Vidal Gore — Eighteen Seventy [2181]

At this high point in the drama a train passed beneath the house causing the crystals in the chandeliers to chatter. Those guests from elsewhere stopped speaking, while those native to the region continued to talk right through the long, mournful, deafening whistle, as did Mrs. Astor, thus leaving me in perfect suspense about what General Van Alen did or did not do, for by the time the train was gone she had turned to address her other partner at table. — Vidal Gore, Eighteen Seventy, 2181

Note

The passage illustrates the use of a dramatic interruption (the train’s passing) to enhance tension, effectively emphasizing the social dynamics at the table and the narrator’s role as a spectator in the unfolding drama.