Question

Read the excerpt from "The Lady Maid's Bell". Then he turned his back on me, and went on talking to his wife; and I knew what that meant, too. I was not the kind of morsel he was after. The typhoid had served me well enough in one way: it kept that kind of gentleman at arm’s-length.. What does the narrator mean when she refers to Mr. Brympton as “that kind of gentleman”?. A. She does not trust Mr. Brympton. B. She believes Mr. Brympton to be impatient. C. She thinks Mr. Brympton is too critical. D. She does not think Mr. Brympton is handsome.

Answer 1

A.
The narrator is referring to Mr. Brympton's behavior as being a cold one due to how she looks after acquiring typhoid. This goes on to mean that she does not trust him as his behavior is subject to change based on how she physically looks.

Answer 2

Answer: A. She does not trust Mr. Brympton.

In this excerpt, the speaker states that the gentleman (Mr. Brympton) lost interest in her, and went back to talking to his wife. The speaker then knows that he is not interested in her ("I was not the kind of morsel he was after"). She blames this on the typhoid fever she contracted, therefore, we can assume that the illness changed her appearance. However, she states that she is grateful for this, as it kept gentlemen such as Mr. Brympton away. This shows that the speaker does not trust Mr. Brympton and is glad he is not interested in her anymore.