know the author?"

"I believe so."

"Who is he?"

"My impression is, that Ayres wrote it."

"Ayres?"

"Yes."

"Why, he is indebted to you for his bread!"

"I know he is, and that makes his act one of deeper baseness."

"What could have induced him to be guilty of such a thing?"

"That's just what I've been trying to study out, and I believe I
understand it all fully. Some six months ago, he asked me to sign a
recommendation for his appointment to a vacant clerkship in one of our
banks. I told him that I would do so with pleasure, only that my nephew
was an applicant, and I had already given him my name. He didn't appear
to like this, which I thought very unreasonable, to say the least of
it."

"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."