Shadow of great britain

In the hall, the gentlemen who had been gambling happily threw the cards in their hands on the card table. They sat on the chairs one by one and discussed Arthur's origin in a low voice.

Although not every gentleman likes music, they have heard of the 'Paganini Mania' that caused a sensation in London a while ago.

Whether actively or passively, almost every gentleman present took his wife or lover to listen to Paganini's solo concert. Even if they couldn't read the music score, they could always remember the melody.

"La Campanella?"

"It's still the piano version."

"When did the London Philharmonic Society produce another outstanding pianist?"

"Let me guess where he is from, um...not bald, maybe from Vienna, Austria or Paris, France?"

"It's not reliable to judge by hair. Even young gentlemen in Britain have very thick hair. But when he reaches our age, he will be like that."

Mrs. Cowper looked at Arthur showing off his skills in front of the club members with a smile, and couldn't help feeling a little proud.

She politely put a finger between her lips, reminding the gentlemen behind her: "Gentlemen, please keep your voice down. When Mr. Hastings finishes playing, I will introduce him to you."

When the gentlemen heard this, they all smiled and closed their mouths.

Whether it was from the perspective of politeness to a lady, respect for music, or Mrs. Cowper's lofty status in the Allmark Club, they all agreed to her request quite reasonably.

As the performance entered its climax, the gentlemen felt as if the wine glasses on the card table were vibrating together.

Coupled with Arthur's powerful movements, either because he was a beginner or because he was used to practicing sword moves, even a gentleman who was not proficient in music couldn't help but marvel.

"It's almost like dancing."

"This kind of expressiveness should never have been unknown before!"

"This way of playing is not only technical, but also powerful. You can see clearly that every time he jumps, he uses the power of his arms. His arms drive his fingers across 8 degrees, and then he hits them hard, but And he can stay just right without sounding delayed. This shows that he has reached a very perfect use of the strength of his arms and fingers."

"Are you talking about playing the piano? It sounds like my fighting skills are similar to those of me, with a thin sword for the wrist and an epee for the arm. When you put it like that, I feel that this young gentleman is bending his talents when practicing the piano. If he practices sword fighting for two years, he will definitely achieve something."

Amidst the discussion among the gentlemen, the performance gradually came to an end.

Viscount Palmerston and Viscount Melbourne walked down the spiral staircase. One of them looked at Mrs. Cowper and the other at Mrs. Norton.

Two old men walked forward quietly and stood behind the two ladies.

But women's sixth sense is always very keen, and they sense their arrival immediately.

Mrs. Cowper's skin was fair and rosy, and her cheeks were rosy. It was completely impossible to tell that she was a woman in her forties. She took Viscount Palmerston's arm and gently nestled in his arms: "Henry, Have you and William settled?"

Viscount Palmerston took off his hat and said with a smile: "It's just a small matter. William can handle it himself. I don't need it."

After hearing this, Mrs. Cowper happily held Mrs. Norton's hand: "Caroline, I just said, the matter will definitely be resolved satisfactorily. It won't be long before you see Mr. Norton appear here." The court in London went to court. Being a judge is a good profession. The income of more than a thousand pounds a year is enough for you and your children to live a good life.

With this income, you don't need to write those poetry novels. Although female writers are a good career, it is still a bit of a humiliation for an elegant lady of the Norton family to do this. Maybe you could consider waiting for your husband's job to stabilize and take the children on a trip to continental Europe? Whether it's Iberia, the Apennines or France, the climate there is much better than that of Britain. "

When Mrs. Norton heard this, she smiled reluctantly. She turned to look at Viscount Melbourne behind her with a gentle smile. She just blushed and lowered her head: "I...I will consider it. But before that, I still I hope I can stay in Britain and settle my family matters."

When Mrs. Cowper heard this, she just stretched out her hand and patted the face of this lady who was twenty years younger than herself: "Caroline, don't be stupid. Even if you really can't bear it, there is no need to make up your mind to divorce. .Divorce is too costly for women. Even if you agree to leave the house, you will probably not be approved by the court.

