nd their actions,
beautiful dancers, good swimmers, full of "dirt," as they called gossip,
and as offhand with men as they were with each other. Within a week Hugh
got over his prejudice against women's smoking. Nearly every woman he
met, including Mrs. Parker, smoked, and every girl carried her
cigarette-case.

Most of the girls treated Norry as if he were a very nice small boy, but
they adopted a different attitude toward Hugh. They flirted with him,
perfected his "petting" technique, occasionally treated him to a drink,
and made no pretense of hiding his attraction for them.

At first Hugh was startled and a little repelled, but he soon grew to
like the frankness, the petting, and the liquor; and he was having a
much too exciting time to pause often for criticism of himself or
anybody else. It was during the last week of his visit that he fell in
love.

He and Norry were standing near the float watching a number of swimmers.
Suddenly Hugh was attracted by a girl he had never seen before. She wore
a red one-piece bathing-suit that revealed every curve of her slender,
boyish figure. She noticed Norry and threw up her arm in greeting.

"Who is she?" Hugh demanded eagerly.

"Cynthia Day. She's just back from visiting friends in Maine. She's an
awfully good swimmer. Watch her." The girl poised for an instant on the
edge of the float and then dived gracefully into the water, striking out
with a powerful overhand stroke for another float a quarter of a mile
out in the Sound. The boys watched her red cap as she rounded the float
and started back, swimming easily and expertly. When she reached the
beach, she ran out of the water, rubbed her hands over her face, and
then strolled over to Norry.

Her hair was concealed by a red bathing-cap, but Hugh guessed that it
was brown; at any rate, her eyes were brown and very large. She had an
impudent little nose and full red lips.

"'Lo, Norry," she said, holding out her hand. "How's the infant?"

"Oh, I'm fine. This is my friend Hugh Carver."

"I've heard about you," she said as they shook hands. "I only got back
last night, but everybody seems to be digging dirt about Norry's friend.
Three of my friends are enemies on account of you, and one of 'em says
she's going in swimming some day and forget to come back if you don't
give her a little more time."

Hugh blushed, but he had learned a few things in the past weeks.

"I wish they would tell me about it," he said with a