"I shall publish his letter and I shall brand it as a lie," retorted the editor.
"You will do so at your peril," answered Ariston.
"I fear no consequences," said the little man, straightening himself in his editorial chair. "When Chairo denies that he was at Masters's rooms between ten and eleven yesterday morning, and Lydia denies that she was there at the same hour, it will be time to resume investigation. So bare a denial as this"—and he threw Chairo's letter contemptuously down on his desk—"is not worth the paper it is written on."
"What is your proof of the correctness of your statement?" asked Ariston.
"I need not produce it," said the editor pompously, "but I have nothing to conceal," and after looking among the papers on his desk, he found and handed us a typewritten statement of the fact constituting the alleged libel. I was pretty sure that I detected here the hand of Neaera.
"Before publishing this anonymous statement," continued the editor, "I was careful to confirm it. The janitor of the building, upon being questioned by me in person as to who had passed his lodge during the hour in question, mentioned, of his own accord, both Chairo and Lydia. They arrived each alone and at an interval of a few minutes. It was an assignation. There is no doubt of it."
"You had best not tell Chairo so," said Ariston.
"Don't threaten me, sir," exclaimed the editor. "Your own rôle in this matter will not bear investigation."
Ariston rose suddenly and advanced on the editor, but I interfered.