The Wreck of the South Pole and Other Strange Tales — page 202: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

The Little Girl, Now a Woman. 195 after a little pause. “‘No one, unless he has gone through it, knows how blank it leaves a life to strive for years after something that will elevate his condition, and then have his plans fail and know that his whole life must be passed in the same low position.” AT Coming home one stormy evening about a month after this, I passed the village church. The outer door was open a little way, and, hearing the organ, I went in; for I knew Tom’s habit of passing his evenings alone in the church, sending out into the darkness as true hymns of praise as ever were heard. I opened the inner door quietly and walked up the aisle unseen. I had often heard Tom play, but never as now when he thought himself alone—alone with God. The storm gathered and broke, and the thunder shook the windows of the church, but Tom was all unconscious. His heart was going out on the strains of a joyful Te Deum; as for the noise, | doubt if he even heard it, and as for the darkness, blind people do not mind that. Once a streak of lightning lighted up the church for several seconds, just as he came to the passage: “Thou art the King of Glory, O Christ, Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father.” He was filling the whole church with the strain, and ECORNICLOOOKS.EO©