tail off

[ovvpapatya]

‘What is that?’ A papery whisper pulled Rose out of
the strange, dreamy state she’d been in, and she jerked,
streaking red paint across her sketch. Miss Fell was
standing over her, the handkerchief now pressed to
her lips. ‘Oh – I’m sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to…’ Then
she tailed off, looking down at her painting.

I looked up a dictionary. "Tail off" means "to dwindle to nothing" and "to gradually lessen" and "taper off". Could it have another meaning?

 

[5jj]

‘What is that?’ A papery whisper pulled Rose out of
the strange, dreamy state she’d been in, and she jerked, streaking red paint across her sketch. Miss Fell was standing over her, the handkerchief now pressed to her lips. ‘Oh – I’m sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to…’ Then she tailed off, looking down at her painting.

I looked it up in a dictionary. "Tail off" means "to dwindle to nothing" and "to gradually lessen" and "taper off". Could it have another meaning?

I don't think so. Anyway, that's what it means here - her voice tailed off.

 

[riquecohen]

‘What is that?’ A papery whisper pulled Rose out of
the strange, dreamy state she’d been in, and she jerked,
streaking red paint across her sketch. Miss Fell was
standing over her, the handkerchief now pressed to
her lips. ‘Oh – I’m sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to…’ Then
she tailed off, looking down at her painting.

I looked up a dictionary. "Tail off" means "to dwindle to nothing" and "to gradually lessen" and "taper off". Could it have another meaning?

What else did you have in mind? The definitions you provided seem to fit in the context of the quotation, in which Rose's response "dwindled to nothing."

 

[ovvpapatya]

I didn't know that it was about her "voice"..