Shadow of great britain

Marylebone is a famous residential area for wealthy people in London in the 19th century.

In this not particularly large area, the best parts of British art, culture, education, environment and other aspects are gathered.

The Royal Academy of Arts, St. Marylebone Church, Regent's Park, as well as the London Zoo and Queen Mary's Rose Garden located in Regent's Park, as well as the British Museum and Arthur's alma mater, the University of London, surrounding it.

Of course, there is also Baker Street, a pilgrimage site for later generations of detective novel lovers. In a few decades, a Sherlock Holmes statue and memorial will be set up at the Marylebone intersection where Arthur just passed.

In just five years, Madame Tussaud, a French socialite who has moved to London, will set up her first wax museum here ahead of Sherlock Holmes.

It's just that Madame Tussaud's experience of making wax figures is not as romantic as most people imagine. The reason why she is so proficient in wax sculpture skills is actually because too many people were beheaded during the French Revolution.

Therefore, at that time, Madame Tussaud, who worked as a housekeeper next to the medical scientist Curtis and learned the art of wax figures from him, never lacked fresh and lifelike materials.

Not far ahead is a restaurant that specializes in selling sandwiches. It's interesting to say that this sandwich restaurant is owned by the Earl of Sandwich.

Why is this kind of snack with vegetables, eggs and meat sandwiched between two pieces of bread called a sandwich?

You can guess it, of course, because the sandwich was invented by John Montagu, the fourth Earl of Sandwich.

This earl, who served as Lord of the Admiralty three times, made great contributions to the reform and exploration of the Royal Navy during his tenure. However, whenever people mention him in London, what they talk about most is not his achievements, but He was talking about his gambling-hungry personality.

Many Londoners say that the Earl of Sandwich, a quick and convenient snack, invented it so that he could stay at the gaming table without leaving.

It is said that every time he felt hungry after gambling, the count would shout "bring me a sandwich", and this is how the name passed down.

Although the Montagu family has always claimed that this was a rumor fabricated by political enemies to attack the noble Earl, over time, this matter has become an anecdote, and no one is willing to pursue it to the end. It's true or false.

This is just like the Duke of Wellington's nickname "The Iron Duke". Maybe a hundred years from now, people will forget that he got this nickname because the newspapers ridiculed him for blocking parliamentary reform, and as a result, he was attacked by the mob. , I had to replace the windows at home with iron ones.

When it comes to the surname Montagu, we have to talk about another Montagu, Mrs. Montagu, Mary Montagu.

The founder of the 'Bluestocking Society' is known as the most unique woman in Britain in the 17th century.

In her early years, she rejected the marriage arranged by her father, the Earl of Kingston, and eloped with Edward Montagu, a Whig parliamentarian and lawyer. However, the relationship was not particularly smooth. After her husband became the British ambassador to the Ottomans, they His feelings quickly cooled down.

After that, she fell in love with the Italian writer Algarotti Francesco who was visiting London, but this relationship ended quickly after Francesco was recruited by the Prussian king Frederick the Great.

After that, Mrs. Montagu, who was living in France, fell in love with a young Italian viscount again. This time it was quite lasting, and their relationship lasted for ten years.

After ending her long-term sojourn, Mrs. Montagu finally set off to return to her country.

What is gratifying is that throughout her life, Mrs. Montagu was not only inspired by her uncle Henry Fielding, but also engaged in literary work all year round, and developed many themes and models for later novelists. Of course, the most important thing is that she made full use of her travels and brought back to the UK a method of preventing smallpox by planting cowpox, which indeed saved many people's lives.

Arthur's thoughts were flying, and before he knew it, the open carriage he was riding in slowly stopped in front of a courtyard protected by a red brick exterior wall and decorated with black iron carvings.

The coachman took off his hat, turned around and greeted Arthur: "Mr. Hastings, I will have dinner at the nearby Ponsonby Restaurant, and then continue to come back here to wait for you until nine o'clock in the evening. This trip The bill will be sent to your mansion within a week by the London Carriage Rental Company."

Arthur looked at the coachman who was equally well-dressed as him, put on his top hat and joked: "Maybe I should change my career. Being a decent coachman in your company will probably make more money than being a policeman in Scotland Yard." ?”

The coachman smiled when he heard this: "You are serious, we are just making some living money. You are just a police officer of Scotland Yard, and you are not a real Scotsman. If you are a Scotsman, then I must admit that I It might actually be better than yours."

When Arthur heard this, he also knew what he was talking about. He smiled and replied: "Yes, after all, everyone knows that grooms in England feed their horses with oats, but in Scotland, oats are theirs." The national delicacy. It is for this reason that the horses of England stand out, and are as strong as the men of Scotland.”

When the coachman heard this traditional English joke, he couldn't help laughing as if he had heard it for the first time.

