Shadow of great britain

"Sir, the total fare is 1 shilling and 4 pence."

Arthur took out a few coins from his wallet and handed them to the driver, then opened the door and got out of the car.

For him, perhaps the greatest convenience he gained after being promoted from police inspector to superintendent was that the bus fare to Graysham College became cheaper.

The red devil covered his nose, trying to prevent the perfume that was permeating the air from entering his nostrils. He complained: "Haven't you already finished your electrical thesis? Why are you still here? Why don't you let me soak in it? In this pool of human flesh perfume that is more pungent than the Thames, I might as well drown myself in Barr's cesspool!"

Arthur lit his pipe, stepped on the burned out match on the sole of his shoe, took a puff of cigarette and said, "Come on, if you can't stand the smell, why don't you follow me at General Codrington's banquet this weekend?" Went. If the old housekeeper of the Rothschild family didn't lie to me, there should be many aristocratic women at the banquet. For them who value face, their perfume must be equally expensive. Of course, expensiveness naturally means A richer scent.”

When Agares heard this, he gradually understood.

"So, the reason why you made a special trip to the Royal Society today is to find Faraday to teach you some scientific experiments that you can perform at the banquet?"

Arthur glanced at him and asked: "Otherwise? I can't give them another live performance of the Hastings force that was done in Tower Hamlets, right? After all, that experiment required a rope to tie it up. There is a hemp rope on the wrist and a flintlock pistol, and the preparations for the experiment are really too exciting, which will frighten all the ladies."

When the red devil heard this, he couldn't help rubbing his palms and laughing: "Oh! My dear Arthur, you may have underestimated the tolerance of those noble ladies. Quite a few of them are far worse than you think. , compared to them, maybe this little villain like you is considered clean."

After hearing this, Arthur just stared at the devil and said, "Although I am not sure what you are going to say, I guess what you are going to say later may be of interest to Eld."

"how about you?"

Arthur didn't hide it. He nodded and said, "Actually, I'm about the same. If you insist on speaking, of course I'm willing to listen."

When Agares heard this, he couldn't help but smile and stretched out his palm to him: "Let's do this, a soul. If you agree, then I will first give you the information from the popular British aristocratic circle, Horatio Nelson's mistress Mrs. Hamilton. Speaking of."

Arthur nodded slightly when he heard the words. He held his chin and thought for a moment, and then said: "Maybe it's better if I go home and listen. After all, this is the lover of Horatio Nelson, the soul of the Royal Navy. I believe Elder will Those who are willing to give their souls to hear this story.”

After saying this, Arthur raised his head and glanced at Gresham College in front of him. Judging from the crowds of people leaving the venue, he could conclude that a science lecture had just ended here.

But what makes Arthur feel a little curious is that in addition to a large number of beautiful ladies and gentlemen showing off their gentlemanly demeanor at the entrance of Gresham College today, there are actually a few military police standing on duty at the entrance.

Before Arthur could step forward, the leader of the military police had already taken the lead in greeting him.

"Mr. Hastings, do you remember me?"

Arthur looked at the other person, but fortunately he had a good memory, so he didn't make the atmosphere awkward.

"I think I've seen you before. Are you Corporal John of the 10th Royal Infantry Regiment? I remember you. You left a deep impression on me during that corpse robbery case."

When the other party heard this, he couldn't help laughing and said: "No wonder the newspapers said that no criminal can escape your eyes. You have such a good memory."

Arthur joked: "The security company of the 10th Royal Infantry Regiment can be dispatched for guard work. Is there any big shot visiting the Royal Society today?"

Corporal John smiled and replied: "You are really accurate in your guess. You are worthy of being a detective of Scotland Yard. Yes, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, His Excellency Henry Goulburn, made a special visit today. Sir Peel proposed to set up annuities for scientists of the Royal Society." , Lord Goulburn came here today to understand their living standards in order to formulate an appropriate payment standard."

When Arthur heard this, he was happy on the one hand, because he had long felt that the income of scientists currently working at the Royal Society was too low.

The black formal suit Faraday wore when giving a speech was washed white, and there were even a few small tears on the edges of the sleeves. His relatively low living standard was completely out of proportion to his contribution to the field of physics and chemistry.

This is true even for scientists like Faraday who are well-known and specialize in applied fields, let alone those who specialize in theoretical fields.

In other words, even as powerful as Isaac Newton, he mainly relied on the income from his official position as director of the Royal Mint. The benefits brought to him by scientific research were almost all honorary, not material.

