"I've a dame in every port," he told her. "I'm true to 'em all." "But why so many?" chuckled Nora. "Variety." Paul let go of Nora's waist and she stepped back a bit. He turned around and started leading her the rest of the way towards the coffee shop. "I've a couple of hours left," he said. "I'd prefer to soak up some dinner in candlelight, with music, et al. But Ptomaine Joe's is handy. I've hit so many snags so far that I'm inclined to find me an advantage and then sit on it until I'm safe in space." Nora shuddered a bit. "Safe in space," she said softly. "That's a strange thing to say." "Why?" he asked. "So far out there, away from the friendly earth; nothing solid to stand upon, nothing to--" Paul laughed. "No footpads to raise lumps on the skull, no taxicabs to dodge, no--" "No women to kiss?" "You've convinced me! But I'm baffled by you. What kind of job do you hold?" "Why?" "It isn't everybody that can pick up and leave their work for an idle afternoon." "Oh," and her laugh was genuine. "I'm librarian for a large office of lawyers. I can get away because of polite confusion. No matter who misses me, he assumes that I am looking up a batch of stuff for one of the others. There are so many of them that they couldn't possibly get their heads together close enough to check up. Actually I'm doing just that often enough so that I can play hookey once in a while and not get caught." Paul laughed with Nora. He felt at ease with her and her presence made him forget all of the niggling little questions that bothered him. Time passed swiftly enough to surprise them both when the announcer called the time and number of Paul's spaceflight. "This is it," he said ruefully. "So it is," she agreed. "There's another day." "I'll call for it when I get back." "Do that," she said. It was not a tone of command. It was more a tone of absolute agreement. It pleased him. "Raging Vegan Gorgons couldn't stop me," he chuckled. He reached for her and she went into his arms forward for a good-bye kiss. Paul made the most of it; gave it all he knew how to give, and for his efforts he received a pleasant promise for the future in return. Nora leaned back in his arms, took his hands from around her waist, and turned him to face the spaceport door. "It's that way," she said in a throaty voice. She gave him a gentle shove. He went through the door and out upon the spacefield, walking across the sandy floor towards the spacecraft numbered BurAst P.G.1.