A question on event timing


> Sentences in which event A happens  
>  風呂からあがり、パジャマに着替えたまる子の口がポカンとあいたのは、 **それから** 一時間後のことだった。  
>  Sentences in which event B happens

What event does それから refer to?

Is it saying that the time when Maruko got out of the bath etc was one hour
after event A?

Or is it saying that event B was one hour after Maruko got out of the bath?

I'm sure its not ambiguous but can you please explain why it must be the way
it is? If I had to choose, I'd go for my first interpretation, but I can't
convince myself either way.




To work from the information given both in your question and comment above,
the following could logically be said:

> "What event does それから refer to?"

「それ」 must refer to " ** _event A_** ", to use your own words.

「それから」 = "since event A (occured)"

> "Is it saying that the time when Maruko got out of the bath etc was one hour
> after event A?"

Exactly.

Notice the set of actions
「[風呂]{ふろ}からあがり、パジャマに[着替]{きが}えたまる[子]{こ}の[口]{くち}がポカンとあいた」 is nominalized by 「
**の** 」. Since it is nominalized, one can say that is 「一[時間後]{じかんご}の **こと** 」,
which is another noun phrase.

There has to be a time lapse of one hour between "event A" and the time when
Maruko got out of bath, put on clothes and dropped her jaw.

> "Or is it saying that event B was one hour after Maruko got out of the
> bath?"

No, that is just not possible.

It says nothing (unless you are not telling us something) about the length of
time lapse between Maruko's after-bath set of actions and "event B".

To recap:

Event A occurs.

↓

(One-hour time lapse)

↓

Maruko gets out of bath, puts on clothes and drops her jaw.

↓

(Time lapse of unknown length.)

↓

Event B occurs.




To work from the information given both in your question and comment above,
the following could logically be said:

> "What event does それから refer to?"

「それ」 must refer to " ** _event A_** ", to use your own words.

「それから」 = "since event A (occured)"

> "Is it saying that the time when Maruko got out of the bath etc was one hour
> after event A?"

Exactly.

Notice the set of actions
「[風呂]{ふろ}からあがり、パジャマに[着替]{きが}えたまる[子]{こ}の[口]{くち}がポカンとあいた」 is nominalized by 「
**の** 」. Since it is nominalized, one can say that is 「一[時間後]{じかんご}の **こと** 」,
which is another noun phrase.

There has to be a time lapse of one hour between "event A" and the time when
Maruko got out of bath, put on clothes and dropped her jaw.

> "Or is it saying that event B was one hour after Maruko got out of the
> bath?"

No, that is just not possible.

It says nothing (unless you are not telling us something) about the length of
time lapse between Maruko's after-bath set of actions and "event B".

To recap:

Event A occurs.

↓

(One-hour time lapse)

↓

Maruko gets out of bath, puts on clothes and drops her jaw.

↓

(Time lapse of unknown length.)

↓

Event B occurs.

