Lady Maude's Mania Part 53

But on the return to town her ladys.h.i.+p seemed to recover her elasticity somewhat, and Tom began to find that he was to have a fight yet to win his game.

"Seems precious hard," he said, "and perhaps I shall have to make my plans, but no organ, thank you--the accordion, white mice, or guinea pigs would be more in my line."

Just in the worst time of his trouble he called upon Monsieur Hector one morning, to have his weary brain relieved by a course of hair-cutting, and the refres.h.i.+ng shampoo.

Monsieur Hector was delicacy itself in his manipulations, and as delicate in his diplomacy.

"Ah bah!" he said, "what is cutting and shaving and dressing the hair?

It is not by them that I must live and save for _ma chere_ Justine. Why was I not in the bureau of the police? I am a great student of life--a very receptacle for the secrets of the aristocracy."

"Monsieur suffers," he said, softly, as he held Tom's head, lathered all over with soap; "I am troubled to see monsieur look in such bad health."

"Bother!" said Tom.

Monsieur Hector waited a few moments until the shampooing should begin to soften down some of the hard crystals of brain trouble from which Tom was suffering, and then he tried again.

"I trust milady recovers herself from the dreadful shock."

Tom screwed his soapy head round, to stare in the bland, unruffled countenance of Monsieur Hector, who bowed, and gently returned his client's head to its proper position.

"What the deuce do you know about my lady's shock?" growled Tom.

"Monsieur forgets that I am the confidential attendant of the family,"

said Monsieur Hector with dignity.

"So I did, and of Mademoiselle Justine too. But I smell a rat. You hatch plots here."

"Aha, monsieur knows?"

"Yes," said Tom, "I know. Could you manage me an organ if I wanted to go to play to a lady--say in Portland Place?"

Monsieur Hector smiled and tripped to a drawer, out of which he took a black wig and full beard to match.

"If monsieur will entrust himself to my care, I will in ten minutes change his complexion and his appearance so that her ladys.h.i.+p should not know him."

"And find me an organ?"

"A thousand, if monsieur wishes," said the Frenchman. "I am at his service when he say."

"Then give me a clean towel;" said Tom, "my left ear is bunged up with soap.

"I'll come if ever I want your help," he added as he ran a covered finger through the intricate mazes of his ear.

"I am to monsieur," said the Frenchman, bowing.

But Tom had no occasion to proceed to musical extremities, for as time went on, and no suitable match offered itself for Tryphie, her ladys.h.i.+p gave way.

"I never could have believed it, Tom, my boy," said his lords.h.i.+p one night at the club, "you always do get the better of her ladys.h.i.+p. This is a doosed nice gla.s.s of port."

"Yes, gov'nor, have another."

"Eh? Well, I will just one, Tom, in honour of your wedding, Tom, and-- d.a.m.n the gout, eh?"

"To be sure, gov'nor."

"Bless little Tryphie," continued the old man; "she never had much money, but she lent me all she had when I was short, and she's down for a thousand times as much in my will. Her ladys.h.i.+p can't touch that; and--"

Just then an organ sounded in the square, and his lords.h.i.+p stopped his ears.

"No, no, gov'nor, it's only music, and I like that. Here's Maude," he said, filling his gla.s.s, "and may she never be more mad."

"Yes, my dear boy, our darling Maude!"

"And never," continued the viscount, "find a worse strait waistcoat than her husband's arms."