When the article arrived, the editor read the first sentence and then refuse to publish it.
When the article arrived = When the editor received the article
refuse vt.拒绝(态度严厉)
-- I invited him to dinner, but he refused me.
decline vt.婉言谢绝
repudiate vt.断然拒绝
The article began: 'Hundreds of steps lead to the high wall which surrounds the president's
palace'.
which 指代the high wall
The editor at once sent the journalist a fax instructing him find out the exact number of
steps and the height of the wall.
Instructing(现在分词)进一步补充说明fax的情况
-- he send me a letter instructing me to come back immediately
The journalist immediately set out to obtain these important facts, but he took a long time
to send them.
set out to do = decide and try to do 决定, 打算, 着手做...
= set about doing 决定, 打算, 着手做...
-- He set out to make his first 1,000,000 in 5 years.
take sb a long time to do sth 某事花了某人很久的时间
-- It took me five days to write the article.
Meanwhile, the editor was getting impatient, for the magazine would soon go to press.
He sent the journalist two more faxes, but received no reply.
two more faxes = another two faxes