Shadow of great britain

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Irving. Maybe I shouldn't say this, because I already knew the name Washington Irving long before I met you. Your "Notes of Experiences" are very interesting."

Arthur greeted Owen with a smile on his face.

Although this was not the first American he met, Washington Irving was obviously much more famous in Britain than Samuel Colt.

Whether it was "Blackwood", which Disraeli hated to the core, or "Gentleman's Magazine", which represented London's taste, they all published special articles for this representative figure in American literature.

Both Sir Walter Scott, the leader of British historical literature, and Coleridge, a representative of the Lakeside Party, once praised Washington Irving's works.

Even Oxford University came to ride on his popularity and awarded him an honorary doctorate in law, which symbolizes Oxford's highest honor.

Of course, the reason why Irving is so popular is partly because of his good writing, and partly because of the strong ‘nostalgic’ tendency he displayed in his works, which resonated with these people.

Both Scott and Coleridge were famous conservative literati.

Oxford University, which awarded Owen a degree, is the stronghold of British conservatism.

Although Mr. Irving did not express his views clearly, it can be seen in every corner of his words that he always insisted that American democracy is not the true progress of civilization, but the depravity of mankind.

In his view, every step the United States takes towards a democratic system is also a step towards the abyss of destruction.

In the democratic era that politicians promised voters, there was no paradise filled with milk and honey. The gates of paradise were guarded only by a group of demagogues, speculators, and nouveau riche.

Owen was surprised to find that since the United States broke away from Britain and became a democratic republic, the taxes paid by the American people to the government have not only not decreased, but have actually increased than under the king's rule.

In order to satirize this point, he said bluntly in the words of the characters in the novel in "Notes of His Experience": He and the world around him were as absurd as magic. He had never imagined that he was living in a world where right and wrong were reversed and ridiculous. of troubled times. The so-called revolution under the banner of equality and freedom, in the final analysis, just provides a new stage for disgusting careerists.

Ignorant and blindly obedient people will eventually become profit-seeking tools of politicians. They are like wild donkeys with apples tied in front of their eyes. The food seems to be very close, and it seems that they can get what they want if they take two steps forward. I wish. But unfortunately, apart from the whip, the donkeys never got anything else to eat.

In addition to being displeased with the U.S. government system, Irving also scorned the arguments that "God bless America" ​​and "God has given Americans natural and legal rights to own American land."

He called the political party struggle in the United States "the most hilarious farce in history, even better than what was performed in the New York theater." In "The Foreign History of New York", he alluded to the mayor of New York and US President Thomas Jefferson, and quoted the massacre by the Dutch colonists that year. The historical facts of the Indians imply that the westward movement launched by Jefferson was not as progressive as he said. What Americans brought to the west was not civilization, but war, exploitation, disease and massacre.

Not only that, he often castigated the original founders of the United States - the Puritans who were exiled to North America by the British.

In Owen's writings, the Puritans living in New England were all a group of cynics and persecutors. In the early years, this group of Puritans devoted themselves to killing heretics and burning witches. Their descendants not only retained this destructive tradition well, but also They also rely on their numerical advantage to intensify their efforts to continue to implement religious persecution policies in the name of religious freedom.

It can be said that Owen has touched upon the three major sensitive issues since the founding of the United States: the independent revolution, the Puritans and the Indians.

If Irving had only satirized these, he obviously would not have been elevated to his current status.

After all, although Britain felt uncomfortable with the rebels in the North American colonies, insulting the French was obviously more exciting than insulting those uneducated country bumpkins.

In 1815, Mr. Irving, who had repeatedly touched the sensitive areas of Americans and had to quarrel with opponents in newspapers and magazines every day, finally got tired of this political life. The purpose of relaxing in Britain has decisively enriched it.

After coming to the UK, his mood was obviously much calmer.

According to his own words, unlike most people, his taste has always been "loving the old and hating the new." In London, he was finally able to stay away from the United States, a country that lacked historical heritage, and from the rough and dirty air of New York, and devoted himself to the study of ancient European art.

Compared with the two-faced American literati that Colt hated most, Irving's greatest advantage was that he was a man whose words and deeds were consistent.

Since immigrating to Europe fifteen years ago, Owen has entered a period of high productivity in his works. He is keen on describing the ancient customs of folk villages, trying to use these traditional cultures to get a glimpse of the past scenery.

The praise of pastoral life and the mourning of rural landscapes that disappeared in the industrial era naturally resonated with the mainstream of British poetry and clergy who shared the same ideas.

With the support of these people, Owen's reputation in Britain and even Europe will naturally rise as rapidly as the stocks in Arthur's hands.

What's even more ridiculous is that when those Americans who used to scold Irving discovered that this guy had become so famous in old Europe, they immediately began to adapt to the camp and turned into staunch supporters of Irving.

Owen's identity naturally changed from a traitor who maliciously slandered the American Revolution, a British spy who tampered with the facts with malicious intentions, and a corrupt official who took black gold from the Indians. He became the pride of the American people, the European spokesperson of the new American image, and the North American spokesperson. Half of the world of literature, the Declaration of Independence who inspired American literature, was Herodotus from New York.

