Which clue from this sentence from "The Nose" best clarifies the meaning of the word propriety? For the sake of propriety, Ivan Jakovlevitch drew a coat over his shirt, sat down at the table, shook out some salt for himself, prepared two onions, assumed a serious expression, and began to cut the bread.

A) assumed a serious expression
B) shook out some salt for himself
C) began to cut the bread
D) drew a coat over his shirt