The extra chime
An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.
Mr Dorrin stood proudly beside the repaired hall clock while its owner listened. He smiled as it sounded twelve steady strokes, each one clear and full. When silence returned, he reached for the winding key. A thirteenth note rang from within the case, and his satisfied smile faltered.
Identify the phrase which reveals Mr Dorrin's altered mood after the final chime.
456 exam-style questions on Edexcel GCSE English Language 1.3 Content: prose fiction study requirements, covering 1.3.1 Read challenging prose fiction for the unseen 19th-century extract. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.