“Why, the man must be insane!  How could he expect you to sign the application of two men for the same place?  Especially, how could he expect you to give him a preference over your own nephew?”

“Some men are strangely unreasonable.”

“We don’t live long in this world ere becoming cognisant of that fact.”

“And for this he has held a grudge against you, and now takes occasion to revenge himself.”

“So it would seem.  I know of nothing else that he can have against me.  I have uniformly treated him with kindness and consideration.”

“There must be something radically base in his character.”

“I’m afraid there is.”

“I wouldn’t have such a man in my employment.”

Everton shrugged his shoulders and elevated his eyebrows, but said nothing.

“A man who attempts thus to injure you in your business by false representations, will not hesitate to wrong you in other ways,” said the acquaintance.

“A very natural inference,” replied Everton.  “I’m sorry to have to think so badly of Ayres; but, as you say, a man who would, in so base a manner, attack another, would not hesitate to do him an injury if a good opportunity offered.”

“And it’s well for you to think of that.”

“True.  However, I do not see that he has much chance to do me an ill-turn where he is.  So far, I must do him the justice to say that he is faithful in the discharge of all his duties.”

“He knows that his situation depends upon this.”

“Of course.  His own interest prompts him to do right here; but when an opportunity to stab me in the dark offers, he embraces it.  He did not, probably, imagine that I would see the hand that held the dagger.”

“No.”

“But I am not so blind as he imagined.  Well, such work must not be permitted to go unpunished.”

“It ought not to be.  When a man indulges his ill-nature towards one individual with entire impunity, he soon gains courage for extended attacks, and others become sharers in the result of his vindictiveness.  It is a duty that a man owes the community to let all who maliciously wrong him feel the consequences due to their acts.”

“No doubt you are right; and, if I keep my present mind, I shall let my particular friend Mr. Ayres feel that it is not always safe to stab even in the dark.”

The more Mr. Everton thought over the matter, the more fully satisfied was he that Ayres had made the attack upon him.  This person was engaged as reporter and assistant editor of his newspaper, at a salary of ten dollars a week.  He had a family, consisting of a wife and four children, the expense of whose maintenance rather exceeded than came within his income, and small accumulations of debt were a natural result.