Shadow of great britain

The less heartless you are, the higher and faster you will climb. The more mercilessly you attack others, the more afraid they will be of you. You can only treat men and women as stage horses, ride them until they are exhausted, and throw them down when they reach the station, so that you can reach the highest peak of desire.

——Balzac's "Petro Goriot"

Seeing Balzac's alert look, Arthur immediately thought of the bad relationship between this fat French man and another fat French man.

Although Arthur did not carefully understand the original source of the hatred between the two, judging from the overt and covert fighting in the Paris literary world that he has seen so far, it is still very difficult for these writers to live in harmony.

What they compete for is not only the audience in the theater, readers who buy newspapers and magazines, the vanity of being sought after by thousands of people, but also differences in political opinions.

Like Balzac's whispers in the room with Madame Berni, he was an authoritarian, if not a royalist. And Alexandre Dumas, a restless guy from birth, planned to participate in the riot under the Tower of London even in a constitutional monarchy like the United Kingdom. France under Louis Philippe was the object of his extreme disgust.

What method should be used to get closer to a person is a difficult problem.

Some people seek fame, some seek profit, some want physical pleasure, and some seek wine and meat. Of course, most people are also happy to accept a true friendship if you can make it happen.

For ordinary people, it is not easy to pick a correct answer in this multiple-choice question.

But for Sir Arthur Hastings, a diplomatic agent with many intelligence sources, just one passionate sleepless night in the next room had already eliminated most of the wrong answers for him.

As Vidocq said, Arthur is not classy enough, and he seems to have no desire to pursue class.

He did not have seven or eight lovers, was not keen on aristocratic heraldry, and had no creditors.

However, Balzac is the opposite of Arthur. He has all these indispensable elements of elegance. Even if he doesn't have it, he is currently pursuing it.

For example, he currently has a debt of fifteen thousand francs.

Arthur smiled and asked the guarded Balzac to sit down, and poured him a cup of coffee enthusiastically: "Of course, outstanding works like "The Count of Monte Cristo" are what "The Englishman" is keen to collect, and not only "The Count of Monte Cristo" "Count of the Mountain", I came to Paris this time, and I also wanted to talk to Mr. Hugo about the distribution business of the English version of "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" in Britain.

I have always believed that people in France regard novels as a lower-level art than poetry and drama, which is a profound fallacy. In Britain our public, while equally fond of theater and poetry, are equally devoted to novels. It is true that "Blackwood" is still the largest circulation literary magazine in Britain, but the sales of "The British" are not much worse than them.

We achieve a circulation of 80,000 copies per issue, and we're not satisfied with just that. Our sights are not limited to London. We also want to spread our business to Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, and Glasgow. We hope that in the near future, readers from all parts of Britain will be able to read our articles at the same time. Latest publications. "

Upon hearing this, Hugo also helped Arthur act as a lobbyist: "Honoré, Sir Arthur Hastings is a very good publisher. Do you remember Stendhal's "The Red and the Black"? The English translation of that book was also published by The British."

Arthur heard this and joked: "Mr. Hugo, you can say this in Paris, but when you go to London, it is best not to spread the word that "Red and Black" is distributed by us. Because "Red and Black" "Black" was not only banned in France, but also received the same treatment in Britain, but Scotland Yard was more lenient in enforcing the ban. "

Vidocq heard what Arthur meant. He raised his arm and poked Arthur: "Brother, cultural people are different. I can only do shady work at the Grand Paris Police Department, but you, you can't think of it." It turns out that your business scope at Scotland Yard is quite broad!”

But in a flash, Vidocq joked again: "But think about it, you have already become an assistant superintendent. Your status in Scotland Yard is higher than mine in Paris."

Arthur also smiled and replied: "Stop complaining. When it comes to the status of the police in the eyes of the government, Paris is much higher than London."

When Balzac heard this, he roughly guessed Arthur's former identity. He couldn't help but ask: "Do the British police often watch for theft?"

Arthur just smiled in response to Balzac's question, but he did not give a definite answer.

Vidocq, who was no longer at the public gate, didn't care about the impact. He just blew out a puff of smoke: "Honoré, this has nothing to do with Britain or France. It doesn't matter whether it's this side of the sea or that side of the sea. , are all the same society that devours each other. In this society, innocence and honesty are useless. If you can't blast in like a cannonball, you have to get in like a plague. The society is despicable and cruel. If you don't want to be swallowed up, just do it. To deal with it in kind is not to guard against others, but to protect yourself.”

When Balzac heard this, he couldn't help but laugh: "If I had done something wrong, I probably wouldn't dare to say it openly like you two."

After hearing this, Vidocq did not argue, but narrowed his eyes and smiled: "My dear, that's because you are still young. Young people always like to resist a little, and have an explanation for their conscience, so as to save the future. Find excuses for legitimate behavior. Young people often dare not look in the mirror of conscience when they do something bad, but adults dare to face it. This is the difference between the two stages of life. "

Vidocq's words seemed to pierce the depths of Balzac's heart, and this innocent and straightforward young man was about to argue.

