She was not given to curbing her temper, and leaning back in the chair, her body rigid, she beat a tattoo with her high-heeled shoes and clenched her fists till the knuckles whitened.
Mountchance had seen hysterical women oft times and was not troubled.

He opened a stoppered bottle and held its rim to the lady's nose.

The moment was well chosen, Sally was in the act of drawing a deep breath, probably with the intention of relieving her feelings by shrieking aloud.

The ammonia was strong and she inhaled a full dose.

She gasped, she coughed, her eyes streamed, the current of her thoughts changed, she poured a torrent of unadulterated Billingsgate upon the imperturbable doctor who busied himself about other matters until Sally should think fit to regain her senses.
That time came when after a brief interval of sullenness, accompanied by much heaving of the bosom and biting of lips she deigned to produce the pearl necklace, the spoil of Rofflash's highway robbery on the Bath Road.
Mountchance looked at the pearls closely and his face became very serious.
"The High Toby game I'll take my oath," said he in a low voice.