Jolly excuse to get off work.

I wish _I'd_ got a sister to be ill too." "Never mind," said Wallop; "if you'd been brought up in gaol you'd be subject to colds.

It's a rare draughty place is Newgate." No one but myself had noticed Jack during this brief conversation.

His face, already pale and troubled, grew livid as the dialogue proceeded, and finally he could restrain himself no longer.
Dashing from his desk, he flew at Wallop like a young wolf, and before that facetious young gentleman knew where he was he was lying at full length on the floor, and Jack standing over him, trembling with fury from head to foot.
It was the work of an instant, and before more mischief could be done Doubleday had interposed.
"Look here," said he, catching Jack by the arm and drawing him away from his adversary, "we aren't used to that here, I can tell you! Go to your desk! Do you hear?
There's the governor coming up! A nice row you'll get us into with your temper! Come, you Wallop, up you get, I say--you beast! I'm jolly glad the young 'un walked into you.

Serves you right! Look alive, or you'll be nobbled!" The result of these exertions was that when the door opened half a minute later the office was, to all appearance, as quiet as usual.
To our surprise, the comer was not Mr Barnacle, who usually arrived first, but Mr Merrett, who on other days hardly ever put in an appearance till an hour later.
What was the reason of this reversal of the order of things we could not say, and did not much care.