Quotation from: Nostromo: A Tale of the Seaboard

Written by: Joseph Conrad

His voice was covered by the booming of the great bell of the cathedral.
Three single strokes, one after another, burst out explosively, dying
away in deep and mellow vibrations. And then all the bells in the
tower of every church, convent, or chapel in town, even those that had
remained shut up for years, pealed out together with a crash. In this
furious flood of metallic uproar there was a power of suggesting images
of strife and violence which blanched Mrs. Gould's cheek. Basilio,
who had been waiting at table, shrinking within himself, clung to the
sideboard with chattering teeth. It was impossible to hear yourself
speak.