Diction 1

"Gathering my mantle about me, and sheltering my hands in my muff, I did not feel the cold, though it froze keenly..."- 113

First here are two words that  I believe need to be defined. The first is mantle which is a loose sleeveless cloak or cape. The second word is muff which is a tubular shaped bag used by women or girls to put their hands in to keep them warm.

In this excerpt the author is trying to portray the cold of the day. She uses the word sheltering which says that she is protecting her hands from the cold chill outside. She also uses the words mantel and muff to describe what she has to wear to keep warm in the cold.