"Is anyone there," cried the traveller

One of the more irritating petty nuisances of this job is Tilly's habit of not answering telephones if she can possibly help it, her being Secretary and the rest of us available to answer 'phones for fun. Putting her 'phone through to the Acquisitions Team while she goes for a fag and forgetting to bring it back is just sort of one of them things. The real teeth grinder runs:

Telephone rings

Tilly gets up and walks into the centre of the room, well away from any 'phone which could pick up the call.

Tilly shouts: "whose 'phone is that?"

Pause

One of the rest of us (usually one of the Acq team) gives up and takes the call.

It's a call for Tilly or else for T.Aldous, who has his 'phone put through to Tilly.