`` oh , how happy i should be , '' temeraire cried , deeply grateful , `` and i am sure laurence could not but be honored by the gesture - `` which proved even more splendid than temeraire had ever hoped it might be : there was still some deep blue silk held in the stores , and green , and yellow thread to sew it with which looked almost golden ; and it proved that mr. shipley had formerly been a tailor .