Shadow of great britain

Being unmasked is a failure, but unmasking yourself is a victory.

——Victor Hugo

When Arthur introduced himself, Hugo, who had just greeted him politely, immediately gave him a warm hug.

"You may not know what you have done for French literature. The publication of The Red and the Black is of great significance. It not only brought Mr. Stendhal an income that could help him relieve his worries and difficulties, but also represented that you have preserved a rare masterpiece for France."

Arthur did not expect that just a small thing he did casually could make Hugo grateful to him to this extent.

Hugo saw Arthur's surprised expression, smiled, took his hand and sat down, and explained to him.

"You don't know the situation in France. Although I love this country, I have to say that we are not as good as Britain in protecting copyright. You passed the Statute of Anne more than a hundred years ago, which stipulated the copyright of publishers and writers. But France is different. Even legally published books here cannot be fully protected by law.

We writers are always in a very weak position. Copyright is not respected at all. Theater owners and actors often maximize the profits from drama performances. In addition, pirated booksellers in Switzerland, Germany and the Netherlands are even more thieves. In this regard, the Belgian fake book dealers are particularly hateful."

When Arthur heard this, he finally understood why Hugo was so excited.

For writers in the 19th century, Britain was indeed a country they yearned for. As an island that exudes the smell of money, Britain is very concerned about all matters related to commercial interests.

This is not to say that there are no pirated books or illegal publications in Britain, but compared with the pirated book dealers rampant in the streets of European countries, the illegal publications in Britain must at least be concealed and not be carried out in the open.

This is why Arthur always went to the second-hand bookstores on the corner to buy books when he first started working. The price of second-hand books there is usually only one-third of the price of new books.

In those fancy new bookstores on the street, any three-volume novel in quarto can be sold at a high price of twelve shillings. According to the British gold standard system, this is equivalent to paying four or five grams of gold.

Arthur can only earn this much money in a week of patrolling the streets in the East End.

In this era, reading is a luxury consumption. There may not be a golden house in the book, but if you fill your house with books, it is equivalent to owning a golden house.

As a magazine shareholder with a little say in the London publishing industry, it is not surprising that writers like to make friends with Arthur.

The royalties are settled on time, rarely deducted for various reasons, and located in Britain, which has the strictest copyright protection. Therefore, "The Englishman" is definitely a good employer that writers dream of.

To be honest, if there is a chance, I would also like to contribute to "The Englishman".

After sorting out the reasons for Hugo's enthusiasm, Arthur naturally seemed to have found the right way to correct this literary giant with an unspeakable habit.

He chuckled and said, "Mr. Hugo, I actually heard of your name in London a long time ago. I have seen your famous work "Cromwell" many times in the theater in London. I dare to guarantee you that no one in Britain can write a better historical drama than you except Sir Walter Scott who passed away last year."

For Hugo, this is definitely the highest level of praise.

As the pioneer of historical literature, Walter Scott is not only famous in Britain, but also recognized in France.

And Sir Scott's most famous fan in France is Honoré Balzac, who is only two rooms away from Arthur and others and is commanding the "Cavalry Company" to charge.

Of course, Walter Scott may not have heard of Balzac's name, nor did he think that this Frenchman could inherit his mantle.

In the literary review article written by Sir Walter before his death, he regarded Elder Carter, the author of Robin Hood, as a rising star in British historical literature.

Hugo said modestly: "You are really flattering me. It is true that I have some talent in writing, but I am far from being on par with Scott. Even in Paris, I can easily name a few people who are comparable to me. For example, our mutual friend, Alexandre Dumas, or Mr. Alfred de Vigny, the author of "Stelo" and "Chattiton." "Mr. Vigny." Arthur heard Hugo mention Vigny on his own initiative, clapped his hands and said with a smile: "I knew you wanted to mention him." Hugo was stunned for a moment: "Do you know him?" "I didn't know him at first, but Mr. Vigny suddenly found me and Mr. Victor some time ago. He said that he suspected that he was being secretly monitored, and he also said with certainty that he had run into a peeper whose face he couldn't see clearly at the corner of the long-term rental room in the hotel. Mr. Victor and I came to the hotel early this morning to find out who the bastard was. Unexpectedly, I ran into you here, so I came to sit with you on purpose." Hugo's smile obviously stiffened when he heard this. Arthur noticed the change in Hugo's expression and knew that he must have understood.

Even if Hugo couldn't change his little hobby, at least he wouldn't blatantly spy on Winnie and Mrs. Dorval's "battle" during this period.

As private detectives, he and Vidocq could only go so far. After all, they are no longer police officers and have no power to enforce the law.

As for Winnie, just find some reason to excuse him later, or put some money in and find someone to play the role of a voyeur, and the case will be closed.

Arthur felt a little relieved, and was about to drink a cup of coffee to calm down, but as soon as he reached out to the tea tray, he found a book placed near the tea tray.

It was an old book with a rather quaint packaging. It looked quite old, but the content in the book was still quite popular even after 200 years.

Because that book is the masterpiece of the Marquis de Sade and the originator of erotic literature - "The 120 Days of Sodom" which has been banned by the French government for more than a hundred years.

Vidocq also noticed this famous book. The Paris detective had not read it, but to a true French ruffian, this book was almost as famous as Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet".

