The answer is: 2. temptation.
In the excerpt from "A Pair of Silk Stockings," the author Kate Chopin directs attention to Mrs. Sommers desire to spend the money on her own rather than on her children. In that respect, the words used to describe the articles she wishes to purchase have a provocative connotation. For example, soft means gentle, luxurious refers to something extremely elegant and classy, glisten is to shine, and serpent-like implies that the object is smooth to the sense of touch.