The Travillas had not seen him for nearly a year, but had heard of his welfare through the Lelands of Fairview.
All seemed pleased to renew the old familiar intercourse; an easy matter, as they were staying at the same hotel.
Lester was introduced to the Scotch cousins, as an old friend of the family.
Mr.Lilburn and he exchanged a hearty greeting and chatted together very amicably, but Malcom and Hugh were only distantly polite to the newcomer and eyed him askance, jealous of the favor shown him by their young lady cousins, whose sweet society they would have been glad to monopolize.
But this they soon found was impossible even could they have banished Leland; for Herbert Carrington, Philip Ross, Dick Percival and his friends, and several others soon appeared upon the scene.
Elsie was now an acknowledged young lady; Violet in her own estimation and that of her parents', still a mere child; but her height, her graceful carriage and unaffected ease of manner--which last was the combined result of native refinement and constant association with the highly polished and educated, united to childlike simplicity of character and utter absence of self-consciousness--often led strangers into the mistake of supposing her several years older than she really was.
Her beauty, too, and her genius for music and painting added to her attractiveness, so that altogether, the gentlemen were quite as ready to pay court to her as to her sister, and had she been disposed to receive their attentions, or to push herself forward in the least, her parents would have found it difficult to prevent her entering society earlier than was for her good.
But like her mother before her, Vi was in no haste to assume the duties and responsibilities of womanhood.

Only fifteen she was "Standing with reluctant feet Where the brook and river meet, Womanhood and childhood fleet." Hugh Lilburn and Herbert Carrington both regarded her with covetous eyes, and both asked permission of her father to pay their addresses, but received the same answer;--that she was too young yet to be approached on that subject.
"Well, Mr.Travilla, if you say that to every one, as no doubt you do, I'm willing to wait," said Herbert going off tolerably contented.
But Hugh, reddening with the sudden recollection that Violet was an heiress, and his portion a very moderate one, stammered out something about hoping he was not mistaken for a fortune hunter, and that he would make no effort to win her until he was in circumstances to do so with propriety.
"My dear fellow," said Mr.Travilla, "do not for a moment imagine that has anything to do with my refusal.

I do not care to find rich husbands for my daughters, and were Violet of proper age, should have but one objection to you as a suitor; that you would be likely to carry her far away from us." "No, no, sir, I wouldn't!" exclaimed the lad warmly.

"I like America, and think I shall settle here.

And sir, I thank you most heartily for your kind words.