"Stay out, I tell you!"
"Nope, I want a piece of this. You slug him and I'll kick him in the stomach as he goes down."
Burke looked at Jarman, and relaxed, as if he knew that the fighting moment was past. "Tut, tut, Gentlemen! You're squabbling among yourselves." He turned away. "Goodnight, Dodson. Don't wake me coming in."
Tex was still fuming. "We should have let him have it. He'll make your life miserable until you slap him down. My Uncle Bodie says the way to deal with that sort of pimple is to belt him around until he apologizes."
"And get kicked out of the Patrol before we're in it? I let him get me mad, so that puts him one up. Come on- let's see what else there is to see."
But Call-to-Quarters sounded before they worked .around to the next of the four alcoves. Matt said good night to Tex at his door and went inside. Burke was asleep or shamming. Matt peeled off his clothes, shinnied up into his bunk, looked for the light switch, spotted it, and ordered it to switch off.
The unfriendly presence under him made him restless, but he was almost asleep when he recalled that he had not called his father back. The thought awakened him. Presently he became aware of a vague ache somewhere inside him. Was he coming down with something?
Could it be that he was homesick? At his age? The longer he considered it the more likely it seemed, much as he hated to admit it. He was still pondering it when he fell asleep.
III OVER THE BUMPS
THE NEXT MORNING Burke ignored the trouble they had had; he made no mention of it. He was even moderately cooperative about sharing the 'fresher. But Matt was glad to hear the call to breakfast.