Shadow of great britain

It's raining heavily on the streets of London.

Arthur was sitting in a carriage that was speeding along. The bumpy carriage made the pipe in his mouth tremble up and down, and sparks floated out from time to time.

Although it was still working time, Arthur did not choose to go out in uniform. Instead, he casually put on a dark windbreaker, with a big-brimmed hat covering his eyes, and the towering collar covering the corners of his mouth, which made people look... Can't see his expression clearly.

That was the purpose of what he was wearing, he didn't want anyone to recognize who he was.

Louis, who was sitting next to him, opened the car window. Before he could look out, he heard the shouts and protests of the young people, which echoed with the sound of the rain hitting bricks.

"Mr. Bentham, we want to see Mr. Bentham!"

"At this moment, we implore Mr. Bentham to continue to lead us as he has for the past thirty years!"

"The Westminster constituency urgently needs Mr. Bentham to take charge of the overall situation. We don't believe in the Whigs or the Tories. We Westminster voters only recognize Jeremy Bentham."

Louis looked worriedly at the young people excited by the crowd outside Bentham's mansion. Although the rain was pouring, it did not affect their enthusiasm for supporting Bentham.

As these young people say, the Westminster constituency is a very special one among the more than 600 constituencies in Britain.

In the 1807 Westminster general election, the radical liberals led by Bentham unexpectedly defeated the Tories and Whigs, and in the next twenty years they rarely lost this seat again.

Anyone who understands British politics knows what kind of miracle this is, as incredible as the shepherd David defeating the giant Goliath.

This incident not only made Westminster's political status more important than ever, but this election also made Jeremy Bentham's name become important in British politics, after the Whigs and Tories. , Bentham is the banner representing the third party forces.

The solid power of radical liberals in Westminster also made Bentham's name widely known, and more and more people began to agree with his political views.

It was during this period that John Mill's father, James Mill, and Brougham became Bentham's disciples and became loyal supporters of utilitarianism. The addition of these outstanding figures also made the utilitarian group The formation has become the general trend.

They had their own political organization, the Westminster Union, and their own publication, the "Westminster Review."

Faced with such success, Bentham's supporters could not help but put him on a pedestal.

Although Mr. Bentham himself scorned religion, this did not prevent his followers from quoting the Bible to praise and boast for him, calling him the God of Westminster.

In many subsequent trials, these Davids repeatedly demonstrated the courage to overcome many difficulties with faith "in the name of the Lord of hosts."

"In God I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?"

They quoted the saint Paul as saying: “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young.” This was the older apostle’s encouragement to the young Timothy, because God will never let anyone encounter setbacks because of inexperience.

We often hear people say: ‘One man plus God is the majority. ’ This is true because God alone represents the majority. God does not need people to explain Him, but He wants people to carry out His will.

God seldom uses a large number of people; He often uses a few, or even just one person. The glory of God will not be obscured by the world. God loves to use little people to accomplish big things! We may think too highly of ourselves and be unwilling to be used by God. But we are never too small for God!

Elijah plus God could defeat four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal. David plus God could conquer the giant Goliath. Daniel plus God overcame the plots of his enemies. Gideon’s three hundred strong men, plus God, defeated thousands of enemy troops. A boy who put five loaves and two fish into the Lord's hand could feed five thousand people. Moses plus God saved two million people from slavery in Egypt.

Of course, even God Himself would win, but God would prefer someone to carry out His will. "

It is natural for young people to admire great figures. Bentham himself was also a qualified mentor. It was a blessing to be able to receive his teachings at a young age.

But for Arthur and the Scotland Yard police, this is definitely not a good thing.

Young people are full of energy and often carry out their plans regardless of the consequences. In other words, no matter whether things succeed or fail, right or wrong, they are always the ones at the forefront. And at this age, most of them have nothing but enthusiasm, so they always suffer heavy casualties.

As for these young men, the red devil leaning against the window just laughed at him: "Wars are always started by the old guys, and the young ones fight. History always repeats itself, just because mankind does not know how to learn lessons. Pope How do you say that?"

