Shadow of great britain

When Arthur heard this, he raised his head and took a look at the girl standing in front of the door.

Her pale blond ponytail was tied up behind her head and neatly wrapped with a white scarf. Although her 80% new floral white dress could not be called gorgeous, it looked fresh and tidy.

Coupled with the somewhat uneasy expression and the hand that could only gently grasp the hem of the skirt without knowing where it was placed, one could tell at a glance that this girl must have just arrived from the countryside, which was filled with cold fog and industrial waste gas. of London.

If Arthur had seen this girl somewhere else, he would most likely take off his hat and ask her if there was anything she needed help with.

As a police officer, Arthur knew very well how important it was for a little girl like this who was not familiar with the world to take the right first step in London.

Every year, countless carts carrying groups of country girls with illusory dreams come to the cold London, hoping to find a job with a decent salary here and, preferably, meet a suitable fate.

However, although it's always nice to have dreams, it won't be long before this sinful city filled with pickpockets, burglars, robbers, pimps and kidnappers will teach them a lesson.

As far as Arthur knows, there have been some people in London who have been specializing in the business of these young girls since the last century. This group of people has a clear division of labor and skilled techniques, and specializes in luring these girls who have just entered the city to join the custom industry.

If he were outside, Arthur would probably not regard such a girl as a threat. Instead, he would politely remind her: "Be careful of the abyss everywhere in London."

But now, Arthur has no idea at all. Because he clearly remembered that the place of work he registered in the recruitment notice published in the newspaper was No. 36 Lancaster Gate, and he had never disclosed this small house as the secret liaison office of the Police Intelligence Bureau to the outside world.

How did this girl find her way here? How did she know for sure that it was Arthur Hastings sitting here?

Arthur winked at Louis, then smiled and said to the girl: "Come in, it's quite cold outside, and the fire is lit in the room. You can also drink a cup of hot tea to warm yourself up."

The girl thanked Arthur simply, put the umbrella in the umbrella tube by the door, held up the hem of her skirt and came to sit in front of Arthur.

Louis closed the door naturally, took out a book from the bookshelf beside him and leaned against the wall next to the door.

Arthur asked as kindly as possible: "Did you come here after seeing the recruitment notice in the newspaper?"

Seeing Arthur being so friendly, the girl became a little bolder. She carefully took out a folded newspaper clipping from the knitted purse she carried with her and spread it out in front of Arthur. It was the newspaper he published. job recruitment notice.

She summoned up the courage to reply as confidently as possible in her lark-like voice: "Yes, sir. I am capable of doing laundry, cooking, cleaning and taking care of children. In addition, my needlework The work was also done very well.”

Although the girl felt that her answer was very good, this answer obviously did not satisfy Arthur. What he wanted to know was not his working ability, but to determine the origin of the other party.

In an attitude of not alerting the enemy, Arthur nodded at Louis, until he heard the click of the door lock, he smiled and continued to ask: "Although it is rude to ask, but for the convenience of the next step To communicate, may I take the liberty of asking for your name?”

The girl waved her hands repeatedly, as if she didn't know what was going on: "It doesn't matter, sir, I am not a noble lady, and I don't value this very much. My full name is Becky Sharp."

Seeing that she was unable to escape, Arthur no longer hid or tucked her in. He picked up the teapot and filled it for her, and asked with a smile: "So, Miss Sharp, how did you know I'm here? I remember The recruitment address I wrote in the newspaper is not here. I can guarantee you that the whole London, and even the whole world, knows that I can’t rent a house in this place for more than two hands, but now you are very lucky. became one of them.”

Arthur thought that after saying this, Becky Sharp's fox tail would be exposed.

Unexpectedly, the girl with a Cambridge accent did not feel uncomfortable at all. Instead, she confessed Fiona quite naturally: "Mr. Hastings, I almost forgot to tell you. It was Miss Ivan who told me. I think you should be here."

"Are you from Fiona?"

When Arthur heard this, his brows suddenly frowned.

This small house was specially rented by him to work with informal employees of the Police Intelligence Bureau. People who usually come and go here are undercover agents from the Textile Workers Association, moles from the London Political Alliance, or people from various criminal organizations. Informants and the like. As one of the liaisons of the Police Intelligence Agency, Fiona certainly knows this place.

Becky Sharp's cheeks were hot, and she seemed reluctant to mention Fiona: "Well... if you insist on saying that, you can, but I don't do those businesses. I am the same as Miss Ivan. I was born in the town of Ely in Cambridgeshire. Miss Ivan and I are somewhat related. She was very prosperous when she returned to her hometown. She also boasted that she worked as a maid in the Russian Embassy and had the best food and accommodation. Even the salary was 12 shillings a week.

