terrible! Four eggs and a kidney among two people! He could not divine
what she was at.

Then she got some butter on the end of a knife and dropped it into the
saucepan, and put the saucepan over the gas; and then poured the
plateful of kidney-shreds into the saucepan. Then she began furiously
to beat the four eggs with a fork, glancing into the saucepan
frequently, and coaxing it with little touches. Then the kidney-shreds
raised a sound of frizzling, and bang into the saucepan went the
contents of the basin. All the time she had held her hands and her
implements and utensils away from her as much as possible, doubtless out
of consideration for her frock; not an inch of apron was she wearing.
Now she leant over the gas-stove, fork in hand, and made baffling
motions inside the saucepan with the fork; and while doing so she
stretched forth her left hand, obtained some salt, and sprinkled the
saucepan therewith. The business seemed to be exquisitely delicate and
breathless. Her face was sternly set, as though the fate of continents
depended on her nerve and audacity in this tremendous crisis. But what
she was doing to the interior of the saucepan James Ollerenshaw could
not comprehend. She stroked it with a long gesture; she tickled it, she
stroked it in a different direction; she lifted it and folded it on
itself.

Anyhow, he knew it was not scrambled eggs, because you have to stir
scrambled eggs without ceasing.

Then she stopped and stood quite still, regarding the saucepan.

"You've watched me quite long enough," she said, without moving her
head. She must have known all the time that he was there.