"Funnee lil mans," said Justine to herself as Tom gave her a peculiar look. CHAPTER SIXTEEN. MUSIC HATH CHARMS. The private inquiry trouble was cooling down, but there was so much excitement and trouble at Portland Place, that Maude's hair had to go untended on one occasion, and Monsieur Hector and his assistant waited in vain for the lady's coming. Short as was the distance, Mademoiselle Justine was unable to run round and say that they need not wait. For Sir Grantley Wilters was to dine in Portland Place that evening, and he arrived in good time. The baronet was quite bright in spirits and youthful in appearance, having got the better of his late ailment, and Lady Barmouth smiled pensively at him when she was not watching Lord Barmouth, and seeing if he was surreptitiously supplied with wine. Tom dined at home, and was morosely civil, being puzzled how to act towards his future brother-in-law. Sir Grantley knew of the trouble between her ladyship and her lord, but religiously avoided all allusion thereto; he, however, found time and opportunity to mention to her ladyship the last scandal that he had heard concerning Melton. "No?" exclaimed her ladyship, laying her plump hand upon his arm. "Yas; fact, I assure you," he said. "I had it from three fellows at the club, and they were present. It was at a place in Jermyn street." "How dreadful!" exclaimed her ladyship in a low tone. "They are retailing scandal about poor old Charley, Maude," said Tom, leaning over the back of her chair in the drawing-room. "You think he's quite square, eh?" "If you mean by that, Tom, that I think him an honourable gentleman; yes, I do," said Maude quietly. "That's right. He's fond enough of you to keep him right, so never you mind what scraggy Wilters says." Maude did not reply, but her face flushed, and she sat looking proud and content in her faith. Meantime her ladyship had been furnished with the last new piece of gossip regarding the young man who had gone to the bad, and was supremely happy. In spite of her ladyship's watchfulness Tom managed that his father should have a little wine, and the consequence was that he became very garrulous, making some personal remarks to Sir Grantley about matters of the past which the baronet wished to be considered too youthful to remember, and suffering at last from such decided twinges of his old complaint that he had to leave the table. Maude at once seized the excuse to be freed for the rest of the evening from a presence she detested, and went to attend upon her father, while Tom started to have a quiet cigar and a game of billiards, leaving her ladyship and Sir Grantley together to discuss a few more of the preliminaries of the wedding; Sir Grantley going so far, when he left, as to say that this was about the pleasantest evening he had had at the house in Portland Place, "don't you know."