What is the meaning of this excerpt? The speaker believes that she and her peers ought to be in charge of assigning sentences in cases like Hester’s. The speaker believes she and her peers ought to be acknowledged for their good standing in the community. The speaker believes that the older women of the church ought to be allowed to serve as magistrates. The speaker believes that the magistrates have been too strict in their handling of Hester’s case.

Read the passage below and answer the question. somehow, it was hotter then: a black dog suffered on a summer’s day; bony mules hitched to hoover carts flicked flies in the sweltering shade of the live oaks on the square. men’s stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. in the excerpt above, the phrase "stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning" suggests that despite the heat, men still dressed up the men in the town were vain men's clothing appeared its best on hot days the men were not accustomed to wearing nice clothes