"Win or not win, play or not play," exclaimed both the churchmen, "this is a libel--no doubt, no doubt, a libel." Poor Henry's confined knowledge of his native language tormented him so much with curiosity upon this occasion, that he went softly up to his uncle, and asked him in a whisper, "What is the meaning of the word libel?" "A libel," replied the dean, in a raised voice, "is that which one person publishes to the injury of another." "And what can the injured person do," asked Henry, "if the accusation should chance to be true?" "Prosecute," replied the dean. "But, then, what does he do if the accusation be false?" "Prosecute likewise," answered the dean. "How, uncle! is it possible that the innocent behave just like the guilty?" "There is no other way to act." "Why, then, if I were the innocent, I would do nothing at all sooner than I would act like the guilty. I would not persecute--" "I said _prosecute_," cried the dean in anger. "Leave the room; you have no comprehension." "Oh, yes, now I understand the difference of the two words; but they sound so much alike, I did not at first observe the distinction. You said, 'the innocent prosecute, but the _guilty persecute_.'" He bowed (convinced as he thought) and left the room. After this modern star-chamber, which was left sitting, had agreed on its mode of vengeance, and the writer of the libel was made acquainted with his danger, he waited, in all humility, upon Lady Clementina, and assured her, with every appearance of sincerity, "That she was not the person alluded to by the paragraph in question, but that the initials which she had conceived to mark out her name, were, in fact, meant to point out Lady Catherine Newland." "But, sir," cried Lady Clementina, "what could induce you to write such a paragraph upon Lady Catherine? She _never_ plays." "We know that, madam, or we dared not to have attacked her. Though we must circulate libels, madam, to gratify our numerous readers, yet no people are more in fear of prosecutions than authors and editors; therefore, unless we are deceived in our information, we always take care to libel the innocent--we apprehend nothing from them--their own characters support them--but the guilty are very tenacious; and what they cannot secure by fair means, they will employ force to accomplish. Dear madam, be assured I have too much regard for a wife and seven small children, who are maintained by my industry alone, to have written anything in the nature of a libel upon your ladyship." CHAPTER XVI. About this period the dean had just published a pamphlet in his own name, and in which that of his friend the bishop was only mentioned with thanks for hints, observations, and condescending encouragement to the author.