He raised his riding crop and tapped his brow gently, and said: "Mr. Hastings, although I have not known you for a long time, we get along very happily. If you still need a carriage rental next time, please feel free to contact us at any time. You can come to the company and name me. Then, I won’t disturb you anymore, and I wish you a pleasant stay tonight.”

"I also wish you a pleasant stay at Ponsonby Restaurant, and please don't get too drunk there for the sake of sending me home. Finally, this is a small thank you for your high quality service."

After saying this, Arthur took out two shillings from his pocket and left them on the carriage seat. Then he got out of the carriage and watched the coachman drive away.

It wasn't until he could no longer be seen on the street that Arthur breathed a sigh of relief with some distress: "What does upper class mean? Upper class means the normal travel expenses for the whole trip, and here you can only offset the tips."

Agares, who was squatting on the iron guardrail of the red brick wall and looking out, heard this and couldn't help but smile and nod: "Arthur, it seems that you have understood part of the essence."

Arthur didn't pay attention to the red devil. He just walked to the dark door and gently shook the copper bell tied with a red ribbon hanging in front of the door.

There was only a jingling sound, and the double doors of the front hall supported by ivory marble columns behind the courtyard door soon opened.

Two people walked out of it. One was a middle-aged butler wearing a simple and smart tuxedo, white gloves, and half-long hair. The other was wearing a lace scarf and woolen stockings on his legs. , a young maid wearing a black linen dress and a white ruffled patterned apron.

Arthur looked at the butler, then at the maid, and nodded slightly.

There are indeed similarities, but they are definitely not as exaggerated as in Japanese comics.

He took out a business card from the pocket of the handkerchief on his chest and handed it over. He smiled and said: "Please inform the Lord and Mrs. Codrington, Superintendent of the East London District of the Greater London Police Department, in the field of electromagnetics." The philosophical scholar, Arthur Hastings, was invited to visit."

The butler stretched out his white-gloved hands to take the business card. After examining it carefully, he quickly half-bowed with a smile on his face.

"Mr. Hastings, I didn't expect you to come so early. Lord Codrington thought you might arrive a little late. After all, a scholar like you may need to spend some time preparing experimental equipment and thoughts."

Arthur smiled and said: "After all, this is my first time to attend General Codrington's banquet. It is always better to arrive early. However, your words reminded me. In order to be able to demonstrate the progress in the field of electromagnetism today Achievements, I specially borrowed some things from Mr. Faraday. There should be a carriage from the Royal Society arriving soon to transport relevant equipment. If they arrive, please let me know at that time."

The housekeeper nodded slightly and said, "Please don't worry, keep it with me."

After saying this, the housekeeper ordered the maid behind him: "Jenny, take Mr. Hastings to the lounge first. By the way, inform the kitchen that the snacks prepared earlier are ready to be served."

The maid named Jenny came forward and bowed slightly, then said: "Mr. Hastings, please follow me."

Arthur followed the instructions in the "London Social Guide" and raised his right hand to touch the brim of his hat in return. Then he followed the maid to the front hall and walked into the three-story house of the White Flag Vice Admiral of the Royal Navy. Di.

As soon as I entered the front hall, the first thing I saw was a portrait of General Codrington hanging on the wall.

Lord Codrington's appearance is indeed decent. The beautiful navy uniform also makes him majestic, and the smooth part on the top of his head also illustrates the veteran's past resume very well, which can be understood at a glance. He must have served as commander of the Mediterranean Fleet.

Of course, to avoid being rude, Arthur was relatively restrained and did not express his artistic comments on this portrait in public.

He just asked softly: "Am I the first to arrive today?"

Jenny put her hands on her abdomen and smiled reservedly. She answered while leading the way: "A few guests have already arrived in the lounge. They are chatting and playing cards there. If you feel that being alone is boring, you can join them, or You can also read a book."

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "Can you please tell me who they are?"

"Well... those who come early are usually young people. I remember that they seem to be all current or former subordinates of Lord Codrington. Several gentlemen are all from the Royal Navy. For example, Captain John Franklin of the Royal Navy Reserve, Commander Captain Robert Fitzroy of HMS Beagle, and His Majesty's Naval Attaché, Sir George Elliot, commanding HMS Victory, Commander's Flagship at Portsmouth Naval Base."

When Arthur heard this, he roughly understood the scale and level of the banquet. He felt confident and relaxed. He couldn't help but joked: "You can remember it so clearly, madam. It seems that you will definitely be able to be here in the future." The head maid."

Hearing this, Jenny couldn't help but blush and said with a smile: "Mr. Hastings, you are really joking."

After saying this, she gently knocked on the mahogany door of the lounge, then bowed slightly and said: "Gentlemen, a new guest has arrived."