Turn of Phrase

I've been reading H.G. Wells' The War of the Worlds to Eryn lately.  The twists of the language make for some tricky reading. I find myself reading in a rather stilted manner unless I pay attention.  And there are words and phrases that aren't really in use now, like loafers, which seems to refer to someone who loads a barge.  But I suspect they're the layabouts who wait for work near the docks.  Hence, they're loafing, although I'd never think of someone waiting for work as a loafer.

But the most interesting phrase so far was a sentence I wouldn't expect to see in a modern book, "His landlady came to the door, loosely wrapped in dressing gown and shawl; her husband followed ejaculating."

I guess he was really startled by the Martians.