Over two years, however, had passed since the catastrophe to Cohoon's, and Cohoon's had in no way recovered therefrom.

Yet money had been regularly found for the household.

The manner of its finding was soon to assume importance in the careers of Priam and Alice.

But, ere that moment, an astonishing and vivid experience happened to them.
One might have supposed that, in the life of Priam Farll at least, enough of the astonishing and the vivid had already happened.
Nevertheless, what had already happened was as customary and unexciting as addressing envelopes, compared to the next event.
The next event began at the instant when Alice was sticking the long fork into a round of bread.

There was a knock at the front door, a knock formidable and reverberating, the knock of fate, perhaps, but fate disguised as a coalheaver.
Alice answered it.