The correct answer is:
B. It is part of the rising action of the story, which builds the reader's suspense about how master Hauchecorne will prove his innocence.
Explanation:
The piece of string was written by Guy de Maupassant in 1883 and it's about a poor man named Maitre Hauchecorne that one day takes a piece of string he found lying on the ground and is seen by a well known man named Maitre Malandain, who accuses Hauchecorne when a wallet goes missing, and how society believes in the well known man even when the wallet is found and Hauchecorne's innocence is proved.
The part where Malandain accuses Hauchecorne of stealing the wallet is the rising action of the story because it develops the major conflict in the story, which is how Hauchecorne was falsely accused by Malandain and the climax happens when the wallet is returned to his owner, and still society believes Hauchecorne is a thief.