Errand (archaic)

Errand – an oral message entrusted to a person

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/errand

I have encountered this word from the reading “A Rose For Emily”. The word was located at I page 1/6, last paragraph, and it quoted,”Her eyes, lost in the fatty ridges of her face, looked like two small pieces of coal pressed into a lump of dough as they moved from one face to another while the visitors stated their errand.” After understanding the meaning of this word I can say that it means while the narrator was describing Emily dead corpse the people say their prayer towards Emily. Some what like a goodbye message.