He smiled back at her. "I thought Aerospace Force blues might be a little conspicuous around here."

"Nonsense. And I wanted to see your new oak leaves. A major now."

Promoted for accepting hazardous duty: lobbying on Capitol Hill.

"Come on, Chet. I'll show you where the bar is." She took his arm and led him through the jabbering crowd. Mary-Ellen was small, slender, almost frail-looking. But she had the strength of a tigress and the open, honest face of a woman who could stand beside her husband in the face of anything from Washington cocktail parties to the tight infight- ing of rural Pennsylvania politics.

The bar dispenser hummed impersonally to itself as it produced a heavy scotch and water. Kinsman took a stinging sip of it.

"I was worried you wouldn't come," Mary-Ellen said over the noise of the crowd. "You've been a hermit ever since you arrived in Washington."

"Pentagon keeps me pretty busy."

"And no date? No woman on your arm? That isn't the Chet Kinsman I used to know back when." 171

"I'm preparing for the priesthood." "I'd almost believe it," she said, straight-faced. 'There's something different about you since the old days. You're quieter . . . more subdued."

I've been grounded. Aloud, he said, "Creeping maturity.

I'm a late achiever."

But she was serious, and as stubborn as her husband. "Don't try to kid around it. You've changed. You're not playing the dashing young astronaut anymore."

"Who the hell is?"

A burly, balding man jarred into Kinsman from behind, sloshing half the drink out of his glass.

"Whoops, didn't get it on ya, did ... oh, hi, Mrs. McGrath. Looks like I'm waterin' your rug."

"That won't hurt it," Mary-Ellen said. "Do you two know each other? Tug Wynne . . ."

"I've seen the Major on the Hill."

Kinsman said, "You're with Satellite News, aren't you?"

Nodding, Wynne replied, "Surprised to see you here, Major, after this morning's committee session."

Kinsman forced a grin. "I'm an old family friend. I've known the Senator since we were kids."

"You think he's gonna vote against the Moonbase pro- gram?"

"I hope not," Kinsman said.

Mary-Ellen kept silent.

"He sure gave your Colonel Murdock a going-over this morning." Wynne chuckled wheezily. "Mrs. McGrath, you shoulda seen your husband in action."

Kinsman changed the subject. "Say, did you know old Cy Calder? Used to work for Allied News Syndicate out on the West Coast."