"Yes, that's his daughter, Alice Bradley; you must have often seen her picture in the Sunday papers. She's a real swell; they are friends of my old man's, although I've never met 'em myself."
"You are a foolish boy, Dick. You must go and introduce yourself at once! It's silly not to make friends of that sort when you can."
"Now, Dick, you do as I tell you. I'd like to meet a girl like that myself. You could introduce me easily enough."
"All right, Lola," replied Dick indifferently. "I'm even ready to butt into society if you think it will amuse you, but right now let's go for a swim. Bob and Madge will be waiting for us."
The beach was crowded when they entered the water together a little later, and as Lola was the only one of the four who ever did any real swimming, she left the others without ceremony and struck out for the raft, which, as it was now high tide, was quite a distance from the shore.
"Careful, Lola!" Dick called out to her anxiously, but she only turned her head and laughed at him as she swam easily along with an over-hand stroke that sent her through the water without the slightest apparent effort. In a moment she was past the line of bobbing heads that marked the limit of the average bather's courage and in comparatively clear water; another moment and she was within a few strokes of the raft on which a half dozen men and one woman were standing; one of the men she saw was the gentleman Dick had told her was Howard Bradley; the girl was his daughter.
[Illustration: LOLA'S THOUGHTS REVERT TO THE HANDSOME STRANGER WHOM SHE MET ON THE ATLANTIC CITY BOARDWALK.]
"She needn't think she is the only girl that knows how to swim," said Lola to herself, as she deliberately guided herself past the raft and out toward the distant shore line; she was quite conscious of the fact that all those on the raft had turned to watch her, and a feeling of bravado urged her to keep on. She felt strong to-day, full of youth and life, and she had no fear of any danger.
"Look, father!" said Alice Bradley, following Lola anxiously with her eyes. "Surely she is going too far out."
"By Jove," said Mr. Bradley, "she's fine. Look at the way she goes through the water."
"But it isn't safe; you know it isn't," exclaimed his daughter. "Look! Look at her now! Father! Look at her!"