The younger Haer grinned at his father superciliously. "So our captain says he will defeat Stonewall Cogswell in return for you sponsoring his becoming a member of the nation's elite."
"Good Heavens, is the supposed cream of the nation now selected on no higher a level than this?" There was sarcasm in the words.
The three men turned. It was the girl Joe had bumped into the day before. The Haers didn't seem surprised at her entrance.
"Nadine," the older man growled. "Captain Joseph Mauser who has been given a commission in our forces."
Joe went through the routine of a Middle of officer's rank being introduced to a lady of Upper caste. She smiled at him, somewhat mockingly, and failed to make standard response.
Nadine Haer said, "I repeat, what is this service the captain can render the house of Haer so important that pressure should be brought to raise him to Upper caste? It would seem unlikely that he is a noted scientist, an outstanding artist, a great teacher—"
Joe said, uncomfortably, "They say the military is a science, too."
Her expression was almost as haughty as that of her brother. "Do they? I have never thought so."
"Really, Nadine," her father grumbled. "This is hardly your affair."