She kept on railing without stopping for breath, repeating herself over and over.

At last I ceased to hear what she said; I became hypnotized by the rapid motions of her mouth.

Then the moving tidy caught my eye and the spell was broken.

I went over to the sofa with a decided step and carefully replaced the tidy.
It was now the landlady's turn to stare, and I stared back, surprised at my own action.

The old lady also stared, her teacup suspended under her nose.