noon
And upon whole-hearted applause for Mrs. White , Mrs. Carew tactfully introduced the subject of tea . They were all chatting amicably enough in the dining-room a few minutes later when George Carew and Barry Valentine came in . Barry , who seemed excited , exhilarated and tired , had come to borrow a typewriter from the Carews . He responded to sympathetic inquiries , that he had been working like a madman since noon , and that there would be an issue of the Mail ready for them in the morning . He said , `` everyone had been simply corking about everything , '' and it began to look like smooth sailing now . In the few minutes that he waited for young George Carew to find the typewriter and bring it down to him , a fresh interruption occurred in the entrance of old Mrs. Apostleman . Mrs. Apostleman , between being out of breath from hurrying up the hill in the late afternoon heat , and fearful that the gathering would break up before she could say what she wanted to say , and entirely unable to control her gasping and puffing , was a sight at once funny and pitiable .