Whenever other American writers try to remind the American people that only four works in the collection of works of this man, whom everyone calls the father of American literature, describe the United States, they are immediately inundated with angry saliva from the American people and are questioned about why they say so. It’s not that I was jealous of Owen’s achievements, and I didn’t expect American literature to be recognized by Europe.

After the U.S. government saw that Irving had achieved such great achievements, it quickly closed the distance with the anti-government element as if riding on the enthusiasm.

They first stuffed Irving into working at the U.S. Embassy in Spain, and within a few years they quickly promoted him to the position of Secretary of the Embassy in the United Kingdom.

Irving's job in the embassy is actually very simple. He can continue writing his book and does not have to clock in from nine to five. The only requirement the American ambassador made of him was that Owen agree to attend banquets and important occasions with him.

After all, for an ambassador, the United States does not have many things to show off to outsiders, and Irving happens to be one.

Putting aside Irving's tendency to scold the United States, standing in the banquet hall has finally brought glory to the United States, right?

If Owen falls ill one day, the ambassador will feel really empty. No matter where he goes in London, he will feel shorter than others.

Arthur looked at the face of the American people in front of him. At first glance, he had a pretty good impression. He was a fair-skinned, middle-aged handsome guy.

Although the nature of the key government is more annoying, given that there are already three anti-government elements around him, one from Germany and one from France, the head of the secret police does not mind extending his jurisdiction to the other side of the Atlantic.

Owen was also looking Arthur up and down, but what Arthur didn't expect was that the other party called him something special: "Arthur Hastings, at the same time, he is also the author of "The Hastings Detective Collection" Author - Mr. Arthur Sigma."

Arthur raised his eyebrows and asked with a smile: "How did you know about this?"

Irving took off his hat and put it on the table: ""The British" has been very popular in London recently, so I was thinking about whether to hand over the British distribution rights of the new book "Alhambra" to you. For this reason, I said a few days ago I made a special trip to your editorial office in Fleet Street and had a brief chat with your editor, Mr. Tennyson.

He told me that "British" would definitely be willing to distribute this work, but he couldn't make the decision on his own and had to wait for several shareholders to come back from other places before making a formal decision. So, I asked him about your whereabouts and true identity. But to be honest, I'm not surprised at all that Sigma is Hastings.

Who could write a detective novel so realistically without personally investigating the case? To be honest, I received a letter from a child a while ago. He probably found a second-hand copy of "The Englishman" somewhere, so he started a parody of you. But with all due respect, his writing is terrible. "

The Red Devil, who had just gotten up, stretched out his body with satisfaction while wearing his nightcap: "Arthur, that's good! What kind of guy without eyes actually started to imitate our writing style?"

Arthur just smiled and asked: "Really? I originally thought it would be a surprise that you brought me a work today. I didn't expect that there would be other gains. You still keep the letter from the child. ?"

Owen shook his head slightly and said: "I'll keep it, but I'll keep it in London. And you probably won't want to see that thing. It's just the whim of an ordinary American boy. Although he lived in London for several years when he was a child, He studied for a few years, but later moved back to Virginia. When he was in London, Scotland Yard had not yet been established. He even knew what uniforms police officers wore from your works, let alone writing about detectives. Investigating the case.”

When Arthur heard what he said, he couldn't help but ask: "Why does it sound like you are quite familiar with him? Have you known each other for a long time?"

Owen said he was a little thirsty and was about to drink something to moisten his throat, but when he lowered his head and saw that there was coffee on the table in front of him, he frowned and pushed the coffee aside, taking out an empty cup from the tea tray and minding his own business. Pour some tea.

"Well, I have known him for some years. He arrived in Scotland in 1815, and I arrived in Liverpool in 1815. After that, the boy and I met in London. The boy used to like to write Poetry, after reading a few lines of Byron's love poems, I wanted to imitate his writing. I said he didn't have this talent, but he didn't want to believe it. He was as stubborn as a donkey.

Later, perhaps because he encountered too many obstacles in writing poetry, he finally regained consciousness. But when he wrote to me, he still refused to admit defeat and said something like: "I no longer regard Byron as a role model. What is popular now is detective novels." For the sake of our friendship over so many years, could you please help me forward this manuscript of "The Bond Street Murders" to the editorial office of "The Englishman", and by the way, pass it on to Mr. Arthur Sigma, who is the author of this work? Fans of Edgar Allan Poe'. "

Arthur's fingertips tapped on the table: "Really? Edgar Allan Poe? So famous! Now I have to read his manuscript."

Owen took a sip of tea and waved his hands: "Mr. Hastings, although I also think that boy is a little arrogant, but you are going too far to ridicule him like this."

Arthur shook his head seriously and said: "No, Mr. Owen, I am not joking with you. What I said is true. I am really interested in the work of this fan of mine. "The British" is not like It’s Blackwood. We have always been committed to discovering young authors. As the father of American literature, you can’t kill the hope of American literature in the cradle, right?”

