Answer:
Louise Carpenter was gripping a desk, her knuckles white.
Explanation:
The question above is related to the story entitled, "Object Lesson," which was written by<em> Ellery Queen (a pseudonym). </em>
The story centers on the character of Ellery, as he was called by Miss Carpenter to have a speech in class regarding<em> "Notorious Criminals I Have Known." </em>This came about when Miss Carpenter knew that three of his students in class were responsible for a juvenile crime she witnessed. However, on the day of the speech, Miss Carpenter noticed that <u>someone stole her $7 inside her envelop.</u>
As Ellery was searching the different places where the suspect might have placed the $7, "<em>Louise Carpenter was gripping a desk, her knuckles white." </em>This causes uncertainty on the reader because<u> it doesn't give a clear sign whether the money will be found or not</u>.
Louise Carpenter's action shows that she is <em>"anticipating to be let down."</em> This means that she, somehow, figured out that <u>Ellery won't be able to find the suspect and money because they only have a few minutes left</u> <em>(4 and 1/2 minutes, to be exact)</em>.<em> </em>
