For a little while its singing hum was heard between the
blasts that shook the house, but the thread presently snapped, and the
machine was put aside somewhat impatiently, with a discontented drawing
of the lines around her handsome mouth. Then she began to "tidy" the
room, putting a great many things away and bringing out a great many
more, a process that was necessarily slow, owing to her falling into
attitudes of minute inspection of certain articles of dress, with
intervals of trying them on, and observing their effect in her mirror.
This kind of interruption also occurred while she was putting away some
books that were lying about on chairs and tables, stopping midway to
open their pages, becoming interested, and quite finishing one chapter,
with the book held close against the window to catch the fading light of
day. The feminine reader will gather from this that Mrs. Rylands, though
charming, was not facile in domestic duties. She had just glanced at the
clock, and lit the candle to again set herself to work, and thus bridge
over the two hours more of waiting, when there came a tap at the door.
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