Unless you are really determined to take the matter to the House of Lords, British law requires that you be diagnosed as mentally ill in order to separate from him. Do you want to be thrown into Bethlem Royal Hospital? Caroline, there's no coming back from that place. "

When Mrs. Norton heard about Bethlem Royal Hospital, she turned pale with fright. She thought for a while and finally lowered her head in front of the noble Mrs. Cowper.

"Ma'am, I...I understand."

Mrs. Cowper nodded, she held Mrs. Norton's hand, and comforted: "Actually, it doesn't matter if you don't divorce. If you really can't reconcile, then the best you can do is separate. Although divorce is not allowed by law, you can each The law does not stipulate how you want to live. If you think about it a bit, when my brother encountered your situation, he was much more uncomfortable than you. "

Viscount Palmerston heard this and nodded: "Mrs. Norton, to be honest, you should have married William. Let Ponsonby be with your husband. Two rotten people torture each other, and each of them can get something." retribution."

When Viscount Melbourne heard this, he half opened his mouth to say something, but due to the crowd of people in the hall, he finally swallowed his words: "Henry, the past is in the past. I don't want to do those things. Besides, don’t expose my scars.”

After hearing this, Viscount Palmerston realized that he had made a mistake. He nodded apologetically and said, "William, I didn't mean to insult her. I was just a friend and felt that you had been in too much pain these years."

As soon as he finished speaking, Palmerston took the lead in changing the subject. He leaned down and put his face next to Mrs. Cowper: "Emily, you haven't told me yet, who is that gentleman?"

Mrs. Cowper smiled and responded: "Henry, you should remember that I mentioned it to you. The outstanding natural scientist, friend of the scientific star Mr. Faraday and the great inventor Mr. Wheatstone, and the best policeman in Great Britain , the nemesis of the slave-trading ships, Mr. Arthur Hastings, Superintendent of Scotland Yard.”

"Arthur Hastings?" Viscount Palmerston was stunned for a moment when he heard the name, and then there was an inexplicable smile on the corner of his mouth: "Ah... I remember it, my dear, I I remember you seemed to like him very much."

When Mrs. Cowper heard this, she just pinched Palmerston gently with her hand. She blushed and lowered her voice angrily: "It's not that I like him, it's that I appreciate him. I admire outstanding young people. Henry, I only like you."

Seeing her like this, Viscount Palmerston couldn't help laughing and said: "Of course, I knew I would be invincible at the age of 40-50. Oh... maybe I'm not right to say this, after all, my friend William Here, but being second behind him is very satisfying.”

Amidst the laughter, the sound of the piano subsided. Arthur breathed a long sigh of relief, put on his white gloves again, pushed away the stool and walked towards the stage. He came to Mrs. Cowper and bowed slightly and said: "Madam, I have finished trying the piano. The condition is very good, I think there should be no problem.”

Mrs. Cowper smiled and extended her hand to Arthur. Arthur was stunned for a moment, but then he remembered that this was a common hand kiss in the upper class.

While he bent down and gently held Mrs. Cowper's fingertips, he quickly recalled the "Social Guide to London's Upper Society" that he had read earlier.

Just as he was recalling the appropriate way to kiss, the delivery boy Elder saved his life as he passed by holding a plate and lowering the brim of his hat.

"The other party has a high status. Bend your right leg in a half-kneeling position, and then shake hands and kiss him."

After hearing this, Arthur breathed a sigh of relief. He followed suit and then straightened his back again. Sure enough, no one noticed anything strange about him.

Mrs. Cowper said: "Mr. Hastings, I thought that the next time I saw you perform would be in the concert hall, but I didn't expect to see you again at the Allmark Club."

Viscount Palmerston on the side also joined the conversation at the right time. He held the wine glass and said with a smile: "Mr. Hastings, although I have known your name for a long time, this is the first time we have met. Director Rowan and I mentioned that you are a very capable police officer and I believe you will have a good future at Scotland Yard."

