my dear boy! You're a very good son to me, but I'm--I'm a bit weak this morning about Diana; and that confounded fellow with his organ playing those melancholy tunes quite upset me." "But he has gone now, governor," said Tom. "Yes, my boy, but--but he'll come back again, he always does. Grind, grind, grind, till he seems to me to be grinding me; and I do not like to swear, Tom, it's setting you such a bad example; but at times I feel as if I must say damn, or something inside me would go wrong." "Say it then, gov'nor, I'll forgive you. There, I have granted you my indulgence." "Thank you, Tom; thank you, Diphoos." "No, no, gov'nor. Tom!--don't Diphoos me. I wish that confounded old wet sponge of a Welsh mountain had been `diffoosed' before it gave me my name." "Ye-es, it is ugly, Tom. But they are family names, you see, Barmouth-- Diphoos. Very old family the Diphooses. And now this wedding--but there, I'm all right now." "To be sure you are, gov'nor." "Yes, yes, yes; you are very good to me, Tom. Bless you, my boy, bless you." The weak tears stood in the old man's eyes, and his voice shook as he spoke. "Nonsense, gov'nor, nonsense," said Tom, taking one of the thin withered hands. "I'm not much good to you; I think more of cigars and billiards than anything else. Have a cigar, guv'nor?" "No, my boy, no thank you; it would make me smell so, and her ladyship might notice it. But, my boy, I see everything, though I'm getting a little old and weak, and don't speak. You stand between her ladyship and me very often, Tom, and make matters more easy. But don't you take any notice of me, my boy, and don't you think I sighed because I was unhappy, for--for I'm very proud of you, Tom, I'm deuced proud of you, my boy; but it does upset me a bit about Diana going. India's a long way off, Tom." "Yes, gov'nor, but old Goole isn't a bad sort. The old lady wanted a rich husband for Di, and she has got him. Di will be quite a Begum out in India." "Ye-es, Tom; and I suppose all the female Diphooses marry elderly husbands and marry well. I am a bit anxious about Maude, now." "No good to be. The old girl will settle all that. But I say, gov'nor, what a set of studs! Come here; one of them's unfastened. You'll lose it." "I hope not, my boy--I hope not," said the old man, anxiously as his son busied himself over the shirt-front. "Her ladyship would be so vexed. She has taken care of them these ten years, and said I had better wear them to-day." "Did she?" said Tom, gruffly. "There: that will do. Why, you look quite a buck this morning. That wig's a regular fizzer. Old Launay has touched you up."