Two summers came and went, and the little park in St. James's Square rested once more beneath its covering of autumn leaves. Selwyn, who was still occupying the rooms of the absent New Yorker, was looking over his morning mail. The thinning of his hair at the temples was more pronounced, and here and there was the warning of premature gray. He had lost flesh, but his face had steadied into a set grimness, and his mouth had the firmness of one who had fought a long uphill fight. Looking through a heavy mail, he extracted a letter from his New York agent: '_Oct. 2nd, 1916_. 'DEAR MR. SELWYN,--You will be interested to know that the extraordinary sensation caused by your writings in America has resulted in the sale of them to Mr. J. V. Schneider for foreign rights. They have been translated, and will shortly appear in the press of Spain, Norway, Holland, and the various states of South America. 'It would be impossible for me to forward more than a small percentage of the comments of our press on your work, but in my whole literary experience I don't remember any writer who has caused such a storm of comment on every appearance as you. As you can see by the selection I have made, the papers are by no means entirely favourable. I feel that you should know that you are openly accused of pro-Germanism, of being a conscientious objector, &c., &c.--all of which, of course, means excellent advertisement. 'I have had many inquiries as to whether you would care to conduct a lecture-tour. There is a Mr. C. B. Benjamin, who is financially interested in Mr. Schneider's affairs, and who is willing to pay you almost anything within reason, if you care to state your terms. 'Of course, the most discussed article of all is "The Island of Darkness," in which you accuse Britain of contributing so largely towards bringing about the present war. The German-American organisations and the strong Irish section here were especially jubilant, and every one concedes that it has awakened a great deal of resentment against Britain that had been forgotten since the beginning of the war. Even your detractors admit that "The Island of Darkness" will live as a literary classic. 'Your first ten articles have been made into book form under the title _America's War_, and are selling most satisfactorily. The first edition has gone into 40,000 copies. The attached clipping from the _New York Express_ is fairly typical of the reception given the book by the pro-Entente press. 'Your September statement will go forward to-morrow with cheque covering foreign rights, royalties, &c.--I am, Mr. Selwyn, yours very truly, S. T. LYONS.' With hardly more than a merely casual interest, Selwyn glanced at the clipping attached to the letter. It was from the editorial page of the _Express_. 'THE MENACE OF SELWYN.