Hello. You did not inform the novel to which this question refers, which makes it impossible for it to be answered. However, I will try to help you in the best possible way.
Rumors are made up stories, which have no justification or evidence, which are told about people in order to defame or spread generalizations and lies about them. Homosexuals are victims of many rumors, which ends up damaging their life and freedom in some situations, in addition to stimulating homophobia.
It is only possible to find the rumors to which your question refers, by reading the novel that the question is related to. By doing this reading, you will be able to identify the rumors, that is, the false and defamatory stories about homosexuals.
Answer:
He was happy for being small sized.
Explanation:
The narrator of "Drummer Man" is small sized. Based on the excerpt we can infer that he was not much happy with his small size. It was only one of two times when he liked being small sized.
His regiment had to retreat from a war front, but their Captain was wounded and left between the lines. Someone had to go there and drag Captain back to safe place. It was not easy for other soldiers to do it owing to their large size. The narrator because of being small in size did the job with not much difficulty. So he was happy for his small size.
The expression "her heart was throbbing" implies that her heart was ultimately beating or pounding. It is to beat rapidly or violently. In simpler words, it just means that her heart was beating fast due to an emotional outburst. Hope this answers your question. Have a great day!