He made as if to rise, but her ladyship laid her hand upon his arm. "Stop a moment," she exclaimed. "This is a serious matter, Sir Grantley, and it must be cleared up." "Don't say a word about it, please," he replied, with some trepidation. "I shall not say a word," replied her ladyship; "but you are under a mistake, Sir Grantley. Mr Melton has a handsome private income." "Where from?" replied the baronet. "His father has not a rap." "Then he has magnificent expectations." "Did he tell you this?" said Sir Grantley, screwing his glass very tightly into his eye. "N-no," said her ladyship. "There, I will be frank with you, Sir Grantley. You are a gentleman, and I can trust you." "I hope so," he replied, stiffly. "The fact is," said her ladyship, "seeing that there was a growing intimacy between my daughter and Mr Melton, who is the son of an old Eton schoolfellow of Lord Barmouth, I made some inquiries." "Yas?" said Sir Grantley. "And I understood Lord Barmouth to say that he would be a most eligible _parti_ for our dearest child." "Oh, indeed," said Sir Grantley, carefully examining the sit of one leg of his trousers. Lady Barmouth stared at the speaker, and then shut her scent bottle with a loud snap. "If she has deceived me--tricked me over this," thought her ladyship, "I will never forgive her." "But has Mr Melton professed this to you?" said Sir Grantley, staring at the change which had come over his proposed mother-in-law. For the sweet smile was gone, and her thin lips were drawn tightly over her teeth: not a dimple was to be seen, and a couple of dark marks came beneath her eyes. "No," she said, shortly; and there was a great deal of acidity in her tone. "I must say he has not. But I must inquire into this. I trusted implicitly in what my husband, who knew his father intimately, had said. Will you join the croquet party, Sir Grantley?" she continued, forcing back her sweetest smile. "Yas, oh yas, with pleasure. Charmed," said Sir Grantley; and they rose and walked towards the croquet lawn. "Dear Sir Grantley," said her ladyship, speaking once more with her accustomed sweetness, "this is a private matter between ourselves. You will not let it influence your visit?" "Not at all." "I mean, you will not let it shorten your stay?" "Oh, no--not at all," he replied. "Charmed to stay, I'm sure. Shan't break my heart, don't you know. Try to bear the disappointment." Five minutes later her ladyship had left Sir Grantley on the lawn, and gone off in the direction of Lord Barmouth, who saw her coming and beat a retreat, but her ladyship cut him off and met him face to face. "Tryphie," said Tom to his little cousin, "there's a row cooking." "Yes," she replied, sending her ball with straight aim through a hoop. "I saw it coming. I hope it is nothing about Maude; she seems so happy."