" Brother Beatrice."

" Brother Beatrice . "

BY FRED . W . BROUGHTON .

I . IBSf ! WHO write this , am "Brother ' ¦ % M i IPl Beatrice , " and in consideration of | fcjj | « if-j the part I played in the little story : ' £ § fj 1 ^ S- | , I have to tell , dear Mr . Lawton says ' ? | fr ! i £ >^ dl . Ii £ ) I ' is 8 ' '" 8 ' to have me raised to the highest and most eminent position in what lie calls " the Craft . " Of course , in spite of what Mr . Lawton in his affectionate fun , says , \ am not a Freemason ; no women are ; the strange tale I have heard about " a sister of Jericho , " notwithstanding . And yet , if the great brotherhood is fairl y represented by my Mr . Lawton ( about whom I'll tell you directly ) I should be

proud to be one of their body , and be reall y , instead of only by nickname pleasantry , entitled to be fraternally addressed as "Brother Beatrice . " Still , I have a beautifull y bordered silk apron , and a gay sash , and no end of little specimens of bri ght jewellery which have been given to me by this same Mr . Lawton who declares that if I ' m not exactly a "Mark" Mason ( whatever that may be ) I ' m a very " Arch" one indeed . And when I have all these ornaments on at once , I look quite as brilliant as I have seen ( in a largo photograph ) tlie Prince of Wales look , as the Most Worshi pful Grand Master of the freemasons of England .

But I must get on with my story which , taken as an episode in the prosaic life of a matter of fact and commonplace girl like me , is a somewhat dramatic one , and , I must sadly add , a somewhat melancholy one into tlie bargain . When , years ago , my father and mother died—both within , a month—I was left alone in the world with my brother , Dick , who was two years older than myself . At this terrible time I was only nine , whilst Dick , its I have intimated , would be about eleven . I did not know the bitter truth then , as I

gratefully and lovingly know it now , but if it had not been for Mr . Lawton , Dick and I would have been orphan outcasts on the world , or wretched pauper children in tlie parish workhouse . But lie , God bless him ! by his iuiliienee sneeeded in getting us into Masonic Schools , and almost before the grass had time to grow long over our parents' grave , I was as happy as in the circumstances any child could be , in the beautiful place on Wandsworth Common , whilst Dick was voted elsewhere .

Can any one wonder that I loved , and do love Mr . Lawton ? As for Dick—but this is a part of my tale , the melancholy part , which I must not anticipate . I perhaps ought to say that our benefactor had been a great friend of my father tit Oxford , where , in their attachment to each other , they lhad been christened " the twins . " But whilst , after leaving University , my father was called to the Bar , and utterly failed to make an adequate living , Mr . Lawton more modestly and wisely chose the lower branch of the profession , and became a successful solicitor . He did all ho could for father in the way of briefs , but as Mr . Lawton ' s was more a eonvevancintr than

a litigious practice , that " all " was little . But the good man , as I have pointed put , showed his friendship for his less fortunate brother in a very practical way indeed by the protection and education lie so generously gave to us , his helpless children .

Nor did Mr . Lawton ' s interest in us cease with our schooldays , for afterwords he articled Dick to a mechanical engineer , whilst I was taken to his own sweet little cottage , near Kew , to be , as he pathetically put it , his "little housekeeper , " and wife , and famil y in one , "

to h'H the p lace of his real well-loved wife , whom death had taken from him . I was very happy , but as I once heard a curate of " high " and flesh mortifying proclivities , say— " prolonged and uninterrupted happiness , save in heaven , is good for no one , " and mine had a very terrible shock about two years after I first went to Kew .

One evening Mr . Lawton came home a little later than usual to dinner , and I noticed that his face wore a solemn , strange expression , partly of trouble , I thought , and partly of anger . And it distressed me terribly , that when he came into the dining-room , he did not kiss me as usual , or tell me how pretty the flowers which I had gathered

and arranged on the table , looked , or call me " Brother Beatrice , " and give me the " grip , " as he had been wont to do ever since I had come to him fiom the school at Wandsworth . And when , after dinner , 1 sat at the piano to play to him his pet sonata , he pained me more fhan I can say , b y telling me abruptl y to cease . " Don't do that , Beatrice ; I've a bad head-ache ! "

" I ' m so sorry , dear Dad " ( I always called him " Dad " at that time ) ; " I'm so sorry . " And I felt my eyes filling with hot tears . "And I ' m sorry I spoke so harshly , 'Brother Beatrice , '" he murmered , in a gentle , but weary sort of way , and drawing me towards him . "If I could onl y make your head-ache better ! " I softly said , kissing his brow , which I thought , seemed A ery hot and feverish .

" If you could only make my heart-auhe better , little one , " ho replied , in a strange , husk y voice . " Oh , Dad , what is it ? " I said , breaking into a downright flood of tears . " There is some trouble come to you ; and , oh , if I could only bear it for you !

" You must bear your share of it , deary , " he answered ; " for it is your trouble as well as mine . " Then he paused a moment , and a great struggle seemed to take place within him before he spoke again . " Dick has left his work . " Somehow , I don ' t know wh y , I dared not ask for any explanation , and I waited until he should continue .

" He has for some time , so Bayley , his master , writes me , been unstead y and irregular , and has not chosen creditable companions , or desirable resorts of amusements . Yesterday he disappeared altogether , leaving a note saying that he could not face his master again , and announcing ' his intention of going abroad . " " Oh , Dad ! oh , Dad ! " I could only aimlessly sob .

"It Mr . Lawton went on , " folly and wildness , and dissipation , bad as they are , had been his onl y ruin , I would have interceded for Dick , and had him brought back to restitution and forgiveness , but —but— " llcvo Dad broke down , and his whole frame seemed to quiver , as he uttered a deep groan of agony .

"But what , Dad , " I asked , as a great dread came over me . "Dick is a thief ; he has taken money that does not belong to him . Mr . Bayley , in consideration for me , will not prosecute ; but , my poor Beatrice , I have done with Dick now , and ho must go his own way . "

The room seemed to fill with a dense , oppressive haze , and I remember the form of Mr . Lawton disappearing from my sight as if it were a form in a dense fog ; but I remember no more of that dreadful evening .