Unexpectedly, Arthur picked up the tea cup and touched it gently with him. His reddish eyes seemed to be smiling. They contained thousands of words from Arthur, and perhaps some thoughts about his experiences in the past few years. : "Mr. Balzac, society is a quagmire. We must stand on a high ground. Because if a person wants to plan for heaven, he must target God."

When Balzac heard this, he suppressed the anger he had just mentioned in his chest. He just asked: "The people sitting in the car covered with mud are all gentlemen, and the people covered with mud carrying two Those who walk away are villains. Mr. Vidoc once said to me: "Laws and morals have no effect on rich people. Property is the golden rule." Do you think these two sentences are correct? "

Arthur smiled and nodded slightly: "I don't know if you are right, but these two sentences are the truth. However, like Britain and France, many of my compatriots do not understand the truth. And I very much hope that you can Answering questions for the public in England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland, whether you, Mr. Hugo, or Mr. Dumas, The Anglican welcomes submissions from all those who are interested in spreading the truth.”

Vidocq took a sip of coffee, and the old detective couldn't help but take another high look in his mind.

He said in his heart: "As expected of a diplomat, he deceives people without blushing or beating, as if he really believed what he said. He knows very well what those literati need, and no one with a pen can Guys can withstand so many hats, especially one with a check stuck under the brim.”

Sure enough, when Balzac heard this, he took the initiative to hold Arthur's hand. He took off his hat and apologized: "Sorry, Sir, it seems that I misunderstood you before. You are neither a ruthless policeman nor a police officer." A naive fool like Alexander, I thought maybe we could be friends.”

When Arthur heard Balzac complaining about Alexandre Dumas, he couldn't help but smiled and blinked: "Why do you think Alexander is a fool?"

Balzac made no secret of his contempt for Alexandre Dumas and said directly: "Because he is a guy who brags that he never changes his views. In my opinion, such a person is actually stipulating that he will always walk in a straight line. He believes I am always right. But judging from my experience and the stories I heard, there are no principles in this world, only events. There are only current situations. Therefore, smart people usually adapt to events in order to adapt to the situation. Take advantage of the situation and use it to your own advantage.

Alexander can do nothing but shout noble slogans to numb himself. It is true that his works are very popular, but he rarely embodies the thoughts that should be expressed in his works. The plays and novels written by him can only be seen as superficial and empty. His greatest contribution to France was that he exiled himself to Britain. "

Arthur took advantage of Balzac's eloquent talk to copy the draft of the new novel, and asked politely: "I just heard that your new novel seems to have Mr. Thiers, the dean of counselors, as the character." Archetypal characters.”

When Balzac heard the big publisher from London talking about his novel, he suddenly seemed to open up a conversation. He drank the coffee in his cup and talked about his idea with some excitement.

"To be honest, I had a big plan. I found it boring to have each novel stand on its own, so I decided to string them all together. And Rastignac, the Ladder Mr. Yell will become one of the keys to connecting these independent novels, and the characters in these books will not only appear in one novel."

When Arthur heard this, he suddenly raised his eyebrows: "You mean, you want to create a Balzac world?"

"Balzac World?"

Balzac was stunned for a moment, then clapped his thigh and said: "Yes, that's what I'm talking about! The description you used is very appropriate! And I have been doing this unconsciously before, with Thiers as my example. This is not the first time that the prototype Rastignac appears in my story. I wonder if you have read my "Women's Studies"?

It tells the story of Thiers delivering his love letter to the wrong person, and accidentally hooking up with a marchioness. The story is actually about how Thiers became lovers with Talleyrand's niece. Rastignac in "Donkey Skin" tells the story of the past few years. He was completely obsessed with the colorful world of Paris, seeking pleasure and decadence everywhere.

This time, Rastignac in "Petro Goriot" tells the story of Thiers when he first arrived in Paris. How did he fall from a young man with a conscience to the capricious bastard he is today? . It is said here that Rastignac's father had an annual income of 3,200 francs, but he spent 2,800 francs to live in a boarding house in Paris to study at university. This is what really happened to Thiers. "

Arthur listened and memorized it, but the more he listened to it, the more chills he felt down his spine.

It was only then that he discovered how terrifying it was to make friends with novelists.

Not only will they write about you, but they will also restore your life experience to the public bit by bit, just like stuffing your naked butt into a zoo, and they will also charge admission fees from you.

At this time, Arthur suddenly seemed to understand why Hugo was so keen on peeping.

Most of these guys have an extraordinary thirst for knowledge and an extraordinary desire for expression.

If you only have the former, you are just a voyeur and a nymphomaniac.

If you only have the latter, you're just an annoying loudmouth.

And if you have both…

my Lord!

You will become an immortal writer!

Arthur had previously thought that it would be difficult to obtain information about a high-ranking French official like Thiers, but what he never expected was that Mr. Thiers would be placed at the top of major bookstores in Paris, naked and naked. Thiers is also very popular.

Thinking of this, Arthur suddenly wanted to keep a distance from Balzac.