Owen put down the tea cup and commented: "It is indeed Arthur Sigma. His words are the same as your words. He is always carrying a gun and a stick. I finally know why "Blackwood" hates "The British" so much. , the literary criticism you publish on "Blackwood" from time to time is also of the same flavor. But you just say that the literary level of "Blackwood" is not high, why do you still mock their editor Mr. Wallace as a Sanmao?"

Arthur regretted: "Mr. Owen, this is your misunderstanding. Most of the literary criticism is done by Mr. Disraeli. Of course, Mr. Dumas will write two articles occasionally. These have nothing to do with me. , after all, I have never been exposed by "Blackwood", and I have never been rejected by Mr. Wallace."

"Okay. Let's finish the literary stuff here first."

Irving said: "Actually, I came to you today not only to discuss publishing matters. I mainly wanted to ask if there are any merchant ships leaving Liverpool for the United States. If so, I would like to book a ticket."

Arthur asked: "Buying a ferry ticket? You shouldn't have to make a special trip to Liverpool for this kind of thing, right? There are so many routes to London, and there should be a lot of boats to the United States! I also bought one to Boston last year. It's just that there are so many routes to London. Later, due to various reasons, it was not possible to make the trip.”

"Go to Boston? Last year?" Irving said: "Then your little fan is really unlucky. He almost got to meet his idol. Last year, he had just retired from the Boston Harbor Force, and this year he has already gone to Boston. It’s West Point.”

Arthur smiled and said: "Military cadet? It seems that he will have a good future. Although I don't know the status of American officers, in Britain, officers are the mainstream choice for noble children to make achievements. Although politics is not bad, but I want to It’s still very difficult to stand out from the crowd of talented people.”

Irving heard this and shrugged: "Unfortunately, only the most despicable people can engage in political work in the United States. Serious people should not make a living by blackmail, deception and bragging. As for the soldiers, they fight for these ambitious people. So it's obviously stupider. But your little fan is lucky. At the beginning of this year, he was tried by a military court for writing poems to satirize instructors and deliberately absenting himself from class, and was eventually expelled from the military."

Arthur asked: "So are you in a hurry to return to the United States to comfort him?"

"That's not true, it's just... some work changes."

Irving said: "They thought I was doing a good job in the embassy, ​​so they planned to transfer me to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In British terms, this is another step forward on the sliding pole, yes, I was promoted. The U.S. Department of Foreign Affairs hopes that I can return to China to report on my duties before February 1832. However, due to cholera, ships in London are now in quarantine and the controls are very strict. So, when I learned that you were on duty in Liverpool , just wondering if I could try my luck here. If it still doesn’t work here, then I’ll have to ask for luck.”

"Then you are in good luck." Arthur said: "As far as I know, Schweizer \u0026 Sons has a ship that will soon be quarantined and can leave port. The only drawback is that they specialize in the West India route, so you There may be a layover on an island in the Caribbean to get back to the United States.”

Owen thought about it for a moment: "It sounds good, much better than nothing. But I can take the liberty to ask you, can you confirm when the ship will leave port?"

"It should be just recently." Arthur took out his pocket watch and took a look: "At this time, the Port Authority should also be at work. If you don't mind, you can go to the Port Authority with me. They have always been there to deal with the quarantine. No matter what."

Owen stood up, put on his hat and thanked him: "Thank you very much, Mr. Hastings."

Having said this, he did not forget to take out the key from his arms and put it on the table.

Arthur lowered his head and glanced: "This is it?"

"I have already told Mr. Tennyson the key and address of my rented house in London. If you don't have time, you can go there directly to pick up the manuscript. I also put the little fan letters in the second drawer on the right after entering the door. I have paid the rent until April this year, you can just take your things away before then."

When Arthur heard this, he stood up and put on his hat. He smiled: "I can see that you are really anxious. In this case, we won't waste time. The carriage is downstairs, let's go there now .”

Arthur accompanied Owen downstairs. As soon as he left the hotel lobby, a carriage sent by the city hall parked in front of the door.

When Louis and others who were chatting near the carriage saw him coming, they also put out their pipes and shouted at the top of their voices: "The rest time is over, it's time to work!"

Arthur opened the car door and was about to get in, when he glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw several carriages parked at the corner of the street.

He blinked at Sheriff Charles Field, who was leaning on the car, and the other party immediately replied with understanding: "Those cars are all staring at us. It's not clear who ordered it yet. But it's probably It’s those places, the Liverpool Association, the City Council, the Customs Service, etc. If you don’t like it, I’ll go talk to them later.”

Arthur glanced at the cars, shook his head and said, "Forget it, just follow if you like. I have nothing to hide from them."

The riding boots were on the step of the carriage. Arthur was holding the door handle and was about to get up. Suddenly, there was a gunshot in his ear.

Then, as if something slipped by his ear, he heard a bang, and a small hole was instantly drilled into the wooden lamppost standing next to him, with sawdust flying and sparks flying.

Immediately afterwards, there were roars of people screaming and running away.

"Shot fired! Protect Mr. Hastings!"