For while Hagen had formally and legally renounced his stepfather and his stepfather's business and way of life, Steve could not renounce the upbringing his stepfather had given him. Steve had none of the truly, apologetically, deferential bearing of the average rookie, who usually came of families of average means and worked his way up. Hagen had attended the finest schools, had gone to the best college, had played football and been sought-after by three leading fraternities. None of this had made him a snob; it was just that he saw nothing odd or upsetting about the fact that an attractive girl found him interesting. Had he been brought up according to his present financial, emotional, and social status, Steve would have been inclined to retire and leave the pursuit of Lois Morehouse to men who had experience and position. * * * * * He did not realize it himself, but Steve Hagen was trained to be the kind of man who felt no shyness at walking into the office of the Big Brass and sitting down to tell him what he thought. So he saw nothing odd about walking over to Lois Morehouse and smiling affably. "How was it?" she asked him. "Rough," he said. "Shucks, Lois, I wouldn't know whether it was rough or whether it was a milk run; this is the first I'd ever seen." "How was the trip back?" Steve laughed nervously. "I was never so glad to see solid planet before in my life." "You sound as though this were your first space run." "If it had been, I'd be a screaming imbecile by now. Luckily, I've been in space a lot; it's just that this was the first time I've made it in a little over-powered can, completely alone. Brrrrr." Lois smiled at him. "What happened on your first practise drill?" she asked. "We didn't go as far." "But--" "Well, I'd had that experience softened, too." Lois nodded. Steve said: "I could use coffee. Want?" "I want, Steve. But dad will be looking for me," she told him wistfully. "Good Lord, Morehouse doesn't make you work?" he exclaimed in mock horror. "What did you think?" she asked him with a quizzical glance. "I thought it was a case of plain, everyday, common, down-to-earth nepotism." "So do a lot of people, but it isn't true; I'm told that I earn my salary." Steve laughed. "I didn't intend that crack of mine to rub salt in an open wound." "Oh, I'll not take it seriously," she said. "But you go on and saturate yourself with coffee; glad you made it all right." "See you later," he nodded, and turned from her to walk briskly towards the mess. Seeing Lois had steadied him as he had known it would. Hagen was not given to mental analysis, either of himself or of others, but he did realize the truth of what his professors had taught him in psychology I--that the feeling of kinship with good solid earth and the regard of a woman were the absolute basic things that go toward making a man feel well in heart. So long as he can retain these--