Page:Stella Dallas, a novel (IA stelladallasnove00prou).pdf/66

56 The first night after dinner Con had inquired of Laurel, "Do you ride?"

It seemed there was a stable back of the house.

"I ride some."

"Can you swim?" Dane had asked.

"I swim a little."

To Mrs. Morrison's amazement, to the boys' amazement, too—and to their admiration besides—Laurel's "some" and "little" proved a great deal.

Next morning dressed in an old knickerbocker suit of Dane's (Laurel had never needed her riding-clothes in New York before), after she had ridden four or five times around the paddock back of the stable, she had called out, "Does he jump?" and the next time around she had taken one of the hurdles with perfect ease and familiarity.

It was the same with swimming. It didn't matter if her suit was satin, the swimming-hole didn't daunt her. She could dive better than Con! Laurel had taken swimming-lessons ever since she could remember. She had taken riding-lessons since she was eight. She had taken lessons in every sport which her mother considered fashionable and in which instructions could be bought.

"The funny thing is," said Con to Laurel the second day, "you don't play tennis."

But in games which required partners, Laurel had not had much experience. Solitaire sports were her specialty. However, she was pretty good at golf, she told Con. There had usually been a professional at the links connected with the summer hotels which her mother patronized.