"Gracious!" ejaculated the elderly lady, and the occupants of the 'bus became magnetised to attention.
"Now that's extremely interesting," exclaimed the thin man with a nervous movement of his hand; "could you tell us the name of the ship?"
"Can't say as I can, Sir," was the discouraging reply.
"Of course not, of course not," spluttered a testy old gentleman in white spats; "a very injudicious question in a public conveyance." He glared at the thin man with intention.
"Sort o' fancy name she 'ad," the sailor continued, quite unmoved by this outburst; "fact she was a bit fancy all round."
"Ha! disguised, I presume?" exclaimed the old gentleman, his discretion for a moment overcome.
"Did she float for any length of time after being torpedoed?" The thin man put the question with a legal incisiveness.
"Went to pieces like a paymaster's digestion as soon as the second mouldy got 'er. Most unnatural."
He rubbed his forehead with the back of his hand and ruminated on the peculiarity of it.
"I suppose you got dreadfully wet?" the elderly lady asked feelingly.