(from the Preface):

Heartbreak House is not merely the name of the play which follows the preface. It is cultured, leisured Europe before the war. When the play was begun not a shot had been fired; and only the professional diplomatists and the very few amateurs whose hobby is foreign policy even knew that the guns were loaded. (p. vii)

From the play Heartbreak House :

Act I, scene i:
(The hilly country in the middle of the north edge of Sussex, looking very pleasant on a fine evening at the end of September, is seen through the windows of a room which has been built so as to resemble the after part of an old-fashioned high-pooped ship with a stern gallery; for the windows are ship built with heavy timbering, and run right across the room continuously as the stability of the wall allows. ... With a sigh of resignation she (a young lady) comes to the draughtsman's chair; sits down; and begins to read Shakespear. Pesently the book sinks to her lap; her eyes close; and she dozes into a slumber.

An elderly womanservant comes in from the hall with three unopened bottles of rum on a tray. She passes through and disappears in the pantry without noticing the young lady. She places the bottles on the shelf and fills her tray with empty bottles. As she returns with these, the young lady lets her book drop, awakening herself, and startling the womanservant so that she all but lets the tray fall.)

THE WOMANSERVANT: God bless us! (the young lady picks up the book and places it on the table). Sorry to wake you, miss, I'm sure; but you are a stranger to me. What might you be waiting for here now?