How we cite our quotes: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
The companions followed the shady wood-road, the cow taking slow steps and the child very fast ones. (1.4)
This brief image shows us how childlike Sylvia is. This is important to establish off the bat, because Sylvia will go through some changes by the end of the story—and the story's pretty stinking short.
Quote #2
The thought of the great red-faced boy who used to chase and frighten her made her hurry along the path to escape from the shadow of the trees. (1.4)
Although Sylvia is scared of people, she's especially scared of men, or boys as the case may be with the "red-faced" kid. As it turns out, this brief memory will be interrupted by the entrance of another man who wants to leverage her youthful innocence to his own ends.
Quote #3
Suddenly this little woods-girl is horror-stricken to hear a clear whistle not very far away. Not a bird's-whistle [...] but a boy's whistle, determined, and somewhat aggressive. (1.5)
In Sylvia's mind, men are "determined" and "aggressive"—two things that she doesn't exactly find comforting. Can you blame her for being scared when the hunter first approaches?