On the other hand, this is enough to show the anxiety of Wellington's cabinet, which is currently in urgent need of medical treatment. From the Beer Act to diplomatic victories on the high seas, and now plans to spend money to win over scientists at the Royal Society.

The Duke of Wellington may indeed be a military commander who is not very good at attacking, but from this point of view, there is a reason why many French marshals were unable to break through his defenses.

Arthur was wondering about the reason why Finance Minister Goulburn suddenly visited the Royal Society, but just as he got some clues, he saw a sudden commotion among the crowds of people in the academy.

Accompanied by the ladies' exclamations and a few shouts of 'catch him', Arthur saw a young man in a neat suit hurriedly opening a gap in the crowd and stumbling out.

Arthur glanced briefly and almost recognized him as his old friend Elder of similar stature. He originally thought that this might be Elder doing something he shouldn't have done in the lecture again, which ignited the anger of the gentlemen. .

But when the young man ran closer, Arthur realized that this guy was actually wearing a pair of oval gold-rimmed glasses, and his face was much softer than Elder's.

Could it be a thief?

Arthur thought of this, and his instinct as a Scotland Yard officer forced him to subconsciously stretch out his foot.

There was only a thud, and the man fell to the ground instantly. Then four or five Royal Society apprentices who were familiar with Arthur swarmed up from behind and pushed the man to the ground.

While struggling hard, the young man shouted in fear: "No! Please, don't take me back. I don't have the guts to stand on the podium of the Royal Society, let alone the little black man you prepared for me." In the house.”

Arthur looked at this situation and couldn't help but ask: "What on earth is going on?"

The apprentices looked up at Arthur, and then said in surprise: "Mr. Hastings? Oh, it's all thanks to you today, otherwise this gentleman would have to run away again! He has let us go several times. , if we let him slip out again this time, the president and the gentlemen and ladies coming to listen to the lecture tomorrow will definitely not be able to spare us."

"Escape?" Arthur originally thought that the man pinned to the ground might be a criminal, but according to what they said, this guy was not only not a criminal, but also a special guest invited by the Royal Society to give a speech.

He took a look at the man. He looked gentle and quiet, and he seemed to be in his 20s. He had such high achievements at such a young age. Why did the apprentices seem to hate him so much from the tone of their voices?

The apprentices also noticed Arthur's doubts. They divided several people to take the young man back to Graysham College, while the remaining one explained to Arthur sheepishly.

"In fact, this cannot be completely blamed on Mr. Wheatstone. After all, not everyone is as familiar with lectures as Mr. Faraday. Although giving a lecture at the Royal Society is a supreme honor, it will also bring great benefits to the speaker. An invisible pressure.

Moreover, Mr. Wheatstone's character can be said to be the shyest person I have ever seen in my life. We have invited him to give lectures several times before, but he would sneak out before the lecture started every time.

In order to allow Mr. Wheatstone to give a normal lecture, the Duke of Sussex also specially modified the lecture regulations of the Royal Society, requiring speakers to arrive one day in advance, and after arriving, they must be locked up in the Royal Society to prepare specially for them In a small room, we will not officially let him out until the speech is over.

But I didn't expect that even though we were so well prepared, Mr. Wheatstone could still find a gap in our shift change and sneak out without anyone noticing. I even have some doubts now. If Mr. Wheatstone had not chosen to study science, maybe he could inherit the mantle of Jack Shepard, the London thief king of the last century. After all, Shepard only successfully escaped from prison five times in his life, and Wheatstone Mr. Stone is now very close to breaking that record. "

Arthur took a puff of cigarette and looked up at Mr. Wheatstone, who was being dragged forward by the apprentices, with a frightened expression and nearly out-of-control body behavior. He couldn't help but be curious: "What field is this gentleman studying? Maybe I can Asking him for advice can also relieve his tension."

Arthur is happy to help, and of course the apprentices are also happy and relaxed: "Thank you for your enthusiastic help. Mr. Wheatstone comes from a musical instrument family and was originally an instrument maker, so his research field naturally falls in the field of optics and acoustics. If If you can appease his emotions, I believe he will be willing to teach you everything he has.

After all, you know, shy people are always easy to make friends with. And the 10,000-meter megaphone that Mr. Wheatstone made is indeed interesting. "

After dinner last night, I thought about lying down for a while, but fell asleep. It's already four o'clock in the morning when I open my eyes. This chapter is finished and there is another chapter that is missing. I should be able to finish it in the morning.