A young man was passing a money-lender's shop and the young man had heard that the money-lender was a Freemason.

The young man went into the shop and said to the money-lender, "I have heard that you are a Freemason. I also am a Freemason and I desperately need a loan of five pounds. I will pay you back within a week. Of course you don't' know me, but the fact that we are both Freemasons should be good enough for you to lend me five pounds on my word to repay it back."

The money-lender looked at the young man and seeing that he appeared to be quite respectable lent him 5 pounds. on the strength that he was a Freemason. Before the week was up, the young man had repaid the five pounds to the money -lender.

About a year later the young man was being Initiated in a Lodge - he had not really been a Freemason when he had borrowed the five pounds from the money-lender. During the ceremony of Initiation the young man happened to look round the Lodge room and he saw the money-lender sitting with other member of the Lodge. He was very worried and wondered if he had been recognised by the money-lender.

After the ceremony, the young man tried to keep away from the money-lender, but to the young man's surprise the money-lender came up to him with outstretched hands and greeted him as a brother.

The money-lender said, "I see that when I loaned you that five pounds a year ago, you were not a Freemason."

"No", said the young man, somewhat embarassed. "But when I saw your shop a year ago, having heard that Freemasons were charitable people, I decided to see if this were true. You loaned me the five pounds and my conclusion was that Freemasons do help their Brothers in distress and being very impressed with this attitude, I decided to seek to become a Freemason. I hope you will forgive me for having lied to you a year ago."

"Of course", said the money-lender. "'In fact, I owe you an apology myself because, at that time a year ago when you borrowed, the five pounds, I was not myself a Freemason. But having heard that Freemasons were true to their word I decided to loan you the five pounds and see if you would pay it back as you then promised. When you did pay back the five pounds as you had agreed, I then decided that Freemasons do keep their word - so I sought to become a Freemason also. I was initiated at the last meeting of the Lodge !""

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