Shadow of great britain

Today's London was still foggy with a hint of drizzle, and the wind seeped into the house through the windows. The cold environment was so cold that Arthur couldn't help but shiver when he just entered.

Arthur pushed open the door, put away his umbrella, and put it into the umbrella tube by the door. He exhaled while untying his scarf and said, "Charles, sit down wherever you want."

Dickens put away his umbrella, looked up and glanced at the dark room, and joked: "This is too dark. Doesn't Alexander usually light a lamp when he is at home?"

"It depends on his mood, but he is indeed not at home today. At this time, he is either reviewing dishes at a restaurant on the corner of London, or watching a play at a small street theater."

Arthur leaned their wet boots against the window sill, and immediately turned on the oil lamp placed on the dining table.

He looked at the dim lights in the house and hesitated for a while, then finally decided to be extravagant and lit the fireplace in the house.

Dickens leaned on the sofa, watching Arthur making tea by the fireplace, and asked: "So Alexander also likes to go to the small theater on the street to watch performances?"

Arthur took out two towels from the bathroom and threw one to Dickens. While wiping his wet hair, he asked: "It seems that you also like the small theater on the street? Does it have any unique charm?" ?”

"Um……"

Dickens smiled and nodded: "A large theater with a license like the Coburg Theater naturally has its own unique features, such as "Macbeth", "Hamlet", "Othello", and "King Lear" Only these formal theaters are eligible to stage Shakespeare's classic plays, and the ultimate goal of playwrights from all over Europe is to put their works on the stage here.

However, although the small theater near the Strand was not qualified to perform Shakespeare's plays, due to the original price uprising at the Covent Garden Theater in 1809, the Lord Chamberlain in charge of theater performances had to make concessions to the citizens of London and open performances to unlicensed small theaters. Eligibility for revues and some musical stage plays. "

"An uprising at the original price?" Arthur put two tea bags into a white porcelain teacup and brewed it with hot water: "Did there be an uprising in London in 1809?"

"It's not a real uprising, it's just an ordinary riot that borrowed the name of an uprising."

Dickens, who was very observant of London city life, laughed and said: "You know, London citizens are like this. Ever since London was inhabited, the residents here always look for opportunities to riot and march in the streets. Although we riot The methods are not as extreme as those of the people of Paris, but they can't stop the people of London from rioting frequently!"

Arthur, who has been a police officer at Scotland Yard for almost three years, said with deep understanding: "When I was still studying at university, the professor told us about London's long tradition of riots. The causes of riots are also varied and grand. The reasons include those who want to overthrow the king, those who want to blow up the parliament building, and those who want to kill the cabinet. Those related to people's livelihood, some protest against the increase in rice prices and enter the market to grab grain, and some complain about low wages and destroy factories. Machine. There are also those who are bored and want to take care of the king's housework. They don't like the new queen and they have to protest. The king and the queen also have a parade when they divorce. Let me guess, is the original price uprising you mentioned a protest theater? Are the ticket prices going up?”

Dickens smiled and took a sip of tea: "Arthur, you are indeed a detective, and you really guessed it right. At that time, the Covent Garden Theater suffered a fire and had just been rebuilt. In order to recover the construction cost, the theater manager added a new The private rooms on the first floor are reserved for the rich, and the ticket prices for other seats have also increased.

However, this behavior angered the citizens, who set off a riot and occupied the theater. Trumpets and drums rang in the theater for two months, so in the end both the theater manager and the Lord Chamberlain had to give in to the citizens.

Arthur raised his eyebrows and said: "Fortunately, there was no Scotland Yard at that time, otherwise it would be really difficult for us to deal with this kind of thing. After all, our police officers' income is not high, but they also have the need to watch the show. But Having said that, if the prices at Covent Garden have increased, why don't they go to other places to watch the theater? With all due respect, although the plays there are of excellent quality, it is enough to watch two or three, and it is quite boring to watch more. .”

Dickens said: "It's not that citizens didn't want to go to other places to watch plays. But before the ban on small theater performances was lifted in 1809, there were only two regular theaters in London that were granted royal charters, one was the Covent Garden Theater and the other The room is the Drury Lane Theatre.

At that time, these two theaters not only performed elegant dramas and musicals as they do today, but also operated surprise shows that were popular among the citizens, such as caged lion taming and horseback fighting that can only be seen in small theaters today. I heard some old Londoners say that the theater structure at that time was different from what it is now. The theater is divided into four floors. The third and upper floors are reserved for the rich and nobles, and there are always two boxes dedicated to the royal family. In addition to selling seated tickets, the main hall below also sells standing tickets.

