Answer:
D. [Lane is arranging afternoon tea on the table, and after the music has ceased, Algernon enters.]
Step-by-step explanation:
Format: Stage Directions
As playwrights write their plays, they often imagine their characters moving around on the stage. Playwrights usually know what they want the characters to do during different scenes. They might already have an idea of what the scene should look like.
Because the majority of the script is composed of dialogue, playwrights include stage directions in their work. These let actors, directors, and others involved in the play know which characters are in a certain scene, what the scene looks like, and what the characters are doing or feeling.
Look at this passage from The Importance of Being Earnest. The stage directions in bold appear in brackets, [ ], to set them apart from the dialogue. Stage directions are not meant to be spoken; they are meant to be done.
Algernon. [Stiffly.] I believe it is customary in good society to take some slight refreshment at five o'clock. Where have you been since last Thursday?
Jack. [Sitting down on the sofa.] In the country.
Algernon. What on earth do you do there?
Jack. [Pulling off his gloves.] When one is in town one amuses oneself. When one is in the country one amuses other people. It is excessively boring.
Algernon. And who are the people you amuse?
Jack. [Airily.] Oh, neighbours, neighbours.