But Enoch took to it all as a duck takes to water. His was a quick wit and a lively brain. His imitations of old Jebb, the Senior Clerk, kept us all in tucks of mirth. He would imitate Jebb taking a pinch of snuff, Jebb blowing his red nose, Jebb bowing obsequiously to a wealthy client, Jebb rolling back his cuffs to make an entry in the ledger. And we all saw the man, as though he stood in the room beside us; we smelled the snuff, heard the scratch of the steel nib as it scurried over the thick vellum pages of the book, heard the hinges of the door squeak, as Enoch carried out his silent impersonations! Even Tom relented and laughed too. “I shall take care not to let you set foot in my office, young man,” he said. “You and your brother are both rebels in your different ways!” But Elijah s
