She had smoked so many cigarettes that now her voice hardly rose above a whisper.

At one time she had been accustomed to boast that she never drank, and it had been one of her peculiarities for which she was well known.

But on this occasion she joined Ellis in his whisky.

She had long since departed from her old-time rule of temperance, and nowadays drank nothing else but whisky.

She had even become well known for the quantity of whisky she could drink.
For half an hour the four sat around the little table, talking about the new, enormous Sutro Baths that were building at that time.