Beatrice.

BEATRICE .

BY THE AUTHOR OF THE " OLD OLD STORY , " "ADVENTURES OF DON PASQUALE , " ETC . CHAPTER IV . TVFRMILLER was ing to Beatrice in his most dulcet tones" How well are

. say , you ¦ " - * - ' looking to clay , Miss Beatrice ; " ancl Molesey of Molesey Avas assuring her , in his fervent manner , that he did not knoAV which he admired most , her " croquet dress , " or her " croquet poses , " but I fear they both made but little impression on that fair maiden , ancl thought her a somewhat inattentive hearer of what Octave Peuillet calls " fades complimens . " AnclmoreoverI observedas perhaps a clue to this indifferencethat Miss Beatrice

, , , , AA'as eA'idently listening to some pleasant speech of young Morley , AA'hich brought a blush to her cheek and a gleam to her eyes . TAvamley , as usual , intervened ancl " brought down the house , " for going up to Beatrice as if in great inward pain , and Avith horror depicted on his countenance , he said in words I almost seem to hear still , " Oh , niost dangerous and fascinating of victors ! be . strong ancl generous ; remember that there is such a thing as a broken-hearted as well as a croquetted hero , even though that

individual belong to the British Army . Miller ancl Molesey ancl young Merewether all seemed to froAvn upon the imperturbable youth , though Miss Jane Morley smiled visibly on the bold speaker , and Avas even en confidence Avith him the rest of that afternoon . I did not quite understand it at the first , though I did subsequently , and do perfectly UOAV . Molesey declared it Avas a " Avoinan's twist . " Brummer said something of " souvent

f emme varie ; " but all of a sudden even then I called to mind that Miss Jane was a bit of a character in her way , clever and clairvoyante , pretty and pleasant , and she had , as I knew , a great admiration for " Geist . " Ancl thus it came to pass that even then , and as we shall see later , she absolutely preferred Twamley ' s wit and Twamley ' s culture to a possessor of less brains if more wealth . Some people contend that women as a ride are " mercenary creatures . " I deny both

premise and conclusion ! Too much , indeed , cannot often be said in favour of woman ' s courageous struggles to choose for herself a congenial companion through this trying pilgrimage of life . Unfortunately , custom , society , Mrs . Grundy , ancl famdy considerations too often stand dreadfully in her way , ancl frown on her " sentiment , " and laugh at her " fancies . " I am one of those who agree with Jane Morley in her straightforward estimate of things and persons , of the abstract and concrete importance m all such commodities of the " A'alue received ; " but I do not expect many to agree with me .

In saying this , I am running against a windmill of social caste , expediency , and custom , which is very powerful in this great Vanity Pair of ours . Yes , gentle duhiess , if gilded , has many admiring friends , ancl with some , eA'en all the virtues , all the talents , all the graces , and all the moralities to boot , cannot compensate for want of Avealth or position . A clear old friend , alas ! UOAV long since pas . t way , sang of old in a memorable AA'ork , in some memorable fines , —

"For if you ' re in love , and have not tin ; You'll live to repent AA'hat a fool you've been . " And is there not much truth in his poetic proposition ? Praed tells us of a charming but somewhat mercenary young lady , I fear , AA'ho in a