Sentence:  Here, in the transept and choir, where the service was being held, one was conscious every moment of an increasing brightness; colours glowing vividly beneath the circular chandeliers, and the rows of small lights on the choristers' <WSD>desks</WSD> flashed and sparkled in front of the boys' faces, deep linen collars, and red neckbands. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A table, frame, or case, in past centuries usually with a sloping top but now usually with a flat top, for the use of writers and readers. It often has a drawer or repository underneath.