1. It seems that the speaker is observing the scene from outside, probably from a nearby house ("opposite" her own), but this speaker also seems to see herself as apart from the rest of the community. She documents what she sees in a mostly neutral tone, not really indicating any feelings toward this possible death or the events that follow, but mostly reporting on what she observes. She "intuits," or infers, based on clues that she sees outside the house (the neighbors, the doctor, the mattress, the minister). At the end of the poem, she anticipates what she thinks will happen next based on these same clues. She is presumably making these inferences because she has seen similar series of events before and can read the signs.
2. The word "appalling" describes "the man ... tak[ing] measure of the house." This implies that he is some sort of appraiser or is in some way responsible for dealing with the deceased person's estate. It might be "appalling" because the speaker may see it as distasteful considering the person has just died. I could also "appall" because it hints at how quickly the business of life goes on despite a death nearby. In context, the word "dark" seems to refer to a parade of mourners who will be dressed in black to grieve the loss of this person.
3. The shift here is primarily a chronological one. Before line 20, the speaker seems to be making observations in the present, while at line 20, she introduces a future tense verb ("There'll be" meaning there will be). Here, the speaker imagines what will happen next and speculates instead of reporting what she sees at the "opposite house."
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