Final answer:
The old lady's request to borrow the clergyman's pencil seems to serve as a distraction or diversion in the story, adding tension and mystery. It delays her progress and foreshadows that something unusual might be happening in the meeting she is attending.
Step-by-step explanation:
The old lady's request to borrow the clergyman's pencil in the story seems to serve as a distraction or diversion. The old lady claims to have lost her broomstick and wants the clergyman's help to get to a meeting where a young man is to be taken into communion. However, the clergyman denies her request to lend his arm but offers his staff instead.
This interaction serves to delay the old lady's progress and create tension in the story. It adds an element of mystery and foreshadows that something unusual or dark might be happening in the meeting the old lady is attending.