of their duty, and so forth. Distinguishing marks: omnipotence. In short, have Him arrested.”
“You’re making fun of it,” sighed G. H. Bondy. “Don’t do it. He has beaten us.”
“Not yet!” cried Marek. “Look here, Bondy. He doesn’t know how to govern yet. He has got into a fearful muddle with His new undertakings. For instance, He has gone in for over-production instead of first building up a miraculous railway system. Now He’s in the mire Himself—what He produces has no value. That miraculous profusion of everything was a fearful fiasco. In the second place, He turned the brains of the authorities with His mysticism and upset the whole machinery of Government, which otherwise He could now be using to maintain order. You can make revolutions anywhere else you like, but not in the Government offices; even if the world’s to be brought to an end, the thing to do is to destroy the universe first and take the Government offices afterwards. That’s how it is, Bondy. And in the third place, like the crudest of doctrinaire Communists, He has done away with the currency and thereby with one stroke paralysed the circulation of commodities. He did not know that the laws of the market are stronger than the laws of God. He did not know that production without trade is utterly senseless. He knew nothing whatever. He behaved like . . . like a . . . well, to put it shortly, as if He would destroy with one hand what He made with the other. Here we have miraculous profusion, and along with it disastrous shortage. He is all-powerful, yet He’s achieved only chaos. I believe that He once did really create the laws of Nature, the primordial lizards, the mountains, and anything else you like. But business, Bondy, our modern industry and commerce, that I swear He did not create, for He simply doesn’t know a thing about it. No, Bondy, industry and commerce are not of God.”
“Hold on,” said G. H. Bondy. “I know that the consequences of His acts are calamitous . . . immeasurable. . . . But what can we do about it?”
“For the time being, nothing. My dear Bondy, I just study and compare. It is a second Babel. Here, for instance, you have the Roman Catholic publications expressing the suspicion that ‘the confusions of these times of religious excitement are being deliberately organized with Satanic subtlety by the Freemasons.’ The Nationalist Press blames the Jews, the Socialists of the Right blame those of the Left, the Agrarian party attacks the Liberals; it’s killing. And mind you, we’re not really in the whirlpool yet. In my opinion, the whole thing is only just beginning to get into a tangle. Come here, Bondy, I want to tell you something.”
“Well?”
“Do you think that He . . . you know what I mean . . . that He’s the only one there is?”
“I don’t know,” replied Bondy. “And is it of any special importance?”
“Immense importance,” Marek answered. “Come closer, Bondy, and prick up your ears.”
XVII
THE HAMMER AND STAR
“Brother Senior Warden, what do you see in the East?” asked the Worshipful Master. He was dressed all in black, wore the white leather apron, and held the silver gavel in his hand.
“I see the Masters assembled in the Temple and ready for labour,” said the Senior Warden.
The Worshipful Master gave a knock with his gavel.
“Brother Junior Warden, what do you see in the West?”
“I see the Masters assembled in the Temple and ready for labour.”
The Worshipful Master knocked three times with his gavel. “Let the labour begin.”
The Brothers of the Free French Masonic Lodge, “The Hammer and Star,” took their seats, never taking their eyes off the Worshipful Master, G. H. Bondy, who had called them together at such an unusual time. The lodge was as quiet as a church between the black-draped walls with the maxims of the craft woven in the hangings. Bondy, the Worshipful Master, was pale and thoughtful.
“Brothers,” said the Worshipful Master after a while, “I have summoned this unusual meeting . . . for this . . . er . . . unusual labour, which in . . . er . . . unusual opposition to the secret precepts of our Order . . . is no mere formality. I know . . . that I am violating the solemn and consecrated form of our labour . . . in asking you to come to a decision upon . . . a really serious . . . and public matter . . . of the highest importance.”
“The Worshipful Master in the Chair has the right to order our labour,” declared the Judex Formidabilis, causing general agitation among his hearers.
“Well, then,” began G. H. Bondy, “it concerns the systematic attacks . . . upon our Order recently begun . . . by the Clerical party. They state that our secret activities . . . of the last hundred years . . . are connected with certain extraordinary . . . and regrettable occurrences . . . in the industrial and spiritual field. The Clericalist papers assert that the Masonic Lodges . . . have brought about . . . deliberately . . . this unfettering of demoniacal powers. I ask you . . . what we ought to do . . . in the present time of calamity . . . for the benefit of mankind . . . and for the honour of the Most High. This subject is now open for discussion.”
After a moment’s solemn silence the Junior Warden arose.
“Brothers, at this historic moment, I welcome, so to speak, the impressive words uttered by our Worshipful Master. He spoke, so to speak, of regrettable occurrences. And indeed, we who concern ourselves, so to speak, only with the welfare of mankind, are bound to declare all these regrettable miracles, illuminations, fits of love for one’s neighbour, and other disturbances to be occurrences which are, so to speak, in the highest degree regrettable. We must with all the discretion we owe to our Order decline all connection, so to speak, with these regrettable facts which, so to speak, do not agree with the traditional and progressive principles of our Great Order. Brothers, these regrettable principles are, so to speak, in fundamental disagreement with it, as our Worshipful Master very rightly said, since the Clericals, so to speak, have taken up arms against us, and if we have in mind, so to speak, the highest interests of mankind, I therefore move that we should express our agreement in the fullest sense of the word, as the Worshipful Master in the Chair very rightly said, these regrettable occurrences.”
Judex Formidabilis now rose.
“Brother Worshipful Master, I should like to say a few words. I have to observe that certain occurrences have been spoken of here in a very regrettable manner. I am of opinion that those occurrences are not so regrettable as our Brother Junior Warden thinks. I am really not aware which occurrences Brother Junior Warden is alluding to, but if he has in mind the religious meetings which I myself attend, then I am of the opinion that he is mistaken. Indeed, I will say frankly that I consider that he is entirely in error.”
“I move,” suggested another brother, “that we should take a vote on whether the said occurrences are regrettable or not.”
“And I move,” said another, taking the floor, “that we elect a smaller committee, of some three members, say, to investigate these regrettable occurrences.”
“I am in favour of five members.”
“I vote for twelve.”
Judex Formidabilis was heard to say, “Excuse me, brothers, I have not yet finished speaking.”
The Worshipful Master rapped with his gavel.
“I call upon Brother Judex Formidabilis.”
“Brothers,” began Judex gently, “we will not quarrel who is to have the floor. The occurrences concerning which several regrettable opinions have been expressed here are of a character that deserves attention, interest, yes, and even respect. I do not deny that I am a member of several religious circles who have received divine grace in especial power. I trust that this is not inconsistent with the discipline of the Freemason.”
“Not at all,” said several voices.
“Moreover, I have to admit that I myself have been privileged to perform a few minor