"I was not aware that there were different kinds of masonry. I thought that masonry was merely the placing together of stones so they would bind each other, and that is the way I had them do it."
"Masonry is one of the oldest of the arts. It is really the foundation stone of architecture. The work you have done here happens to be of rock that has a rather smooth outline, that is, the stone broke off smooth, in the upper layers, but the large pieces near the bottom represent what is called rubble work."
"This is very interesting to know," remarked Ephraim.
"I might add," continued John, "that when the courses are not regular it is called broken ashlar; when stones of less than one foot in breadth are used[p. 155] it is called small ashlar; if the wall is backed by rubble, or inferior work it is called bastard ashlar. Then every kind of surface has a particular name, like the random-tooled, where the tool marks are shown in all directions; rusticated when only the joined edges are trimmed up; prison-rustic when it is pitted with deep holes; herring-bone when it is tooled in rows of opposite directions to each other; and nigged when finished up with a pointed hammer."