“ ‘No, no,’ said Tom; ‘there’s somebody else in the wind. A tall man⁠—a confoundedly tall man⁠—with black whiskers.’

“ ‘Tom,’ said the old gentleman; ‘she will never have him.’

“ ‘Won’t she?’ said Tom. ‘If you stood in the bar, old gentleman, you’d tell another story.’

“ ‘Pooh, pooh,’ said the old gentleman. ‘I know all about that.’

“ ‘About what?’ said Tom.

“ ‘The kissing behind the door, and all that sort of thing, Tom,’ said the old gentleman. And here he gave another impudent look, which made Tom very wroth, because as you all know, gentlemen, to hear an old fellow, who ought to know better, talking about these things, is very unpleasant⁠—nothing more so.