he felt rather wounded , though , for all his bravado : and he had not yet understood the worst ; he did not realize the implication of what they had done to poor ferris , until that very afternoon : all of them assembled and ready to fly , his harness rigged out and his epaulettes bright in the thin wintry sunshine , and a runner had come to let them know they might go to edinburgh , and he said , `` mr. laurence , your orders , sir , from the admiral , '' handing him the packet .