The landlady looked in the direction indicated. An old man sat there and the voice was that of an old man.
"Did you say so, Mr. Smith?"
"I did not, madam," declared the elderly gentleman in an angry tone.
Again there followed a silence, when the landlady remarked:
"It's very strange; if any one makes such a charge, I wish they would come out and do so openly."
"Mr. Goodlove made the statement," came a voice.
Mr. Goodlove was the bumptious young man. He at once rose to his feet and in an indignant tone declared:
"It's a lie, I did not make the statement. Who says I did?"
"I do," came the answer, and it appeared to come from the young lady typewriter number two, who was a pretty, delicate-looking young girl, quiet, modest, and least likely to speak out boldly.