My parents believed her words, so they begged her hard to find a way to get me to work there. But as soon as I came to London, I discovered that she was doing more than just maid business. Miss Ivan didn't want to drag me down, so in the past six months, she arranged for me to help everyone with chores such as laundry and cooking. She will pay for my salary.

But the people in the gang saw that if I didn’t go out to look for work, I could earn about the same as them just by doing these things every day, so they all felt unhappy. I couldn't stand their supercilious looks, so I told Miss Ivan that I planned to find work on my own. Seeing my persistence, Miss Ivan introduced me to you.

She told me that you are a decent gentleman, a superintendent of Scotland Yard, and you have a small family. You are kind and gentle to others, and you are always generous with your salary, so I rushed to your place to give it a try without even thinking about it. . "

When Arthur heard this, he finally understood what was going on.

He crossed his arms and said in surprise: "So it was Fiona who introduced you here?"

Becky Sharp raised her head and pursed her lips and smiled: "If it hadn't been for Miss Ivan's introduction, how could I have known that you were recruiting domestic maids? Mr. Hastings, you know, a lady who can read a newspaper They won't be willing to work as maids. Even if their families are in ruins, they will only work as tutors. Most of the maids can't read a few words, and even if they can read, they won't be willing to spend money to buy one. A copy of The Times.”

Arthur suddenly understood when he heard this. He smiled and replied: "Miss Sharp, you are not as dim-witted as you claim to be. At least on this matter, you are much smarter than me. I just asked why it took so long. , Why are so few people applying for maid jobs?"

Becky Sharp was praised, and her white face, which had been a little embarrassed just now, suddenly smiled brightly: "I just have some experience in being a maid. Although I haven't done it myself, almost half of Miss Ivan's people have been. As maids, I always like to chat with them when I have nothing to do, asking them what they need to learn to do this job and whether there is anything they should pay attention to."

Arthur also became interested when he heard this: "What did they say?"

When Becky Sharp heard this, she replied reciting: "It's nothing. Most of them just make me work harder and be smarter. I have to get up before you get up every day, and you can go to bed after you go to bed." It's best to use a harder pillow when sleeping, so that you won't sleep too hard. I can get up at any time when you want to eat in the middle of the night. Before you get up in the morning, clean the house first, glass The floor and floor should be polished. After you go to bed at night, prepare a change of clothes for the next day.

Miss Megan told me that we should work honestly and down-to-earth, and we country girls should be more down-to-earth and stop thinking wildly. We should never make the same mistakes she made. But Miss Catherine had some different opinions. She told me not to listen to Miss Megan. Miss Megan was in this situation because she didn't do it herself. If she had succeeded, she would have been lying on a comfortable and soft pinewood bed, with four or five maids waiting on her at home, and the coachman and male servants hugging her when she went out. "

Louis, who was guarding the door, couldn't help but look a little weird when he heard this.

Agares was also sitting on the table, looking at the little girl who was giving a speech, slapping her legs and laughing: "Hahaha, do you think this little girl really doesn't understand anything or is she just pretending? If it's true, If she doesn’t understand anything, then she is really a white lotus that emerges from the mud and remains unstained. If she is pretending, oh, is she hinting at you? Fiona chose carefully and got a Is it possible for someone to crawl into bed tonight?”

Arthur glanced at the Red Devil. He was also thinking about the same question. Who is this Becky Sharp?

In this era, the relationship between domestic servants and employers cannot be viewed as a simple business relationship.

In this era that has just entered industrial society, there are still many feudal remnants of the Middle Ages, such as the apprenticeship system in factories.

Before the abolition of the Artisan Apprenticeship Act in 1814, employers not only had the power to hire underage apprentices, but also enjoyed powers similar to those of a guardian. Therefore, apprentices who lived and fed in the employer's home not only had to complete labor tasks, You also have to help with chores such as cleaning and serving tea and water.

If the work is not done well and you are scolded or whipped for it, even if the news spreads, it will make the public unhappy. But as long as the degree of corporal punishment is not severe, from the perspective of society as a whole, this is actually within the tacit understanding.

However, after the abolition of the Craftsmen's Apprenticeship Act, although the apprenticeship system has begun to undergo subtle changes, the promulgation of the Masters and Servants Act in 1823 still reminds people that the hierarchical relationships of the feudal era still exist in Britain. Wandering in the sky.

Especially in the domestic servant industry, a strong medieval-style relationship of control and subordination is still maintained. At this point, British servants are far inferior to workers. At least workers are legally equal to their employers.

Servants' status was unequal to that of their employers, both legally and practically.

Compared with male servants, maids are absolutely disadvantaged in this employment relationship.

