'Can you show me a copy of the _Mirror_,' the captain asked, 'for October 3rd?'
Mr. Licquorish turned to the file, and Greybrooke looked over his shoulder.
'There it is!' cried the captain indignantly.
They read the original notice together. It said that, if _The Scorn of Scorns_ was written by a new writer, his next story would be looked for with great interest. It 'could not refrain from quoting the following exquisitely tender passage.' It found the earlier pages 'as refreshing as a spring morning,' and the closing chapters were a triumph of 'the art that conceals art.'
'Well, what have you to say to that?' asked Greybrooke fiercely.
'A mistake,' said the editor blandly. 'Such things do happen occasionally.'
'The insult,' cried Greybrooke, 'must have been intentional.'
'No. I fancy the authoress must be to blame for this. Did she send a copy of the work to us?'
'I should think it very unlikely,' said Greybrooke, fuming.
'Not at all,' said the editor, 'especially if she is a Silchester lady.'
'It generally comes about in this way. The publishers send a copy of the book to a newspaper, and owing to pressure on the paper's space, no notice appears for some time. The author, who looks for it daily, thinks that the publishers have neglected their duty, and sends a copy to the office himself. The editor, forgetful that he has had a notice of the book lying ready for printing for months, gives the second copy to another reviewer. By and by the first review appears, but owing to an oversight the editor does not take note of it, and after a time, unless his attention is called to the matter, the second review appears also. Probably that is the explanation in this case.'
'But such carelessness on a respectable paper is incomprehensible,' said the captain.
The editor was looking up his books to see if they shed any light on the affair, but he answered--
'On the contrary, it is an experience known to most newspapers. Ah, I have it!'
Mr. Licquorish read out, '_The Scorn of Scorns_, received September 1st, reviewed October 3rd.' Several pages farther on he discovered, '_The Scorn of Scorns_, received September 24th, reviewed December 19th.'
'You will find,' he said, 'that this explains it.'