Read the following excerpt from The Importance of Being Earnest, by Oscar Wilde. Lady Bracknell. Good afternoon, dear Algernon, I hope you are behaving very well.
Algernon. I’m feeling very well, Aunt Augusta.
Lady Bracknell. That’s not quite the same thing. In fact the two things rarely go together. [Sees Jack and bows to him with icy coldness.]
Algernon. [To Gwendolen.] Dear me, you are smart!
Gwendolen. I am always smart! Am I not, Mr. Worthing?
Jack. You’re quite perfect, Miss Fairfax.
Gwendolen. Oh! I hope I am not that. It would leave no room for developments, and I intend to develop in many directions. [Gwendolen and Jack sit down together in the corner.]

How does the author use stage directions to contribute to the meaning of the text?
A. to show the emotional relationships between the characters
B. to illustrate the type of room that the characters are in
C. to emphasize a humorous interpretation of the text
D. to contrast the way characters act with what they say