Norman didn't drink. He believed alcohol impaired thinking.
Nevertheless, he seconded the doctor's suggestion. Spirits, he decided
reluctantly, had their uses.
The murder had riven a crack in Norman Saint Clair's complacency. His
safe world was crumbling about his ears. He recalled the Captain's
charge that Earth was decadent. It was true that more and more
Outlanders, men born in the colonies, were grasping power. Could it be
possible that in his academic isolation he had missed the real pulse of
life.
Jennifer said, "Whatever are you thinking, Norman? Your eyes look as if
you were miles away."
With a start, he realized that the pair of them were waiting for him.
"I? I was thinking that--that. Oh bother thinking. Let's get that
drink."