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companions on the journey to Paris were nearly all soldiers , and I noticed very few soldiers indeed attending the meetings of the various Lodges , and those who did so were almost invariably officers of the Lodge . But although there was no actual Masonry until we arrived in Paris , an episode occurred in Amiens , which , although hardly Masonic , yet partook somewhat of the Masonic character , and therefore will find a place in these pages .
There is a certain inn at Amiens , distinguished by the title of Hotel de Londres et du Nord , and in this inn there is a certain chambermaid , of a lively disposition , rejoicing in the name of Marie Blau . On arriving at Amiens , we chose the Hotel de Londres et du Nord for our temporary residence , and engaged , at a very low " price , capital rooms and excellent beds . To the merits of the latter article of
furniture my young companion was rather blind , for he had heaped upon himself all the voluminous clothes that were laid for choice , and upon these had piled the soft feather bed , imagining it to be the custom of the country , and urged by a pardonable zeal to comply therewith . As the month was July , and the thermometer at ninety degrees Fahrenheit in the shade , the consequences maybe imagined .
Next morning , I wished to change a bank-note , and accordingly rang for the waiter , while I extracted the sum in question from the box which held the Masonic clothing . Instead of the waiter , Marie Blau made her appearance , and being struck with the purple satin and gold embroidery that was lying on the table , uttered a cry of amazement , and commenced an eager inspection .
Not satisfied with a mere examination , she insisted on putting everything on , but was delayed by a slight check caused by a wicked scheme of my companion , who deluded her into the idea that the apron was to be worn after the fashion of a modern coat-tail . However , our irrepressible merriment soon undeceived her , and after
another trifling delay occasioned by fastening the apron round her neck , she succeeded in arranging everything in its right place , and having indulged in a quaint dance before a large mirror , exclaimed , "A present , je vais les . montrer a Madame . Voyons ! " Off she went , accordingly , and in a few minutes a shriek , followed by
uproarious merriment , told us that she had seen " Madame . " As there were no symptoms of her return , we took a walk round the triangular square , if such a collocation of terms may be permitted , and passed away the time luxuriously in listening to a cornet-a-piston , magnificently played , until the apron , & c . might make their appearance
again . That circumstance did not take place until the evening was far spent , and then each article was delivered up with a manifest pang . But the Templar ' s star cost the severest struggle of all . " Might she not wear it as a brooch—it was so very beautiful . Would I keep up the English character , and make her a present of it ( pour un cadeau n ' est ce pas ?) Would monsieur intercede with me for her ? Might she wear it until I came back from Paris ? " But entreaties were vain , and with longing eyes she beheld the coveted star deposited in its case .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
Untitled Article
companions on the journey to Paris were nearly all soldiers , and I noticed very few soldiers indeed attending the meetings of the various Lodges , and those who did so were almost invariably officers of the Lodge . But although there was no actual Masonry until we arrived in Paris , an episode occurred in Amiens , which , although hardly Masonic , yet partook somewhat of the Masonic character , and therefore will find a place in these pages .
There is a certain inn at Amiens , distinguished by the title of Hotel de Londres et du Nord , and in this inn there is a certain chambermaid , of a lively disposition , rejoicing in the name of Marie Blau . On arriving at Amiens , we chose the Hotel de Londres et du Nord for our temporary residence , and engaged , at a very low " price , capital rooms and excellent beds . To the merits of the latter article of
furniture my young companion was rather blind , for he had heaped upon himself all the voluminous clothes that were laid for choice , and upon these had piled the soft feather bed , imagining it to be the custom of the country , and urged by a pardonable zeal to comply therewith . As the month was July , and the thermometer at ninety degrees Fahrenheit in the shade , the consequences maybe imagined .
Next morning , I wished to change a bank-note , and accordingly rang for the waiter , while I extracted the sum in question from the box which held the Masonic clothing . Instead of the waiter , Marie Blau made her appearance , and being struck with the purple satin and gold embroidery that was lying on the table , uttered a cry of amazement , and commenced an eager inspection .
Not satisfied with a mere examination , she insisted on putting everything on , but was delayed by a slight check caused by a wicked scheme of my companion , who deluded her into the idea that the apron was to be worn after the fashion of a modern coat-tail . However , our irrepressible merriment soon undeceived her , and after
another trifling delay occasioned by fastening the apron round her neck , she succeeded in arranging everything in its right place , and having indulged in a quaint dance before a large mirror , exclaimed , "A present , je vais les . montrer a Madame . Voyons ! " Off she went , accordingly , and in a few minutes a shriek , followed by
uproarious merriment , told us that she had seen " Madame . " As there were no symptoms of her return , we took a walk round the triangular square , if such a collocation of terms may be permitted , and passed away the time luxuriously in listening to a cornet-a-piston , magnificently played , until the apron , & c . might make their appearance
again . That circumstance did not take place until the evening was far spent , and then each article was delivered up with a manifest pang . But the Templar ' s star cost the severest struggle of all . " Might she not wear it as a brooch—it was so very beautiful . Would I keep up the English character , and make her a present of it ( pour un cadeau n ' est ce pas ?) Would monsieur intercede with me for her ? Might she wear it until I came back from Paris ? " But entreaties were vain , and with longing eyes she beheld the coveted star deposited in its case .