When the play started, the audience was everywhere joking with friends around them, or shouting hello to friends in the boxes upstairs. There was a lot of noise and noise everywhere. That's why everyone said that at that time only actors who had gone through Covent Garden and Drury Lane theaters could really be called actors in London. "

Arthur nodded slightly and said: "It sounds quite lively. According to that, the ticket price at that time should not be expensive, right?"

Dickens smiled and replied: "It is indeed not expensive. Even ordinary people can go to see a play occasionally. I heard those people say that when the theater opens in winter, citizens living all over London take a break from work in the afternoon and evening. For every four pennies spent, you can buy a ticket in the main hall and watch a wonderful show. If the guests are willing to spend an extra two or three pennies, they can buy a large glass of ale in the theater bar. Pair it with a side of fish and chips for a drink. If you have a dozen pennies, you can buy a few meat dishes, like wolfing down pancakes or something."

When Arthur heard this, he felt strange. He stared at Dickens for a long time, then suddenly held his chin and said, "Charles."

"What's wrong?"

"Are you talking about London? Why do I feel like it's Lu Town?"

Dickens was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and said with a smile: "Arthur really can't hide anything from you."

"What? You have a new pen name, Zhou Shuren?"

"Arthur, are you kidding me again?"

Dickens smiled and said: "But you are right, the gobbler cake does come from Luton in Bedfordshire. Flour is mixed with water and suet and rolled into a roll, with salted ham and bacon on one end, and dipped in salt on the other. With applesauce. But although the gobbler pie tastes good, I still prefer other products in the bar, such as the beef and kidney pudding filled with beef and kidneys and fried with a layer of gravy, or the Cornish Specialties like fritters and stuff.”

Arthur took a sip of tea, rubbed his stomach and said, "You said that, I'm really a little hungry. Speaking of which, at that time, did the citizens watching the theater in the main hall often eat the things you mentioned?"

Dickens shook his head and said: "How is that possible? Most of the guests in the main hall are those who do manual labor in docks or factories. They are probably not so wealthy. Only those in tuxedos will walk into the bar room and ask for drinks and food. Watch a play and sit and drink slowly. And even if hardworking bachelors have money, most of them are reluctant to spend it on food. Arthur, you should also know that most prostitutes will buy special season tickets in order to make a living. Going in and out of theaters. At that time, there were only two formal theaters in London, so they never lacked customers when they went there. Whether it was in the lobby or the bar, they could do business."

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but raise his fingers and tap on the table: "I thought this phenomenon only happened in recent years, but it turns out that it has been decades ago? Charles, if you hadn't told me, I would have almost died Let the Bishop of Exeter be fooled."

Dickens asked: "What did he do to you?"

Arthur said helplessly: "It's nothing more than accusing Scotland Yard of not doing things well. He said that the original intention of establishing Scotland Yard was to eradicate all kinds of evil phenomena in society. However, more than two years have passed, and the answer sheet handed over by Scotland Yard actually says Eighty thousand prostitutes lie there.”

Dickens asked curiously: "I wanted to ask you about this before. Is the situation in London really that bad now? Are the prostitutes in London 80,000 as the bishop said, or 8,000 as reported by Scotland Yard? "

Arthur didn't want to lie to his friends, he just waved his hand and said: "Neither."

Dickens asked: "Do you mean that the bishop exaggerated and Scotland Yard underreported?"

Just as Dickens said this, suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Alexandre Dumas walked in with his shaggy hair covered with water.

Alexandre Dumas noticed the light in the room and turned around and looked over: "Hey! Isn't this Charles? Are you here to hand over a manuscript to me?"

Dickens took out the manuscript from his bag and put it on the table: "Of course the manuscript has to be handed in, but I am discussing the number of prostitutes with Arthur now."

Hearing this, Alexandre Dumas laughed and put down his umbrella and said: "Do you still need to ask? What disease do you have that you want to believe in Scotland Yard's statistics?"

Dickens wondered: "Alexander, why do you say that?"

Arthur took a sip of tea and said: "That's because Alexander has suffered losses in statistics. He told me before that when he was in Paris, Mr. Lyonnais, the president of the Paris Statistical Society, was his friend. .Every time that guy gives statistical examples, he always likes to tease Alexander about the number of his mistresses and illegitimate children.

At that time, Alexander already had a certain reputation in Paris because he had written a play. When the Statistical Society held its annual meeting, he invited Alexander to give a speech. As a result, Alexander only said one sentence during his speech, and Mr. Leonor was so reviled that he couldn't get off the stage. "

"What did Alexander say?"

