Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Three Christmas Eves.
mother , giving her son the same warm embrace with which she had ever clasped him from his childhood until now , an embrace that he was manly enough to be proud of and loving enough to return , having retired for the night , father and son drew nearer the fire , and for a few minutes the crackle of the Christmas log was the only sound that broke the otherwise perfect stillness . " Father" at length said the younger man" what is the meaning of what
, , my mother said ?—A woman in a Mason ' s Lodge—a woman a partaker of one of our most solemn rites—a woman the possessor of a secret of which even I , the Blaster of our Lodge , am profoundly ignorant ! What new phase of mystery is this ? What does it mean ? "
" One moment , my son , " readied the older man ; " before I can tell yon the meaning of this rite of to-night I must exact from you a solemn promise on your word of honour as a man , and as a Mason , that you will hand on to your successor in office that which I shall impart to you to-night , provided that he shall prove worthy of the confidence reposed in him ; that you will take care that this Memorial Lodge shall always be heldan Emergency Lodge being expressly called for the purpose ; that after my
, decease , or my having become incapacitated , you will take care that the chair shall be taken , whenever possible , by the oldest Past Master of the Lodge ; and that you exact a like promise from the man to whom yon hand on the care of maintaining this solemn observance . "
To these several promises Paul having given his complete assent , Charles Nelson continued , —• " On just such a night as this , my boy , five-and-twenty years ago , the ship Ethel was lying here weatherbound , the Lieutenant of which , Basil Alisomi , whom you now well know , was a member of our Lodge , but only of the Fellow Craft degree . As there seemed every prospect on his arrival of Basil remaining here the requisite time
, a Lodge of Emergency was called in order that he mi ght be raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason . The only available night was Christmas Eve , and when it arrived and the Lodge was opened , somewhat to our astonishment , every officer was in his place , and every resident member present , although the night was of the character that I describe .
" All went on as usual , the different degrees being worked with possibly a trifle more care and solemnity than was generally the case , although I am glad to say that there has been no lack of either exhibited since I have known the Lodge . " We had opened in the third degree , and were waiting for the candidate to be introduced , when heavy footsteps , as of persons stumbling , were heard slowly mounting the staircase which wound past the side of tho Lodge-room . These sounds were followed by an alarm from the Tyler , who announced that an aged man demanded admittance .
" ' Demands ? ' said our secretary , a little dapper man , who . although kind-hearted , was remarkably fussy and stilted . ' No man can demand admittance ; he can ask , ancl we may grant it , but he cannot demand it . ' " ' I'm not so sure of that , for when I was a young member of Lodge ' began poor old Brother Blunderbore , who invariably opposed whatever Brother Secretary so confidently advanced . "As the Worshipful Master knew perfectly well that a discussion of this kind would
consume an unlimited amount of time and only result in the same uon-agreement at the end of it , he smote his pedestal sharply with his gavel , and said decisively , ' Brother Past Master Chapman , yon will go and prove this Visiting Brother , and will bring back with you a report . ' " The Past Master in question , having been absent some little time , returned to the Lodge and reported that ' Brother Paul Roberts demanded admission to his Mother
Lodge !' " Brother Blunderbore nodded with a triumphant air of affable condescension towards Brother Secretary , who had , together with his argument ^ collapsed , whilst the Worshipful Master ordered that the Brother in question should be admitted , not ,
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Three Christmas Eves.
mother , giving her son the same warm embrace with which she had ever clasped him from his childhood until now , an embrace that he was manly enough to be proud of and loving enough to return , having retired for the night , father and son drew nearer the fire , and for a few minutes the crackle of the Christmas log was the only sound that broke the otherwise perfect stillness . " Father" at length said the younger man" what is the meaning of what
, , my mother said ?—A woman in a Mason ' s Lodge—a woman a partaker of one of our most solemn rites—a woman the possessor of a secret of which even I , the Blaster of our Lodge , am profoundly ignorant ! What new phase of mystery is this ? What does it mean ? "
" One moment , my son , " readied the older man ; " before I can tell yon the meaning of this rite of to-night I must exact from you a solemn promise on your word of honour as a man , and as a Mason , that you will hand on to your successor in office that which I shall impart to you to-night , provided that he shall prove worthy of the confidence reposed in him ; that you will take care that this Memorial Lodge shall always be heldan Emergency Lodge being expressly called for the purpose ; that after my
, decease , or my having become incapacitated , you will take care that the chair shall be taken , whenever possible , by the oldest Past Master of the Lodge ; and that you exact a like promise from the man to whom yon hand on the care of maintaining this solemn observance . "
To these several promises Paul having given his complete assent , Charles Nelson continued , —• " On just such a night as this , my boy , five-and-twenty years ago , the ship Ethel was lying here weatherbound , the Lieutenant of which , Basil Alisomi , whom you now well know , was a member of our Lodge , but only of the Fellow Craft degree . As there seemed every prospect on his arrival of Basil remaining here the requisite time
, a Lodge of Emergency was called in order that he mi ght be raised to the sublime degree of a Master Mason . The only available night was Christmas Eve , and when it arrived and the Lodge was opened , somewhat to our astonishment , every officer was in his place , and every resident member present , although the night was of the character that I describe .
" All went on as usual , the different degrees being worked with possibly a trifle more care and solemnity than was generally the case , although I am glad to say that there has been no lack of either exhibited since I have known the Lodge . " We had opened in the third degree , and were waiting for the candidate to be introduced , when heavy footsteps , as of persons stumbling , were heard slowly mounting the staircase which wound past the side of tho Lodge-room . These sounds were followed by an alarm from the Tyler , who announced that an aged man demanded admittance .
" ' Demands ? ' said our secretary , a little dapper man , who . although kind-hearted , was remarkably fussy and stilted . ' No man can demand admittance ; he can ask , ancl we may grant it , but he cannot demand it . ' " ' I'm not so sure of that , for when I was a young member of Lodge ' began poor old Brother Blunderbore , who invariably opposed whatever Brother Secretary so confidently advanced . "As the Worshipful Master knew perfectly well that a discussion of this kind would
consume an unlimited amount of time and only result in the same uon-agreement at the end of it , he smote his pedestal sharply with his gavel , and said decisively , ' Brother Past Master Chapman , yon will go and prove this Visiting Brother , and will bring back with you a report . ' " The Past Master in question , having been absent some little time , returned to the Lodge and reported that ' Brother Paul Roberts demanded admission to his Mother
Lodge !' " Brother Blunderbore nodded with a triumphant air of affable condescension towards Brother Secretary , who had , together with his argument ^ collapsed , whilst the Worshipful Master ordered that the Brother in question should be admitted , not ,