lied Dick.

'Why then, Mr Richard,' said Brass, darting at him a supercilious and
reproachful look, 'it's my opinion that you've mistaken your calling,
and will never make a lawyer.'

'Not if you live a thousand years,' added Miss Sally. Whereupon the
brother and sister took each a noisy pinch of snuff from the little tin
box, and fell into a gloomy thoughtfulness.

Nothing further passed up to Mr Swiveller's dinner-time, which was at
three o'clock, and seemed about three weeks in coming. At the first
stroke of the hour, the new clerk disappeared. At the last stroke of
five, he reappeared, and the office, as if by magic, became fragrant
with the smell of gin and water and lemon-peel.

'Mr Richard,' said Brass, 'this man's not up yet. Nothing will wake
him, sir. What's to be done?'

'I should let him have his sleep out,' returned Dick.

'Sleep out!' cried Brass; 'why he has been asleep now, six-and-twenty
hours. We have been moving chests of drawers over his head, we have
knocked double knocks at the street-door, we have made the servant-girl
fall down stairs several times (she's a light weight, and it don't hurt
her much,) but nothing wakes him.'

'Perhaps a ladder,' suggested Dick, 'and getting in at the first-floor
window--'

'But then there's a door between; besides, the neighbours would be up
in arms,' said Brass.

'What do you say to getting on the roof of the house through the
trap-door, and dropping down the chimney?' suggested Dick.

'That would be an excellent plan,' said Brass, 'if anybody would be--'
and here he looked very hard at Mr Swiveller--'would be kind, and
friendly, and generous enough, to undertake it. I dare say it would
not be anything like as disagreeable as one supposes.'

Dick had made the suggestion, thinking that the duty might possibly
fall within Miss Sally's department. As he said nothing further, and
declined taking the hint, Mr Brass was fain to propose that they should
go up stairs together, and make a last effort to awaken the sleeper by
some less violent means, which, if they failed on this last trial, must
positively be succeeded by stronger measures. Mr Swiveller, assenting,
armed himself with his stool and the large ruler, and repaired with his
employer to the scene of action, where Miss Brass was already ringing a
hand-bell with all her might, and yet without producing the smallest
effect upon their mysterious lodger.

'There are his boots, Mr Richard!' sai