Sentence:  While she was doing this the wood partition in the centre of the house thrilled to its centre with the tugging of a <WSD>bell-pull</WSD> upstairs. A bell below tinkled a note that was feebler in sound than the twanging of wires and cranks that had produced it. 
Meaning of the word marked with <WSD> tags:  A handle attached to a rope that rings a bell.