"He's a real jonnick," he muttered. "Sort of chap as 'as got some regard for a bloomin' matloe who gets a bit adrift. If ever I gets a chance to repay him I jolly well will, or my name's not Jim Stairs."
After morning Divisions Terence went ashore in company with the other officers who were to make up the party to visit McNab. Some were armed with fishing-rods, others with guns, and some with both. All were in excellent spirits, and evidently determined to "let themselves go."
A picquet boat took them to Culross, where their host's palatial car awaited them. After an all too short run Terence found himself at Tuilabrail Hall.
The house, standing high and surrounded by spacious, well-kept grounds, enjoyed an uninterrupted panoramic view of the Firth of Forth. The Forth Bridge, the Grand Fleet lying off Rosyth, and newly-constructed basins and workshops of the Scottish Portsmouth were within easy range of vision, while, by the aid of a telescope Grangemouth, Queensferry, Edinburgh, and Leith could be seen.
This much Terence noticed as he waited under the portico while the various members of the party were handing their sporting gear over to the charge of a grave and dignified manservant. Then, escorted by a liveried footman, the guests were shown into the McNab's morning-room.
"Our host has evidently overslept himself," remarked Gilroy, the lieutenant who had offered to lend Terence a sporting-gun and had faithfully kept his word. Gilroy was a young, pleasant-faced man of twenty-eight, with three thousand a year, and capable of obtaining any amount of influence. Yet, although he had more than once been offered a job on one of the Royal Yachts, he had voluntarily preferred to endure the obvious discomforts of a destroyer. "Look here, you fellows, I'll introduce Aubyn when the laird puts in an appearance. Don't be bashful, my boy; he's quite a free-and-easy chap. No bally stand on ceremony, you know."
"He's a lucky man to have a swagger show like this," declared the engineer-lieutenant, who, being without private means and newly married, found it a hard task to make both ends meet on his Service pay and allowances. "What a decent view. Look, there's a battle-cruiser arriving."
The officers crowded to the window. A long, three-funnelled battle-cruiser, mounting eight large guns and apparently brand new, for there were patches of red-lead showing on her lofty sides, had just picked up a mooring-buoy.
"Must be the 'Tiger,'" suggested Gilroy. "I heard she was expected round, but I didn't think she would put in an appearance so soon. By Jove, if the Germans pluck up courage to attempt another Scarborough business, they'll have something to reckon with."
"More than likely——" began another sub., but a hurried footstep in the corridor warned the guests that their host was about to enter.