Mrs.Verner sat on alone.

She liked to take her share of dessert, if the others did not, and she generally remained in the dining-room for the evening, rarely caring to move.

Truth to say, Mrs.Verner was rather addicted to dropping asleep with her last glass of wine and waking up with the tea-tray, and she did so this evening.
Of course work goes on downstairs (or is supposed to go on) whether the mistress of a house be asleep or awake.

It really was going on that evening in the laundry at Verner's Pride, whatever it may have been doing in the other various branches and departments.

The laundry-maids had had heavy labour on their hands that day, and they were hard at work still, while Mrs.Verner slept.
"Here's Mother Duff's Dan a-coming in!" exclaimed one of the women, glancing over her ironing-board to the yard.