Sentence:  Every few minutes she would awaken for a moment to review things : Stowey , yes , was on his way south , and the two boys <WSD>were</WSD> away in school , and nothing was burning on the stove , and Lucretia was coming for dinner and bringing three guests of hers . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  have the quality of being; (copula, used with an adjective or a predicate noun)