In response to the red devil's ridicule, Arthur just recited softly: "Mortals make many mistakes, and only God can forgive them. Fools are addicted to arrogance for a long time."

Louis on the side was stunned when he heard it. He didn't know why Arthur suddenly said this.

But the Red Devil understood what Arthur meant. He put his arm on Arthur's shoulder and said with a smile: "Don't you know very well in your heart? You have the chance to become a god, why do you have to become a mortal?"

Arthur did not answer the question, but turned his head and smiled softly at Louis: "In what direction do you think things will develop?"

Louis was silent for a while, then turned to look at the excited crowd outside the window.

Maybe he will become a big man who is calm about changes in the future, but at this moment, he can't achieve that kind of peace of mind.

Louis shook his head: "I...I don't know. But when I see them, it always reminds me of when I was in Italy before, and of the Carbonari uprising in Rome. The expressions on their faces...and those The Carbonari are almost identical. To tell you the truth, Arthur, I have no idea."

Arthur patted Louis' shoulder gently and took a long puff of cigarette: "Don't worry, Louis. I know what will happen next and everything will be fine."

"You know?" Louis frowned, looking a little confused: "How did you know? Did you receive any reliable information?"

"I have no news." Arthur chuckled: "But I am a historian, and the University of London has provided me with the best historical education."

"So, is there any connection between the two?"

Arthur joked: "Louis, do you know what the antonym of historian is?"

Louis scratched his head: "What is it?"

Arthur looked out the window and controlled his pipe, opened the door and stepped out of the carriage.

In the carriage, his voice still echoed.

"Prophet."

…

Bentham's housekeeper and servants stood outside the door, watching the supporters gathering outside the mansion, and they could only do their best to comfort them.

Braving the heavy rain, the housekeeper shouted with his hands down: "Gentlemen, Mr. Bentham is old. He is 84 years old, and he has been very unwell recently. When his physical condition improves, We will soon arrange for Mr. Bentham to continue his lecture.

For the past thirty years, he has been on the podium almost every week. Whether it's the streets of London, the lecture halls of universities, or Speakers' Corner in Hyde Park, you can see him anywhere.

He knows your enthusiasm for utilitarianism and your support for parliamentary reform. Everyone hopes that this country will become better and better. Everyone hopes that they and everyone in the society will live a good life.

Over the past half century, the utilitarian ranks have grown from a handful to a commonplace in Britain, and now we even have the University of London that educates talent. Mr. Bentham has dedicated his entire life to the cause of reform, but you should at least give him some time to take a nap, right? "

When the supporters heard this, some felt disappointed, while others believed that Bentham's delay in showing up must have some hidden agenda.

"Sir, did the authorities put any pressure on you and Mr. Bentham?"

"It is impossible for Mr. Bentham to retreat. Based on our understanding of Mr. Bentham, at such a critical moment, he will definitely stand up as always."

"That's right! After Mr. Bentham drafted the parliamentary reform plan in 1818, he was not discouraged even though it was rejected by 106:0 in the House of Commons. We don't believe that Mr. Bentham would retreat to the background when the situation is good! Mr. Andrew, you It must have been silenced by the threats from the opposition, right?”

"Mr. Andrew, tell me their names. As long as we are here, no one can put pressure on Mr. Bentham. Even though he is 84 years old, we are still behind him."

Butler Andrew couldn't help but smile bitterly when he heard this.

These young people are good at everything, but they just can't listen to what others say. He actually wanted to let them in to meet Bentham and let them know that what he said was not a lie.

However, Bentham had already ordered that he would not see anyone today. And from the housekeeper's point of view, the old man is indeed not suitable for seeing guests. He is too old and has no strength to even get out of bed.

The health of the elderly is like the golden leaves hanging on the branches in autumn. Although they seem to be fine, just one winter can make their physical condition deteriorate rapidly.

Such is the case with Mr. Bentham at present.

But the steward must not say everything in front of the supporters. He knows these young people very well. If they see Bentham's current appearance, they will definitely not blame the cold winter, but will think of it some time ago. Cholera control.

