Answer:
By involving the narrator with an odd cast of characters.
Step-by-step explanation:
Washington Irving's short story "The Adventure of the Mysterious Picture" is a part of "Tales of a Traveler" that tells the various adventures that the narrator encounters. This particular tale involves one picture that is kept in a room where one of the guests of the Baronet was to spend the night.
As seen in the excerpt from the story, an element of Gothic fiction is the inclusion of odd characters alongside the narrator. One was an "Irish captain", another with a "ruined head" while one is "an old gentleman with the nose". This mix of characters exemplifies an element of Gothic fiction.
Thus, the correct answer is the third option.