The old lady though he was a fussy creature, but since the porter agreed with him, she rang up her daughter and asked for her help in what she described as a little spot of bother.
【分析】句中的 what 不是引導定語從句,而是引導賓語從句,用作介詞 in 的賓語(in在此表示“在……方面”)。這樣用的what 大致相當于 the thing that,也就是說,in what she described as a little spot of bother 在此相當于in the thing that she described as a little spot of bother(在她認為是一點小麻煩的事情方面)。