Because everyone knows how prolific the fat French guy in front of him is in writing.

If he could write a drama for Thiers, there was no reason why he couldn't also rip off the honorable Sir Arthur Hastings.

After all, the story of his rise is nothing short of legendary.

From the little pigherd in York, to meeting a delirious little farmer uncle, to entering the University of London and meeting Jeremy Bentham and other radical leftists, and then to a series of stories in Scotland Yard, in London Underground trading on the stock exchange, and private control of a small group of loafers in London...

my Lord!

This could easily fill a multi-million-word book called "Shadow of Great Britain".

When Arthur thought of this, his open attitude just now also restrained a lot.

After rambling on and changing the topic, Arthur happily bid farewell to the extremely excited Balzac with a piece of paper signing a contract to be an agent for the English versions of all Balzac's novels.

In return, Arthur signed for him on the spot a one hundred pound acceptance bill from Rothschild Bank as a down payment.

After leaving the Little Castle Hotel, Arthur finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He lit a cigarette and looked at the busy street in front of him, with Vidocq holding a pipe by his side.

The old god looked at the young man and suddenly grinned: "Arthur, do you know? I thought you would have a future, but I didn't expect you would be so promising."

"What's wrong?" Arthur joked: "Do you regret not accepting my invitation to stay in London? It's a pity that I'm not in Scotland Yard now, otherwise I would definitely poach you without hesitation."

"You are very good at dealing with people, just as I think you are." Vidocq took a puff of cigarette: "If you were in the Grand Paris Police Department, Director Zhisokai would regard you as a treasure, because you are very suitable for political positions. The top leader of the Inspectorate has the most difficult job in the entire Paris police department.”

"Oh?" Arthur raised his eyebrows and said, "Why did you make this conclusion?"

Vidocq raised his hand to stop a taxi and got into the car with Arthur.

“In Paris, the police generally consider there to be seven categories of troublemakers. The first category is the young men in the schools, these young gentlemen who by nature like to fight against the government.

The second category is lawyers without faith, doctors without patients, writers without readers, shopkeepers without customers, and naive people who learn about politics from newspapers and aspire to become politicians.

The third category is bohemian people, like me, who are a group of dreamers who are afraid of ordinary life.

The fourth category is the working class who often talks about sovereignty and human rights. They are brave by nature and accustomed to fighting, and they are present in every public disturbance.

The fifth type of people are people who are easily gullible and deceived. These people have no brains and no thinking ability. They often follow the crowd and act as parrots when they see what others do and say.

The sixth type of people are disaffected people. These people are mainly those who were once in power, including all kinds of capable people. They are excluded from the power class and cannot participate in it, so they often want to cause trouble.

The seventh category is political refugees, like the ones you see on the outskirts of Paris, refugees who fled after revolts in Spain, Italy, Germany, Poland and elsewhere were suppressed. Their rebellion failed in their own country, so they hoped to regroup in France and eventually liberate their own country. "

Having said this, Vidocq paused and asked, "If it were you, how would you deal with these people?"

"It's never been a problem."

Arthur looked at the Paris scenery outside the window lightly: "The young people in the school don't actually like revolution at all. They just want to be in the limelight and show that they are more awakened and smarter than others. If you want to dismantle them, you only need to let them They find that their ideas are no different from those of fish vendors and ordinary farmers. They will soon feel a sense of frustration that is almost insulting and change sides.

As for those lawyers who have no faith, doctors who have no patients, writers who have no readers, etc., it is actually easier to understand than young people. They do not hate social injustice, they just hate that they are not standing on a high ground. Just like Mr. Balzac, a check for one hundred pounds can eliminate all his dissatisfaction.

Bohemian people are generally left alone. They are accustomed to daydreaming and are short of action. If even they are taking action, it only means that the overall situation is now decided.

As for the workers, they are indeed brave by nature, but most of them are headless flies running around. Workers' leaders usually do not come from the workers, so as long as they take care of the leading few, they will not have anything to worry about.

Those who are easily fooled are actually very pitiful, and such people are not worthy of criticism. They just follow without providing any new perspectives. Whichever side speaks louder, they will believe it. The guidance of public opinion is done by newspapers and magazines and does not fall within the scope of police management.

The sixth category of people, those who were once in power, are the most dangerous here. They just raise their arms and get a cheer. But this group of people is often the most timid of all, and a direct threat to their lives will cause most of them to retreat voluntarily.

The last political refugee, I think, if France is willing to give up the banner of freedom, then naturally no refugees will flock to Paris. If you are so confident in your country that you don't have to talk about it, I think this problem will be solved. "

When Vidocq heard this, he tapped the car window with his pipe: "Brother, do you know what I am thinking?"

"Um?"

Vidocq laughed: "Balzac wrote about the wrong person. I am not interested in how Thiers became what he is today, but I am very interested in how you became what you are."

When Arthur heard this, he looked at the sparkling Seine River. The red devil was leaning on the fence and smiling at him.

"It's a long story."