How we cite our quotes: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #4
She was not often in the woods so late as this, and it made her feel as if she were a part of the gray shadows and the moving leaves. (1.4)
At times, we see the boundaries between Sylvia and the natural environment breaking down until there's no distinction between the two. This effect becomes even more pronounced as the story continues.
Quote #5
Suddenly this little woods-girl is horror-stricken to hear a clear whistle no very far away. Not a bird's-whistle, which would have some sort of friendliness, but a boy's whistle. (1.5)
This is telling: Sylvia would be delighted at the sound of a bird, but is terrified at the sound of another human. In a way, she has already explicitly chosen the natural world over man-made civilization.
Quote #6
"Dan, my boy, was a great hand to go gunning," she explained sadly. "I never wanted for pa-tridges or gray squer'ls while he was to home. He's been a great wand'rer [...] Sylvy takes after him." (1.15-16)
It turns out that Sylvia isn't the only member of her family to fall in love with nature. There's a dark side to this, however—no one knows where Dan is anymore. Is city life just too much for a nature lover like him to handle?