Inference Skills - Worksheet

The passage paints a bleak and dreary scene, setting a mood of discomfort and gloom. The author crafts this atmosphere by describing the cold, grey day in late November, with a mizzling rain and a granite sky that hastens the onset of evening. The interior of the coach is no sanctuary from the chill, as damp seats, a leaky roof, and the clammy air contribute to the passengers' misery. The coach itself is buffeted by gusts of wind, rocking on its journey and further unsettling those within. The vivid imagery of the rain smudging the leather seats like ink and the mud splattering against the windows, obscuring any view, deepens the sense of a dreary, oppressive day.

The passengers are depicted as a miserable, huddled group, united in their discomfort and responding in unison to the jolts of the coach. One particularly disgruntled old man's complaints and futile interaction with the driver highlight the passengers' helplessness and frustration. The jovial woman's repeated remarks about the foul weather and her indulgence in a hunk of cake contrast with the overall despair, offering a brief respite from the otherwise heavy atmosphere. Meanwhile, Mary Yellan is introduced as a solitary figure, seemingly burdened by her thoughts, as she sits apart from the others and brushes away the cold drips of rain with impatience. Her longing for a break in the weather to signal a change in fortune adds a touch of hope to the otherwise desolate setting.