Shadow of great britain

If there is any place in Paris that is comparable to Regent Street in London, then Place Vendôme, built by the famous French architect Jules Altuan-Mansart, will definitely be at the top of the short list.

There are rows of Baroque and neoclassical buildings, and giants in the jewelry and high-end clothing industries are gathered here.

Here, everything from the simplest engagement ring to gold and silver jewelry that can be called works of art, and even the honorary sword of the "Immortal" of the French Academy, can be customized here.

Among all these shops, the most eye-catching place is the Vejle Hotel.

As the most upscale restaurant in Paris, guests who come here can not only have a panoramic view of Place Vendôme, but can even catch a glimpse of the Paris Opera House and the Louvre Museum not far away.

Such a unique geographical location has naturally attracted many dignitaries and literati to the Vejle Hotel.

Chopin liked the food in this restaurant very much, so he often came here to dine. Of course, he often comes here not only because the food here is delicious, but also because the Vejle Hotel is very close to his home, and he lives in the apartment at No. 12 Place Vendôme.

Of course, regular guests of the Vejle Hotel include not only great pianists such as Chopin and Liszt, but also highly praised by the German nationalist Jewish poet Heinrich Heine.

For example, right now he is sitting on the second floor of the Vejle Hotel with a new friend from Denmark.

Considering that Heine would eat at places like this every now and then, it's not surprising that he would rack up a bill of 1,000 francs.

Heine took the menu from the waiter, randomly ordered two of his favorite dishes, and then handed the menu to Andersen, who was sitting opposite him: "Hans, is there anything you like to eat? Ours The big benefactor said that you can order whatever you want, and today’s meal will be charged to his account.”

Andersen took the menu. He glanced at the dazzling numbers on the menu and felt that his heart was about to jump out of his chest.

He smiled nervously, nodded politely to the waiter and said, "Let's order these first. We haven't all arrived yet. I'll call you later if I need you."

Seeing how careful he was, Heine smiled kindly and said: "Hans, you said at the European Literary Society's gathering the day before yesterday that the person you want to see most in the world is me, but if you really treat me like this If you're interested, why don't you come see me earlier?"

"I...I can't do it."

Andersen smiled shyly: "You are so proficient in poetry. If an unknown young man like me from an unknown small village in Denmark comes to you and introduces himself as a poet, you will definitely think that this is simply too rich. It's dramatic. I also know that if I meet you, my clumsy behavior will make you laugh, or make you laugh at me, which will be very embarrassing for me. I admire you so much that I would rather not meet you. I don’t want to leave a bad impression on you either.”

"how could be?"

Heine took the red wine glass from the waiter's hand: "You have talent and hard work. It is only a matter of time before you become famous. It is also an honor for me to know you when you are unknown. By the way, 豼Have you visited Lamartine, Vigny, Dumas and Hugo since you came to Paris?”

Andersen said: "I visited Mr. Hugo. "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" was the first original French book I read. I held this book in my hand and read it while walking through the corridors of Notre Dame de Paris. Those meticulous descriptions combined with the solemn scenes in Notre Dame gave me a very strange feeling. Therefore, I felt that since I had read his book, it was natural to visit the original author. "

Heine took a sip of wine and said: "You have chosen the right person. Among the romantic literati in Paris, Hugo and Dumas are the most enthusiastic. They open their arms to welcome all young people who are interested in pursuing a long-term career in literature. "

Andersen echoed sheepishly: "You are right, Mr. Hugo is indeed very enthusiastic. He lives on the corner of the Place Royale. When I visited him that morning, he was wearing pajamas and bloomers, with a pair of slippers on his feet. He came to open the door for me. Before I left, I shamelessly asked him to sign a piece of paper for me. Look, I still have the signature. "

After saying this, Andersen took out a small wooden box from his coat pocket, opened the lid and took out the treasured signature paper.

Andersen smiled and continued: "There is also the cheerful Mr. Dumas. After you introduced him to me the day before yesterday, I went to visit him at the Prince Hotel on Richelieu Street at noon. But I really didn't expect that even after noon, Dumas The husband was still lying on the bed. He was lying on the head of the bed, with two pillows under his chin, and he was writing there with a pen in his hand.

He saw me and greeted me warmly: 'Wait a moment, the muse is coming, she will leave in a moment. ’ As he continued to write, he muttered something loudly. After a while, he jumped up from the bed shouting "Long Live", shook the manuscript in his hand at me triumphantly and said: "The third act is finished." ’

After that, he took me to several theaters, we saw two plays, and then he took me backstage at the St. Martin's Theatre. There were many people crowded backstage, including stage mechanical operators, chorus girls, ballet dancers, etc. Everyone saw Mr. Dumas coming and greeted him warmly.