Arthur said: "He said: All statistics are false, including those about myself."

Alexandre Dumas casually took out a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet and poured a glass: "Am I wrong? Aren't statistics based on demand? Leonor knew that making fun of my private life would attract applause from the audience, so he He likes to exaggerate the number of mistresses and illegitimate children I have. If he goes by his statement, it is estimated that half of the women in Paris can be related to me.

As for Scotland Yard and the Bishop of Exeter, one of you wants to evade responsibility, and the other wants to trick believers into coming to the church, so of course what you say cannot be trusted.

Charles, instead of believing them, you should wait until Elder comes back from the sea and consult him directly. After all, Elder may not know much about other aspects, but he is still very concerned about caring for Liuying. Oh, by the way, you should also note that Elder's data may be larger than the real data, because his statistical range occasionally expands to include Paris and men. "

Arthur shrugged upon hearing this and said: "Alexander, you just said that you can't have a relationship with half a Parisian lady, and now you start to believe in Elder's ability? Although Scotland Yard's data is indeed small, But even the number of people we have actually identified is 8,600."

Dickens took a deep breath after hearing this: "Arthur, do you think that if we calculate it as 30,000 people, it is consistent with the actual situation?"

Arthur thought for a moment: "I think it's probably about the same. Most of the 8,600 people identified in Scotland have been engaged in this profession for a long time. But some women are not doing this for a long time, but because of short-term financial difficulties, they are in this profession." They have been involved in this industry for a period of time. Once their finances improve, they will leave the industry directly. These people come in and out, and some are more hidden mistresses and concubines. This is why Scotland Yard has difficulty identifying the full picture of this industry. The root cause. As I just said, there are always a small number of organized wandering warblers, and most of them fly alone."

When Dickens heard this, he suddenly said: "Um... Arthur, I have a request, would you like to hear it?"

"What?" Arthur remembered Dickens's habit of visiting slums in various parts of London and asked, "Do you want to do a documentary interview with them?"

"No, not an interview."

Dickens shook his head and said: "I am not a reporter now. Although I still maintain the habit of visiting the field, writing news is no longer my duty. I am thinking about doing something for these ladies. You see, I am also now I have made some money and my life is a little better than before. Just like you helped me before, I also want to help others now.

For example, spend a sum of money to build a place that helps them learn work skills, provides temporary housing, and gives them a chance to get out of this industry. To be honest, I had already started working on this when I saw the news report. I even named this place Urania House. Will you cooperate with me on behalf of Scotland Yard? "

When the red devil on the side heard this, he couldn't help but whistled: "Urania, the muse in charge of astronomy and astrology, is a beautiful girl. Arthur, this little guy of yours is really awesome. It’s becoming more and more artistic.”

Hearing this, Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but make a joke about Dickens: "Charles, isn't it? Tell me, did you give this name? Could it be the beautiful one by your side that I saw last time? Did you start it as a young lady?"

"Ah?" Dickens was shocked when he heard this: "When did you see it?"

"Come on, Charles." Alexandre Dumas raised his elbow and poked Dickens: "Come and tell everyone, what is the name of that lady, and how far you and she have developed."

Dickens smiled shyly: "Actually, it's nothing. We are just ordinary friends. Her name is Maria. You may not know her, but you and Arthur may have heard of her father. His My father is Mr. Beadnell of the City, who has business dealings with Barings Bank and Rothschild Bank."

Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but take a breath and joked: "A banker's daughter? Charles, your goal is quite high!"

"No, it's not. Alexander, don't say that." Dickens blushed and said: "Of course, I can't deny that I do have a loftier idea for her than friendship, but I don't know what she thinks yet. . It’s hard to say whether this thing will work out.”

Alexandre Dumas didn't care and said: "Charles, why do you care so much? If you like it, be bolder and timid. You won't please the girl."

As soon as Alexandre Dumas finished speaking, suddenly, there was another rapid knock on the door.

Ashamed, Dickens hurriedly got up and opened the door in order to leave this place of right and wrong.

But unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the door, he saw Disraeli, covered in rain, rushing in like a leopard out of the cage.

Disraeli rushed to Arthur and suddenly asked: "Arthur, Gladstone is going to Scotland Yard to be a psychological consultant. Is this true?"

Arthur took a sip of tea, put down the teacup gently, smiled and raised his eyebrows and asked: "What? This proud gentleman also has ideas about helping these ladies who have made mistakes?"