no one had made any further remarks about coats or imperial relations , and after several courses laurence had thawed enough to apply himself with a will to a charming trifle assembled out of naples biscuits and sponge-cake , with a rich brandied custard flavored with orange , when a commotion outside the dining room began to intrude , and finally a single piercing shriek , like a woman 's cry , interrupted the increasingly loud and slurred conversation .