Between Captain Vye and the Yeobrights there had never existed much acquaintance, the former having come as a stranger and purchased the long-empty house at Mistover Knap not long before the death of Mrs. Yeobright's husband.
And " out-of-towners" – that's three words hyphenated – " out-of-towners" are people that live – that don't live, rather – that do not live in your town, in your city, and are visiting from another city.