At last, rising from his knees, he spoke, and his voice became wholly unemotional, devoid of fervour or excitement.

He told his story as a man might relate some quite commonplace incident of daily life.
'One evening I was sitting here by the fire, just as I always sit.

I remember that the lamp was not lit, and that the fire was low, so that there was not much light in the room.

It came into my mind that it was just out of such gloom that the Lord called "Samuel, Samuel," and I wished that I was like Samuel, so innocent that I could hear the voice of the Lord.

I do not remember what I thought of after that.