" And after a pause, he added: "But beware, dear brother, that these gloves do not deck hands that are unclean.

" While the Grand Master said these last words it seemed to Pierre that he grew embarrassed.

Pierre himself grew still more confused, blushed like a child till tears came to his eyes, began looking about him uneasily, and an awkward pause followed.

This silence was broken by one of the brethren, who led Pierre up to the rug and began reading to him from a manuscript book an explanation of all the figures on it: the sun, the moon, a hammer, a plumb line, a trowel, a rough stone and a squared stone, a pillar, three windows, and so on.