iantly.

"Come, sir, none of this nonsense!" he said sternly. "I don't mean to
leave this spot till I have satisfaction. If Sir Francis Lennox wrote
that scandalous paragraph the greater rascal he,--and the more shame to
you for inserting it.--You, who make it your business to know all the
dirty alleys and dark corners of life, must have known _his_ character
pretty thoroughly. There's not the slightest excuse for you. Will you
apologize?--and retract every word of that paragraph, in your next
issue?"

Grubbs, breathless with rage and fear, glared at him, but made no
answer.

"If you refuse to comply," went on Beau deliberately, balancing the
horsewhip lightly on his hand, "I'll just tell you what the consequences
will be. I've thrashed you once--and I'll thrash you again. I have only
to give the cue to several worthy fellows of my acquaintance, who don't
care how much they pay for their fun, and each of them in turn will
thrash you. As for an action for libel, don't expect it--but I swear
there shan't be a safe corner in London for you. If, however, you
publish next week a full retraction of your printed lie--why, then
I--shall be only too happy to forget that such an individual as yourself
burdens this planet. There are the two alternatives--choose!"

Grubbs hesitated, but coward fear made him quail the prospect of
unlimited thrashings.

"Very well," he said sullenly. "Write what you want put in--I'll attend
to it--I don't mind obliging Miss Vere. But all the same, I'll have
_you_ arrested!"

Beau laughed. "Do so by all means!" he said gaily. "I'll leave my
address with you!" He wrote rapidly a few lines on a piece of paper to
the following effect--

"We have to entirely contradict a statement we made last week respecting
a supposed forthcoming divorce case in which Sir Philip Bruce-Errington
was seriously implicated. There was no truth whatever in the statement,
and we herewith apologize most humbly and heartily for having
inadvertently given credence to a rumor which is now proved to be
utterly false and without the slightest shadow of a foundation."

He handed this to Grubbs.

"Insert that word for word, at the head of your paragraphs," he said,
"and you'll hear no more of me, unless you give me fresh provocation.
And I advise you to think twice before you have me arrested--for I'll
defend my own case, and--ruin you! I'm rather a dangerous customer to
have much to do with! However, you've got my card--y