A collection of six classic short stories from Edith Wharton, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Age of Innocence. Includes "The Last Asset," "In Trust," "The Pretext, "The Verdict," "The Pot-Boiler," and "The Best Man." In the title story, "The Hermit and the Wild Woman," the reader learns that the "hermit," as a young boy, witnessed the killing of his parents and sister during an attack on his town. As a result of his trauma, he has retreated into isolation—until he meets a "wild woman" who comes to live nearby.