The answer is C. He was gone longer thant the inhabitant of the house expected.
This man, after a long time away, returns to this place, the house that belonged to someone he knew and to whom he had probably made some vow or promise (he said kept his word). After a while, impatiently, he smote on the door and asked the people watching to inform the inhabitant that he had been there. Nobody expected his visit after such a long time.