Is there a poem that goes with this?
a simile is the comparison of two things using the terms like or as. hopefully that helps.
These are stage directions (A). As you probably know, The Importance of being Earnest is a play. This scene is not one that would be read out to the audience, it is what the audience would see on stage, ie stage directions. Since you are reading the play's script and cannot see the action on stage, stage directions have been provided for you in your text.
Than, because then is used in chronological order. than is used to introduce second elements in comparisons.
