The interrupted recital

An original fiction passage set in the nineteenth century.

Miss Linton had reached the third stanza of her poem when the candle beside her gave a sharp pop. A bead of hot wax fell across the page. Someone in the back row shifted; then a cough travelled through the room. Miss Linton looked down at the pale stain and folded the sheet once, carefully, along its crease.

“I fear the candle has cost me my place,” she said. A few people smiled, but she did not. She set the paper on the lectern and began again from the second stanza. This time she spoke more slowly. When she finished, the room was quiet for a moment before the applause began.

Analyse how the writer uses language and structure to present Miss Linton’s effort to maintain her composure. Support your answer with references to the passage.