Even Mrs. Campbell, though cowering and shivering, ceased from louder
lamentations.
As Hope's voice caught up the Word, Allyne turned and looked into her
white young face, suffering and terrified, yet self-controlled, then
secretly clutching a fold of her gown, as she sat on the floor beside
him in such a position that he could wedge her into a safe corner, he
too joined in the solemn recitation, thinking inside his perturbed soul,
"If we go down into the deep I will cling to her pure skirts; then if I
cannot save her life, possibly she can save my soul!"
Evidently, there was need of regenerating grace here; but even his
puerile thought may prove it had already begun. A longing for purity
and salvation, however dully expressed, is a longing for Christ, and
the hitherto self-satisfied existence of this favored young man was
being crossed by contrary streams and currents that had changed its
contented flow, and stirred up deeper soil than had ever, hitherto,
been reached.
Out of unpromising material--even the dust of the earth--God knew how
to create man "but little lower than the angels." Out of a nature
seemingly given over to selfishness and sensuality he sometimes forges
lofty souls, which can do and dare for righteousness' sake.
One can scarcely give the details of such an hour as followed that
fierce storm-burst. It was soon discovered that the lightning had
struck in more than one part of the ship, killing one or two animals,
and setting fires in three places.
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