The answer is world war 2 i think
C. Holmes lets him go free, because there wasn't enough of a case.
A. Longing
The detail of the tablecloth having been used for three days as well as the final part of the passage supports that she wishes for better things (dainty dinners, shining silverware, etc.) instead of her own tablecloth that is supposedly the only thing she can use at dinners, therefore, she is <em>longing </em>for better things.
