There are a number of authorial interventions in the story, or at least interventions by the narrator. The first is in the first paragraph, when we're told the men went though "respectful affection." This directs our reading and sets tone.

The third paragraph summarizes what Miss Emily had been to the entire town, framing our understanding of character response to her.

The fourth paragraph includes a notation of the modern ideas changing the town, and of Miss Emily's "archaic" script. This shows the clash between new and old, part of the story's theme.