Read the following passage and then answer the question. "A glance into the apartment at eight o'clock on this eventful evening would have resulted in the opinion that it was as cozy and comfortable a nook as could be wished for in boisterous weather … The room was lighted by half-a-dozen candles, having wicks only a trifle smaller than the grease which enveloped them, in candlesticks that were never used but at high-days, holy-days, and family feasts. The lights were scattered about the room, two of them standing on the chimney-piece. This position of candles was in itself significant. Candles on the chimney-piece always meant a party." "The Three Strangers," Thomas Hardy, 1883 What mood does the author create in this excerpt? A. mysterious and suspenseful B. cheerful and inviting C. deceptively ominous D. piously ceremonial