Matt looked at his instructions. "Me, too!"
The cadet came down the aisle in front of them. Matt and Tex waited for him to pass. The cadet did not hold himself erectly; he crouched the merest trifle, knees relaxed and springy, hands ready to grasp. His feet glided softly over the floor. The effect was catlike, easy grace; Matt felt that if the room were suddenly to turn topsy-turvy the cadet would land on his feet on the ceiling-which was perfectly true.
Matt wanted very much to look like him.
As the cadet was passing, the boy with the plentiful baggage plucked at his sleeve. "Hey, mister!"
The cadet turned suddenly and crouched, then checked himself as quickly. "Yes?"
"I've got an odd number, but I can't carry all this stuff. Who can I get to help me?"
"You can't." The cadet prodded the pile with his toe. "All of this is yours?"
"Yes. What do I do? I can't leave it here. Somebody'll steal it."
"I can't see why anyone would." The cadet eyed the pile with distaste. "Lug it back to the station and ship it home. Or throw it away."
The youngster looked blank. "You'll have to, eventually," the cadet went on. "When you make the lift to the school ship, twenty pounds is your total allowance."