We had not been sitting long in the drawing room before Mr March was arranging a time

[Nonverbis]

We had not been sitting long in the drawing room before Mr March was arranging a timetable for the next day.

The Conscience of the Rich By C. P. Snow


https://books.google.ru/books?id=8V...re mr March was arranging a timetable&f=false


What troubles me is "was arranging" here. I can't catch the idea. Started arranging, arranged would be suitable here. But continuous seems inappropriate.

Could you comment?

 

[GoesStation]

It's an unusual way to express the idea. Sometimes we use the continuous to describe an action that has just begun: Suddenly the dog was barking like crazy. Snow uses it this way in the quotation.

 

[jutfrank]

I don't see anything particularly unusual here. One progressive action happened before a following progressive action.

What exactly is troubling you?

 

[Nonverbis]

One progressive action happened before a following progressive action.

I was taught that a chain of actions in the past is expressed by Past Simple.
For me one action expressed by a Perfect + another action expressed by a Continuous is unusual.
Maybe I have never met a such an example.

Maybe you could show me some more examples if it is a more or less frequent pattern.