Katy liked all her gifts, both large and small, both for what they were and for what they meant, and took a good healthy, hearty satisfaction in the fact that so many people cared for her, and had worked to give her a pleasure.
Cousin Helen was the first guest to arrive, five days before the wedding.
When Dr.Carr, who had gone to Buffalo to meet and escort her down, lifted her from the carriage and carried her indoors, all of them could easily have fancied that it was the first visit happening over again, for she looked exactly as she did then, and scarcely a day older.

She happened to have on a soft gray travelling dress too, much like that which she wore on the previous occasion, which made the illusion more complete.
But there was no illusion to Cousin Helen herself.

Everything to her seemed changed and quite different.

The ten years which had passed so lightly over her head had made a vast alteration in the cousins whom she remembered as children.

The older ones were grown up, the younger ones in a fair way to be so; even Phil, who had been in white frocks with curls falling over his shoulders at the time of her former visit to Burnet, was now fifteen and as tall as his father.