And if mamma and Aunt Delaford don't find fault, you needn't." Isadore, seriously concerned for Virginia's welfare, was questioning in her own mind whether she ought to mention the matter to her uncle, when her mother set that doubt at rest by forbidding her to do so.
Isa, who was trying to be a consistent Christian, would neither flirt nor dance, and the foolish, worldly-minded mother was more vexed at her behavior than at Virginia's.
Isa slipped away to the cottage homes of the Dinsmores and Travillas whenever she could.

She enjoyed the quiet pleasures and the refined and intellectual society of her relatives and the privileged friends, both ladies and gentlemen, whom they gathered about them.
Lester Leland, who had taken up his abode temporarily in that vicinity, was a frequent visitor and sometimes brought a brother artist with him.
Dick's cronies came too, and old friends of the family from far and near.
Elsie sent an early invitation to Lucy Ross to bring her daughters and spend some weeks at the cottage.
The reply was a hasty note from Lucy saying that she deeply regretted her inability to accept, but they were extremely busy making preparations to spend the season at Saratoga, had already engaged their rooms and could not draw back; beside that Gertrude and Kate had set their hearts on going.

"However," she added, "she would send Phil in her place, he must have a little vacation and insisted he would rather visit their old friends the Travillas, than go anywhere else in the world; he would put up at a hotel (being a young man, he would of course prefer that) but hoped to spend a good deal of time at the cottage." He did so, and attached himself almost exclusively to the younger Elsie, with an air of proprietorship which she did not at all relish.
She tried to let him see it without being rude; but the blindness of egotism and vast self-appreciation was upon him and he thought her only charmingly coy; probably with the intent to thus conceal her love and admiration.
He was egregiously mistaken.

She found him, never the most interesting of companions at times an intolerable bore; and was constantly contrasting his conversation which ran upon trade and money making, stocks, bonds and mortgages, to the exclusion of nearly everything else except fulsome flatteries of herself--with that of Lester Leland, who spoke with enthusiasm of his art; who was a lover of Nature and Nature's God; whose thoughts dwelt among lofty themes, while at the same time he was entirely free from vanity, his manner as simple and unaffected as that of a little child.
He was a favorite with all the family; his society enjoyed especially by the ladies.
He devoted himself more particularly to sculpture, but also sketched finely from nature, as did both Elsie and Violet; the latter was beginning to show herself a genius in both that and music, Elsie had recently under Leland's instructions, done some very pretty wood carving and modeling in clay, and this similarity of tastes made them very congenial.
Philip's stay was happily not lengthened, business calling him back to New York.
Letters came now and then from Mrs.Ross, Gertrude or Kate, telling of their gay life at Saratoga.
The girls seemed to have no lack of gentlemen admirers; among whom was a Mr.Larrabee from St.Louis, who was particularly attentive to Gertrude.
At length it was announced that they were engaged.
It was now the last of August.

The wedding was to take place about the middle of October, and as the intervening six weeks would barely afford time for the preparation of the trousseau, the ladies hurried home to New York.
Then Kate came down to spend a week with the Travillas.
She looked fagged and worn, complained of ennui, was already wearied of the life she had been leading, and had lost all taste for simple pleasures.
Her faded cheek and languid air, presented a strange contrast to the fresh, bright beauty and animation of Elsie and Violet, a contrast that pained the kind, motherly heart of Mrs.Travilla, who would have been glad to make all the world as happy as she and her children were.
Elsie and Vi felt a lively interest in Gertrude's prospects, and had many questions to ask about her betrothed;--"Was he young?
was he handsome?
was he a good man?
But, oh _that_ was of course." "No, not of course at all," Kate answered, almost with impatience.