"Not they," declared Mr. Murgatroyd with conviction. "They've taken their gear. No, I don't want them back. Armitage, I accept your offer. Lend me Roche, Warkworth, and Hepburn, and I'll be eternally indebted to you."
The three Sea Scouts mentioned by name readily fell in with the arrangement, and their kit was transferred to the Olivette.
"I have a proposal to make," began Mr. Murgatroyd when, later on in the day, he paid a visit to the Rosalie. "You may think it downright cheek, Armitage, and you may turn it down if you want to."
"Fire away, then," prompted the Scoutmaster.
"Your head-quarters are on the Solent, aren't they?"
"Not quite. There's a creek where we keep our sailing-boat—Keyhaven it's called—about a mile or so from Milford. That opens into the Solent."
"Enough water for the Olivette?" continued Mr. Murgatroyd.
"Plenty inside, but she wouldn't be able to get out at low-water springs," replied Mr. Armitage.
"Look here," said the Olivette's owner, after making inquiries as to which was the nearest railway station. "This is my scheme: Suppose I keep the Olivette at Keyhaven, will your Sea Scouts look after her? Take me for trips when I can run down? If so, you can use her whenever you want, whether I'm there or not. Virtually I remain the owner, but in practice she's yours."
"Quite a good scheme, from our point of view," replied Mr. Armitage. "In fact, it looks rather like sponging on you. We hardly——"