Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
"Its Precepts Are Eternal;" Or , The Practice Of A Freemason's Daughter.
"ITS PRECEPTS ARE ETERNAL ;" OR , THE PRACTICE OF A FREEMASON'S DAUGHTER .
BY THE AUTHOR OF " STRAY LEAVES FROM A FREEMASON ' S NOTE-BOOK . " IT was the close of a busy day . The ever-recurring appeal to the
memory , —the continuous and wearing strain upon the judgment , —the rapid and exhausting effort inseparable from mental calculation , were each and " alike suspended . The foreign letters had been signed and posted . Heavy payments had been made . Large remittances had been despatched . Orders to a considerable amount had been receivedTo all
. outward seeming , the house of Heathfield , Magens , and Craster was holding on a prosperous course — the same course which had enabled previous members of the firm to retire from the uncertainties of commerce with solid and substantial
recompense . And yet , in that dark , wainscotted room in Austin Friars , where sat the acting members of the firm— the master spirits who controlled that vast machinery—there was slight evidence of exultation or success . Anxiety which could not be disguised , disappointment which defied concealment , marked the features of the
senior partner and his son , as they paused in their conversation , and steadfastly eyed each other . The elder , after no slight mental straggle , seemed to recur to some unwelcome theme . There was a hesitation in his manner , and a faltering in his tones which indicated distress . " It cannot be , Maurice ; it cannot be . I must negative this indiscreet
arrangement —negative it positively , peremptorily , finally . ' - ' " Oh , father ! " exclaimed the younger man , " could you but see Helen , beautiful , and intelligent , and estimable as she is " " But portionless , " interposed the other firmly— " portionless ! and he laid
" strong emphasis on the word . " True ! " said Maurice , sorrowfully . " I admit it ; and VOL . III . E
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
"Its Precepts Are Eternal;" Or , The Practice Of A Freemason's Daughter.
"ITS PRECEPTS ARE ETERNAL ;" OR , THE PRACTICE OF A FREEMASON'S DAUGHTER .
BY THE AUTHOR OF " STRAY LEAVES FROM A FREEMASON ' S NOTE-BOOK . " IT was the close of a busy day . The ever-recurring appeal to the
memory , —the continuous and wearing strain upon the judgment , —the rapid and exhausting effort inseparable from mental calculation , were each and " alike suspended . The foreign letters had been signed and posted . Heavy payments had been made . Large remittances had been despatched . Orders to a considerable amount had been receivedTo all
. outward seeming , the house of Heathfield , Magens , and Craster was holding on a prosperous course — the same course which had enabled previous members of the firm to retire from the uncertainties of commerce with solid and substantial
recompense . And yet , in that dark , wainscotted room in Austin Friars , where sat the acting members of the firm— the master spirits who controlled that vast machinery—there was slight evidence of exultation or success . Anxiety which could not be disguised , disappointment which defied concealment , marked the features of the
senior partner and his son , as they paused in their conversation , and steadfastly eyed each other . The elder , after no slight mental straggle , seemed to recur to some unwelcome theme . There was a hesitation in his manner , and a faltering in his tones which indicated distress . " It cannot be , Maurice ; it cannot be . I must negative this indiscreet
arrangement —negative it positively , peremptorily , finally . ' - ' " Oh , father ! " exclaimed the younger man , " could you but see Helen , beautiful , and intelligent , and estimable as she is " " But portionless , " interposed the other firmly— " portionless ! and he laid
" strong emphasis on the word . " True ! " said Maurice , sorrowfully . " I admit it ; and VOL . III . E