On a table between the windows were some tea things, with a heap of milliner's materials, and a brass candlestick which had been pushed back to make room for a partially unfolded cloth.

There was a second table near the door, crowded with coils, batteries, a galvanometer, and other electrical apparatus.

The mantelpiece was littered with dusty letters, and two trays of Doulton ware which ornamented it were filled with accounts, scraps of twine, buttons, and rusty keys.
A shifting, rustling sound, as of somebody dressing, which had been audible for some minutes through the folding doors, now ceased, and a handsome young woman entered.

She had thick black hair, fine dark eyes, an oval face, a clear olive complexion, and an elastic figure.

She was incompletely attired in a petticoat that did not hide her ankles, and stays of bright red silk with white laces and seams.