Sentence:  <WSD>Now</WSD> she could let out the three parakeets without fear they would be stepped on or that Stowey would let them out one of the doors ; she could dust the plants , then break off suddenly and pick up an old novel and read from the middle on ; improvise cha-chas on the harp ; and finally , the best part of all , simply sit at the plank table in the kitchen with a bottle of wine and the newspapers , reading the ads as well as the news , registering nothing on her mind but letting her soul suspend itself above all wishing and desire . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events