Although the housekeeper does not rule out that cholera control also played a negative role, if these young people are allowed to associate the deterioration of Bentham's physical condition with cholera control...

It's really hard to imagine what they would do.

Storming London City Hall?

Arson in the Palace of Westminster, home to both houses of parliament?

Or attack the royal residences of St James's Palace, Kensington Palace or Buckingham Palace?

Just when the housekeeper was at a loss what to do, he suddenly felt someone approaching him.

Just as he was about to raise his head, a familiar voice sounded in his ears: "Mr. Andrew, do you need help? If necessary, I can send someone to maintain order on the scene. I currently have a team of twenty people nearby. Standby."

Andrew was shocked: "Arthur, you..."

He raised his head and glanced at the supporters, quickly pulled Arthur aside and asked: "You must not act rashly, young people can do anything. Sending the police here at this time will only intensify their emotions."

Arthur nodded and said: "I understand, that's why I didn't transfer the police team directly from Scotland Yard, but carefully selected some smart and capable young men from the Police Intelligence Bureau. They are also young people, and they are also like me Neither is wearing a police uniform."

When Andrew heard this, he felt relieved a little: "That's good... they didn't bring weapons, right?"

Arthur expressed euphemistically: "They are equipped with the minimum force just in case. Please understand that although I want to solve the problem peacefully, at the same time, I have to be responsible for the safety of my men."

"Minimum force means...a stick?"

"The kind with a short handle." Arthur said: "As long as the situation does not get out of control, they will not take action. If these young people successfully accept their guidance, maybe they can still communicate with the police officers under me after a while. Let's go to the tavern to have a big drink together as brothers."

At this point, Arthur also advised: "Scotland Yard already knows the situation here. Mr. Andrew, if you insist not to let me intervene, then there will be more than just sticks coming later. You should You know, the Guards Cavalry has recently joined the law enforcement team, and I don’t want things to get to that point.”

When Andrew heard this, he also understood that he could not delay it any longer.

He sighed and said, "I understand. But is it really appropriate to dispatch plainclothes police? You should also know that once plainclothes police are discovered, their fate will be much worse than ordinary police."

Arthur nodded and said: "Of course I know. That's why I put a stick in their waist and gave them double the salary during the special period."

Andrew shrugged helplessly and said: "Okay, now that you have considered everything, I have no reason to refuse. I just saw Officer Bonaparte. Should I coordinate with him for the next thing?"

Arthur smiled and said: "That's right. But before that, I can politely ask you, can I go see Mr. Bentham?"

"This..." Andrew was quite embarrassed: "Mr. Bentham said that he doesn't want to see guests today."

Arthur took out the tobacco box from his pocket and patted it in Andrew's hand: "Go and ask for me, just say that I hope to see him, just ask a few words, it won't waste too much time. If Bentham If you still refuse, sir, then you can just pretend I haven’t been here.”

Andrew glanced at the cigarette box, shook his head and smiled, then patted the cigarette box back to Arthur.

"Please stop playing this trick with me. I'm not a gangster from the East District. I can help you ask, but whether to see you or not depends on Mr. Bentham's own decision."

As soon as Andrew finished speaking, he heard a rush of footsteps behind him.

A valet went downstairs in a panic, walked to Andrew and said: "Mr. Andrew, Mr. Bentham said that he saw an acquaintance from the window, an outstanding graduate of the University of London, and he wanted to meet that person. .”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but look up at the second floor window.

In front of the transparent glass window, Bentham, who had age spots on his face, sat quietly there. He looked a little tired, but he still smiled at him with the gentle smile he often showed when giving speeches on the street. Everyone waved.

"Mr. Bentham! It's Mr. Bentham!"

Bentham's appearance soon triggered bursts of cheers among the supporters, who waved to Bentham excitedly, and the streets were full of flying hats.

Arthur breathed a sigh of relief: "They are in a good mood. It seems that the next work will be much easier."

Andrew took advantage of the cheers of the supporters and pulled Arthur behind him: "Follow me, let's go through the back door, don't let them find out that I let the others go to see Mr. Bentham."