Question

literary devices in the danger of lying in bed
any other road. but the fact straightway suggested itself
that the erie was an immensely long road, and did more
business than any other line in the country; so the double
number of killed ceased to be matter for surprise.

which literary device is in this passage from
\the danger of lying in bed\?

metaphor - a comparison of two unlike things without
using \like\ or \as\

situational irony - when the opposite of what you expect
actually happens

repetition - a word or phrase used multiple times to make
a point

Explanation:

The passage describes that the Erie (a train line) being long and busy makes a double number of deaths unsurprising. Normally, more deaths would be shocking, but here the context reverses that expectation, fitting situational irony.

Answer:

situational irony - when the opposite of what you expect actually happens