Two ladies from Scotland, delighted that their request to have an evening with
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When in Bahá'í history
London (today: London, UK)
Two ladies from Scotland, delighted that their request to have an evening with the Master while He was in London had been granted, were warmly received by ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. How they relished having this intimate evening! Half an hour passsed in His warm presence, when suddenly they were filled with consternation -- an aggressive reporter strode into their midst and seated himself -- he wanted information about the Master. His talkative, impolite manner left the ladies speechless -- such an intrusion could spoil that precious evening. Then, to their surprise, ‘Abdu’l-Bahá stood up and, beckoning the reporter to follow Him, led the way into His room. The ladies had indeed got rid of the intruder, but they had also lost ‘Abdu’l-Bahá. What were they to do? Before long the hostess went into the Master's secretary and asked that He be informed 'that the ladies with whom the appointment had been made are awaiting His pleasure.' Very soon kind words of farewell were heard. Then the Master returned, pausing by the door. Gravely, He looked at each and said, 'You were making that poor man uncomfortable, so strongly desiring his absence; I took him away to make him feel happy.'
Source: Honnold, Annamarie, Vignettes from the Life of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá, p. 54
Collected from bahaistories.com (Subject: hospitality).
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