Mostly when youre thinking of it, it's present tense while also being future tense as well, could, meaning in the present. For example, "I could do that". More than likely your sentence is in the present
The answer to this question is the first option in the choices which is Mrs. Hale "may not move as the reader imagined". Upon hearing the statement, it becomes clearer to Mrs. Hale how to respond as she sit down and think about how to handle the situation and she was able to come up with a new decision.
