What explanation does Vera offer to her aunt to explain Framton's behavior at his departure? How is her statement "Enough to make anyone lose their nerve" an example of verbal irony (contrast between what is said or written and what is really meant)?

Vera told her aunt that the reason for Framton's behavior at his departure is because of the spaniel dog he saw approaching the open window together with her uncle, as he has a horror of dogs.

Vera's statement, "Enough to make anyone lose their nerve", is an example of verbal of verbal irony as it is written in a way to make Vera's aunt believe that Framton's supposed past encounter with dogs and seeing the spaniel were what made him behave the way he did, whereas she actually meant that Framton's belief that he was seeing ghosts is what made him lose his nerve.

Explanation:

In the short story 'The Open Window' Vera is shown to be full of fanciful ideas, she made up a story to Framton about why they are keeping their french windows open, saying that her uncles left to shoot birds through it three years ago and never returned, so her aunt leaves it open in the hopes that they will return through it one day.

Therefor when her uncles returned at dusk and Framton saw them coming from a distance he thought they were ghosts, so he left in a panic, leaving Vera's relatives to wonder why he left in the way he did.

Vera then explained to them that Frampton has a horror of dogs, and seeing the family's dog made him lose his nerve and run away.

A verbal Irony is a contrast between what is said or written and what is actually meant, so Vera's statement, "Enough to make anyone lose their nerve", is an example of it because what she means and what her aunt believed she means are completely different.