Barnes & Noble Digital Library

In the title story, the “hermit” is a boy who witnessed the murder of his parents and sister. The trauma has shaped his life, but a new neighbor—the “wild woman”—is about to change his outlook. Wharton’s 1908 collection also includes “The Last Asset,” “In Trust,” “The Pretext,” “The Verdict,” “The Pot-Boiler,” and “The Best Man.”