Help me again, pls.

Posted by CjK on September 13, 2004

1. It's all the fault, she decided, as the tall fellow drew something on the back of an envelope, something that **was to be looped up or left to hang**, of these absurd class distinctions.

I don’t understand **was to be looped up or left to hang** .
........

2. - Laurie put his arm round her shoulder. "Don't cry," he said in his warm, loving voice. "Was it awful?" - "No," sobbed Laura. "It was simply marvellous. But Laurie--" She stopped, she looked at her brother. "Isn't life," she stammered, "isn't life--" But what life was she couldn't explain. No matter. He quite understood.
***- "Isn't it, darling?"*** said Laurie.

When Laurie said "Isn't it, darling?" , he meant "It is not life" or "It is life"?
Can you say it in other way? Thank you.