In the traditional British concept, women, especially unmarried young women, have minds similar to those of children, and therefore are definitely not fully capable of acting.

The employer is not only their employer, but also their guardian, and therefore has the right to control their lives.

Such great power naturally brings many problems, such as various financial or physical punishments imposed on maids by employers, or the plots that often occur in the one-volume novels in Elder's bookcase.

Former maids like Miss Megan and Miss Catherine mentioned by Becky Sharp who turned to the custom industry were basically fired because of improper relationships with their employers, so they were fired after being discovered.

In the maid industry, once you have such a reputation, it is unlikely that you will continue to find a job.

Therefore, after losing their means of livelihood, many of these maids were forced to survive and naturally had no choice but to join the custom industry.

And according to general statistics, housemaids are indeed one of the main sources of wandering warblers. Their proportion is so large that some social commentators even angrily stated: "London is overrun with prostitutes, all because of the continuous influx of maids from all corners of the country into the city."

However, although there are all kinds of unbearable corporal punishment and risks in the maid industry, compared with the textile workers with a daily salary of only six pence, or the washerwomen with even lower wages, they have free room and board and are not fired during the off-season. Girls still flock to dangerous housemaids.

Not to mention the stories widely circulated in the maid circle, which still prevent them from giving up this profession that is the easiest for women to rise in class.

Generally speaking, maids who have served large aristocratic families are naturally popular in the marriage market. They are as popular among the emerging middle class as fashion novels.

And those maids who serve wealthy families usually receive a dowry from their employer when they get married and retire. The share of the dowry usually ranges from ten pounds to dozens of pounds, and in rare cases even reaches a hundred pounds.

Some maids will receive part of their master's inheritance.

As for the last remaining maids, their ultimate dream is to lift the mistress riding above them and fight for a complete comeback.

Even if the above purposes are not considered, most British girls will still choose to be maids as their first choice of career after they are able to work. For no other reason than being a maid has almost become an important part of Britain's traditional values. In the 17th century, Southampton even legislated that unmarried women aged 12 to 40 must engage in servant trade, otherwise it would be considered illegal.

Women's service as maids has become almost as necessary as men's military service. Anyone who violates this path will almost certainly be stabbed in the spine and secretly called an 'unruly woman'.

In this small island where everyone is labeled and conservative is prevalent, ordinary people naturally cannot bear the huge risk of deviating from the conventional track.

Therefore, regardless of whether they need to make money by doing this industry, most people are better off doing it for a year while they are young.

If you think about the problem from this perspective, there is nothing to doubt about Becky Sharp, and she is the person sent by Fiona. With her shrewdness, she will not pick out a stupid girl.

But can a smart girl say such a long paragraph indiscriminately?

Arthur thought of this and suddenly heard Becky Sharp, who was sitting opposite him, speak.

"I heard from Miss Ivan that the maid you need should be familiar with sewing, starching and washing clothes, because you don't seem to be very good at handling this aspect of affairs."

Arthur raised his eyebrows and asked: "I'm really not very good at this aspect, but compared to the fat man who lives with me, I think I'm doing pretty well. At least I won't get a few rubs on my pants. A hole."

Becky Sharp's face was red, and her eyes seemed to be shining when she heard this: "Then if you hire me, you have found the right person! Brick dust and clay can remove oil stains, and alcohol can clean it. To remove grass stains, kerosene and blood stains, milk can wash away urine and juice. But if you come across lemon juice or onion juice, you need to use a little secret weapon, but this is my unique secret recipe, please forgive me for not telling the truth. But if you are willing to leave the laundry to me, you will never have to worry about dirty clothes at the reception from now on."

The red devil whistled: "Oh... you are so professional! Arthur, this girl is well prepared. It seems that she still has to win the job today."

Arthur looked at Becky Sharp with expectant eyes. Although he felt that his appearance was passable, he was definitely not handsome enough to make girls' eyes shine. The dazzling light in Becky Sharp's eyes was mostly due to the twelve shillings weekly salary he offered. Under normal circumstances, this price could have hired a qualified housekeeper.

Arthur thought for a while, and finally smiled and nodded: "Okay, Miss Sharp, it seems that I can't find anyone more suitable than you for the time being. Your excellence impresses me."

Becky couldn't help but smile when she heard the words. She stood up happily and said, "So... you agreed?"

Arthur smiled and pointed to the address written on the newspaper clipping in front of him: "No. 36 Lancaster Gate. You can pack your luggage and move here at any time. I will prepare the work contract tomorrow, but do you want to rest for a few days first?" The weather is fine, but from a personal point of view, I still hope you can move in early. Due to the performance, my expensive shirts and coats are really stained with too many chemical paints that are difficult to clean."