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."