Hugo also noticed where the eyes of the two guests fell. He laughed, picked up the book and introduced: "Needless to say, you must want to borrow this book to read for a few days, right? After all, this is But illegal publications are things that the authorities vigorously ban. France is such a strange country. Pirated works are widely available in the market, but they can always catch all the books on the banned list. It took a lot of effort for me to do so. Got this book.”

Arthur heard this and asked curiously: "So, is it difficult to get a copy of "The Red and the Black" in France?"

"No, whether you can get The Red and the Black depends on where you are."

Hugo said: "It is indeed difficult for the public to see this book on the market, except for the gentlemen and ladies of the upper class. I have often heard people mention "The Red and the Black" at banquets recently. They are not only reading this book The officials who ordered the ban on "The Red and the Black" all recommended it to each other in private chats: "If you don't read "The Red and the Black," you won't be able to survive in politics."

Vidocq took off his hat and mocked: "It is also their nature to be duplicitous."

Arthur shook his head and said: "Mr. Vidocq, you understand it wrong. This is not duplicity. The reason for banning "The Red and the Black" is because they don't want ordinary people to see this book. As for whether they can read it themselves, Another thing. To borrow the words of officials, if you can't understand this kind of thing, you can't survive in politics. "

Upon hearing this, Vidocq joked: "Brother, I have to admit that you are not as good as me when it comes to catching criminals. But when it comes to hanging around, I am not as good as you. However, I always feel that you must listen to my advice. You are not in debt. You don't pick fights and duels, and you mainly spend your spare time reading books. You don't even have a few mistresses! Today's customs have really become terrible, and young people have been brainwashed by those legal concepts, Kant's philosophy, and free thoughts. .You have no Guimard, no Dude, no creditors, and no knowledge of heraldry. But if you insist on doing so, you know that you are not noble enough if you do not do it in your youth. He will probably do ridiculous things when he is old, so go play more while you are still young."

After hearing this, Arthur responded humorously: "Mr. Vidocq, if you think of me that way, you are wrong. Sometimes I do ridiculous things. I once ate under the Tower of London." Bullet, now I am encouraged by my friends to go to the Paris Opera House to compete with the piano king Liszt. Since I left Britain, my life has become more and more crazy. Although I have not met the Pope, it is possible. I have to meet the Tsar and Metternich, I have to meet Guizot at the banquet tonight, and I have to get to know the French radicals another day. Of course, these are all adjustments to daily life, and I will definitely not forget that the British government will do this this time. I was sent to Hannover on business mainly to deal with the local German police.”

"Banquet?" Hugo asked after hearing this: "Isn't the banquet you are talking about held at the Kaidosai Mansion?"

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "Are you also invited?"

Hugo nodded slightly and said: "Not just me, many people from the French literary and artistic circles have been invited. As far as I know, it seems that many people from the scientific community will also come."

When Arthur heard this, he immediately felt that something was wrong.

Count Duramo had only told him before that this was a banquet hosted by the British Legation, but if it was just a banquet of this size, there was absolutely no way to invite so many famous people.

Arthur couldn't help but ask: "Can I take the liberty of asking who is the organization that sent you the invitation?"

Hugo replied without hesitation: "The invitation was sent from the Tuileries Palace."

Tuileries Palace, the seat of the French royal family.

This name already illustrates the real behind-the-scenes organizer of this banquet, the most powerful man in France who calls himself the 'People's King' - Louis Philippe.

After cooperating with the British Legation, convening various celebrities from Paris' upper class circles, and combining it with some things he had learned recently, Arthur seemed to understand what the master trader was planning to do.

He would probably use the mouths of these celebrities at the banquet to announce to the public his decision to take back Napoleon's coffin.

As for why he invited the staff of the British Legation, he probably also considered the possible diplomatic impact of this matter, so he had to communicate with the staff of the British Legation. On the other hand, he can also take this opportunity to prove to the people of France that Louis Philippe does not care about the potential dissatisfaction from Britain. Even if the British intend to object, he will still resolutely welcome back Napoleon and the man who has made many The respected emperor of the French.

If Arthur's guess is correct, Louis should also appear at the banquet. Whether he is willing or pretending to be submissive, he will serve as a supporting foil to Louis Philippe's glorious and great decision.

As soon as Arthur thought of this, he immediately realized the difficulty of the problem.

Because he knew the temper of his secretary, and there was a lot of blood in this young man. A person without blood would not go all the way to Italy to participate in the Carbonari uprising.

At this stage the noble Bonaparte had not yet fully learned how to conceal himself. Although Arthur had explained the stakes to him before, you can never expect a young man in his twenties to be able to control his emotions in a public place that is almost humiliating.

If Louis couldn't hold back and caused trouble at the banquet with his passion in front of a group of Parisian celebrities and British guests...

Arthur couldn't imagine what consequences this would have.

Perhaps the Bonapartists will surrender to the name Louis Bonaparte because of his courage, but for other factions, and even for the British government, which currently has a good impression of him, being irritable and irritable is not a good label. This easily reminded them of Louis' uncle Napoleon.

Arthur tapped the tea tray with his fingertips. He suddenly smiled, picked up the teacup calmly and asked, "I heard that Mr. Thiers and Mr. Guizot will also attend this banquet. When I was in college, I specialized in It is history, and speaking of the two contemporary French historians who have impressed me the most, there are no more than these two. Among them, I have met Mr. Thiers at the French Institute, but I have never been lucky enough to meet Mr. Guizot. Meeting. Mr. Hugo, you are good at historical dramas, and you must have in-depth contacts with Guizot. I wonder if you can make an introduction for me. "