Im going to say <span>b. Linking verb</span>
B Miss Havisham's dreary exterior and foul interior
Thoreau mostly uses imagery to illustrate time in the excerpt. The second sentence is saying that he is in the midst of time/living, and he can "detect how shallow it is," meaning that he is aware that life is short and that the end is inevitable. Thoreau also describes time as being fleeting, but ever-present.
I hope this helps!
Answer:
because after he keeps his appointment with the
traveler in the forest so brown announces that he plans to return home
