Sentence:  The doctor sat down rather wearily , caressing the hen and remarking that the city was not the place for a poultry loving man , but no sooner <WSD>was</WSD> the remark out than a knock at this door obliged him to cover the hen with his greatcoat once more . 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  happen, occur, take place; this was during the visit to my parents' house"