His good humor and lively disposition might readily account for that, even if his position as the adopted son of a prominent citizen had no effect.

But it was understood that the doctor, who had no near relatives, intended to treat Phil in all respects as a son, even to leaving him his heir.
It may be asked whether the padrone gave up all efforts to recover the young fiddler.

He was too vindictive for this.

Boys had run away from him before, but none had subjected him to such ignominious failure in the effort for their recovery.

It would have fared ill with our young hero if he had fallen again into the hands of his unscrupulous enemy.
But the padrone was not destined to recover him.