“I’m Jackson,” he said. “Bernard Jackson. We’re going to work in pretty close association for the next few months, so we might as well take it as easy as possible. I know a few things about you, but I’d like to hear more. And then I’ll tell you anything you want to know about your position here. Fair enough?” Rick found himself liking the man, just as he had the city, in spite of his determination to hate everything which had taken him from the farms. But caution warned him against confiding fully in Jackson. He told the story of his life, briefly, confining himself to those aspects of it which the man must already know. He said nothing of Barie and his terrible disappointment in losing her. Even this seemed to be known, however. “There was a girl, wasn’t there?” said Jackson. “A girl named Barie?” Rick hesitated. “Yes--there was.” “How do you feel about parting from her?” He shrugged and then remembered Barie’s own words. “You can’t keep childhood forever.” He repeated them, convinced that he was saying the right thing. The Orientation Officer nodded and smiled. “Sometimes we have a little trouble over such situations and corrective steps are necessary. Apparently none will be needed in your case.” He looked directly at Rick. “As to your own situation now the Machine has discovered an extraordinary combination of potential abilities in you, and has been able to match them in a very desirable counterpart with whom you will be paired. “You must understand that we are not wholly unhuman and mechanical about all of this. You will be properly introduced and given adequate opportunity to become well acquainted. We have special areas set aside for these courtship preliminaries. Whenever you find it mutually agreeable an official sanction is given to your pairing and you are then ready for the next step of preparation for your place in our society. The getting acquainted period usually takes about two to three weeks.” “What if it doesn’t become mutually agreeable?” Rick asked impulsively and wished immediately that he’d held his tongue. Bernard Jackson was not disturbed by the question, however. He merely smiled. “That just doesn’t happen. The Machine doesn’t make mistakes.” Rick managed to get a good night’s sleep in spite of the experiences of the day. A long time later he reminded himself that his ability to sleep had been a very fortunate thing, too--considering all that was to follow during the next twenty-four hours. He was introduced to Deva Warel, the woman with whom he was scheduled to pair, at noon the following morning. Bernard Jackson brought them together for lunch. She was seated at a table near the window of the dining room in the Orientation Building. With her was Jackson’s counterpart, a female Orientation Officer, who seemed unhappy about the whole arrangement. Jackson pointed her out ahead of time, as they came into the room. “That’s her, sitting right over there,” he said.