Arthur had actually been observing the situation in the club early in the morning. The mere fact that he was so close to Mrs. Cowper was enough for him to guess the identity of the other party.

only……

Director Luo Wan praised my work ability in front of outsiders?

And he said it to a big political figure who was about to take on a key role in the cabinet. This sounded like nonsense.

However, Arthur did not express his thoughts. He just smiled and replied: "Compared with Director Rowan, I still have a lot of room for improvement. To be honest, the newspapers put me in the police work The role it plays in this is too exaggerated. In fact, Director Luo Wan was behind many of my ideas.”

When the old fox Viscount Palmerston heard this, he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows. He smiled and asked, "Really?"

If the old fox dares to listen, the little fox Arthur will naturally dare to make up stories for him.

Arthur smiled and said: "Yes, Director Rowan's work ability is well known. You also know that when Sir Peel ordered him to form the Metropolitan Police Department with Sir Richard Mayne, what he got was nothing more than Scotland. There are several offices near the field, but in less than two years, Scotland Yard has grown into a large team of nearly 4,000 police officers.

In addition, most of the regulations in our police manual were drafted by Director Rowan under the instruction of Sir Peel. You may not know how thick that booklet is, but he just relied on a Man made it happen. Sir Peel has also been telling me to listen to Director Rowan. He is a capable person with rich work experience.

The facts also verified Sir Peel's point of view. When dealing with the Hyde Park riots, we were almost unable to bear it and wanted to directly ask for help from the Cavalry Guards to use force to suppress the demonstration. However, Director Rowan considered the negative effects of forceful suppression, and finally relied on the contact he had established with the Duke of Wellington while serving in the army to persuade him, so he did not dispatch the army to suppress it.

So as you can see, Director Rowan's decision was extremely correct. He mobilized all the idle police forces in London to support me, and finally handled the crisis smoothly. "

Arthur speaks with intention, Palmerston listens with intention.

The two foxes looked at each other and smiled. He walked to the wine cabinet and poured some to Arthur and handed it over: "You are right, Rowan is indeed very capable. If it weren't for his ability, Peel wouldn't be able to send him to form Scotland Yard. But maybe you should meet your new boss here."

"New boss?" Arthur pretended to be surprised: "Has the candidate for the new Minister of the Interior been determined?"

Viscount Palmerston smiled and pushed his old brother Viscount Melbourne to the front of the stage.

He introduced: "Although this is a secret within the party, it is not good to celebrate in advance. But in order to carry out the work smoothly in the future, I suggest that you and Viscount Melbourne should have a chat."

Viscount Melbourne was suddenly pushed forward, and he could only helplessly reach out to Arthur: "Mr. Hastings, don't be nervous, the matter has not been confirmed yet. Let's get to know each other in a private capacity today. But , I am really interested in your work at Scotland Yard. I wonder if you have time to have a brief chat with me?"

Viscount Melbourne extended an invitation, and Arthur naturally had no reason to refuse.

He took off his gloves and was about to hold Viscount Melbourne's hand. Unexpectedly, Mrs. Norton beside him suddenly asked: "That...Mr. Hastings? Do you remember me?"

Arthur turned to look at her and smiled: "Madam, of course I remember you. You were also present at General Codrington's party that day, but you didn't talk much. I thought you were in a bad mood at the time, so I didn't do anything without permission. Go up and strike up a conversation.”

Mrs. Norton looked a little embarrassed. The presence of so many dignitaries made this twenty-two-year-old young lady very uncomfortable: "That day, I was poor...I was really in a bad mood, so I forgot to ask you about the phonograph...that... ...If you're not busy, could you help me order one from Mr. Wheatstone? I forgot the address of that musical instrument store."

Arthur smiled brightly when he heard this, and he readily agreed: "Of course, I'll take care of it. I believe Mr. Wheatstone will also be happy to do more business. By the way, there is also the record of "The Bell", Do you want one?"