Option 4: The way the money bulged her purse -> This is directly stated in the passage: "the way in which it stuffed and bulged her worn old porte-monnaie (purse) gave her a feeling of importance such as she had not enjoyed for years." The physical manifestation of having money in her worn purse symbolized a sense of financial security and significance that Mrs. Sommers had been lacking.
Hence, Option 4: The way the money bulged her purse -> The passage explicitly mentions that the physical sight of her purse stuffed with money gave her this feeling of importance, something she hadn't experienced in years, highlighting her likely financial struggles prior to this unexpected windfall -> correct