she came out! That was his one thought. The
first torment of awakening sensation to a new life was passing. He
advanced a foot, then the other; he moved slowly, but he moved at last.
He walked on down the street, not up towards The Bow as he had intended;
walked on past The Greenbush towards The Corners; walked on and on till
the nightmare of this awakening from a nearly seven-years abnormal sleep
of feeling was over. Then he turned back to the town. The town clock was
striking seven. The men were entering the hall by tens and twenties.

He took his seat in a corner beneath the shadow of a large gallery at
the back, over the entrance.

There were only men admitted. He looked upon the hundreds assembled, and
realized for the first time in more than six years that he was again a
free man among free men. He drew a long breath of relief, of
realization.

At a quarter past seven Father Honore made his appearance on the
platform. The men settled at once into silence, and the priest began
without preface:

"My friends, we will take up to-night what we may call the Brotherhood
of Stone."

The men looked at one another and smiled. Here was something new.

"That is the right thought for all of you to take with you into the
quarries and the sheds. Don't forget it!"

He made certain distinct pauses after a few sentences. This was done
with intention; for the men before him were of various nationalities,
although he called this his "English night." But many were learning and
understood imperfectly; it was for them he paused frequently. He wanted
to give them time to take in what he was saying. Sometimes he repeated
his words in Italian, in French, that the foreigners might better
comprehend his meaning.

"Perhaps some of you have worked in the limestone quarries on the Bay?
All who have hold up hands."

A hundred hands, perhaps more, were raised.

"Any worked in the marble quarries of Vermont?"

A dozen or more Canucks waved their hands vigorously.

"Here are three pieces--limestone, marble, and granite." He held up
specimens of the three. "All of them are well known to most of you. Now
mark what I say of these three:--first, the limestone gets burned
principally; second, the marble gets sculptured principally; third, the
granite gets hammered and chiselled principally. Fire, chisel, and
hammer at work on these three rocks; but, they are all _quarried_ first.
This fact of their being quarried puts them in the Brotherh