"Fact," agreed Greenwood. "I never was like it on board, was I, Tress.? It must be this rotten inaction."
"No, you haven't time to have the blues out there," agreed the sub. "Afloat we're fed on actions; but here we eke out a miserable existence on words. Yes, Fuller, I think we want cheering up."
"Let me begin," said the flight-sub. "Now, this is official. Message just come through. Listen: Yesterday morning in thick weather one of our destroyer flotillas came in touch with some hostile cruisers. The latter broke off action, but not before H.M.T.B.D. 'Ypres,' Lieutenant-commander Terence Aubyn, D.S.O., succeeded in torpedoing a large cruiser supposed to be the 'Opelm.'"
"Lucky blighter, Aubyn!" remarked Tressidar enviously. "I've met him once or twice. Wish to goodness I had been shipmates with him in that scrap."
"And now for a personal matter," continued Fuller. "For the simple reason that I merely did what I am paid to do, they've slung a little decoration at me. I've been given the Distinguished Service Cross for busting up a 'U' boat that was trying to strafe you, but couldn't."
In the midst of the blunt and hearty congratulations of his chums, Fuller suddenly noticed a nursing sister approaching.
"I'm off," he exclaimed hurriedly. "There'll be a deuce of a breeze if she finds that I'm out here without that fakealorum caboodle of a wheeled chair. Come along, Greenwood; bear a hand. S'long, Tress.; don't give the show away."
The A.P. obligingly did as the flight-sub. had requested and Tressidar was left alone.
A light footfall caused him to look up. Standing a few feet away was Doris Greenwood, who, of course by a pure coincidence, had been transferred from Auldhaig to the south-west coast hospital a few weeks previously.
"Have you seen Eric?" asked the girl, who was holding three or four envelopes in her hand. At the risk of losing his balance, Tressidar leant sideways and peeped under his camp chair.