Answer:
A. It creates tension by suggesting the man will die.
Explanation:
Option A is the correct answer because beginning the story that way will make readers to conclude that something unfortunate will happen to the man.
Also, the last sentence gives a strong suggestion that the man will die:
"...My own case, I know, is hopeless, and I am now in some measure prepared to meet my fate."
This is true because the man mentioned that his case was hopeless.
The Story of the Late Mr. Elvesham is a short story written by an English writer known as H. G. Wells.
The short story was narrated by a man called Edward Eden. He meets a strange old man who wanted him to be his heir. As a result of this strange encounter, other stranger things followed.