Mr. Dumas responded with a smile while leading me through the crowded crowd. He originally wanted to introduce me to some actresses, but I was really embarrassed, so I politely refused on the excuse that I was too tired today. "

Heine heard Andersen's description and laughed happily: "Hans, it's not that you don't want to meet actresses, you just haven't met the one you like most. Let me guess, the actress in Paris Which one do you like best... Ida Ferrier? Or Juliette Drouet?"

When Andersen heard this, he quickly waved his hands and said, "Mr. Heine, you are joking. Whether I like them or not, it does not affect the fact that these three are the best actresses in Paris at the moment."

Heine winked at Andersen and said: "Hans, Mr. Dumas took you to visit the theater for a long time, but you didn't even learn the slightest bit of charm from him. You know the first time you saw that Alexander guy? What did Miss Ida Ferrier say?"

"What did he say?"

Heine imitated Alexandre Dumas's emphasis, held the scarf with one hand, and raised his hand slightly: "You may believe that daffodils are white, snow is white, and albatross is white. Ah, no! In the world, Only one thing was white, and that was Miss Ida Ferrier's hand."

As soon as Heine finished saying this, he felt something pressing on his shoulders.

"Heinrich, what are you saying here to our friend?"

Heine turned around and saw that it was the smiling Alexandre Dumas and their big benefactor, Sir Arthur Hastings.

Alexandre Dumas does not understand German, so naturally he cannot understand what Heine and Andersen just communicated in German.

But as the second secretary of the British Legation in the Kingdom of Hanover, Arthur, who had already learned half a bucket of German, listened attentively.

But Arthur didn't speak even if he understood, because he wanted to hear if Heine was orchestrating him behind his back.

There's nothing I can do about it, this German Jew's mouth is really too short-sighted sometimes.

Seeing the two friends coming, Heine quickly stood up and introduced Andersen: "You have met Mr. Dumas before, so I will introduce you to this one. The noble London grand pianist, Michael Faraday's assistant, a former senior police officer in the Royal Metropolitan Police, and a part-time writer for a small newspaper, Sir Arthur Hastings. By the way, Arthur, your "Hastings Detective Collection". Is there a German version available? If so, can you give Hans a copy?”

Arthur took off his hat and coat and handed them to the waiter beside him. He shook hands with Andersen in a friendly way: "Nice to meet you, Mr. Andersen. I grew up reading your books. You can give them to me later." Sign your name?"

Andersen was extremely embarrassed by Arthur's words. He thought Arthur was laughing at him: "Sir, I'm just a little writer from the Danish countryside."

Alexandre Dumas put his arm around Andersen's shoulders and sat on his seat: "Hans, don't take his words to heart. Arthur likes to joke. Ever since he took a bullet under the Tower of London, he has become more evil-minded. Two. But he is not always so bad. At least in terms of royalties, "The British" is still very trustworthy."

Arthur took his seat and did not get to the point directly. Instead, he pointed to the stacks of scaffolding and busy workers in the square outside the window and asked, "Do you know what that is for?"

"That?" Heine said: "Didn't you read the newspaper? The French government plans to bring back Napoleon's coffin from overseas, and will also recognize all Napoleon's achievements. The scaffolding on Place Vendôme is We are preparing to erect a monument to Napoleon. They said the monument will be erected before July Day this year, so we are working on a deadline."

"Erect a monument to Napoleon?" Arthur lit his pipe: "Louis Philippe really tried his best to please the people. The French should be happy now, right?"

Heine sneered at this and said: "That's not necessarily true. Hans, do you remember the old lady we just met under the scaffolding?"

"Old lady?" Arthur turned his gaze to Andersen and asked, "Is there anything different about her?"

Andersen said helplessly: "Mr. Heine and I were admiring the monument next to the scaffolding. Maybe the old lady saw that Mr. Heine and I were foreigners, so she walked over to us and laughed nervously: 'Today Put the monument here and knock it down tomorrow! Hahaha! I know the French.'"

Alexandre Dumas was ordering food, but he did not refute when he heard this: "To a certain extent, she is right. I can guarantee that when the Napoleon Monument is unveiled on July Day, some people in the crowd will be high." Shouting 'Viva', others will shout 'Down with him', which is basically a traditional repertoire in Paris."

When Arthur heard this, he thought again of the Royalist assassin that night.

He raised his glass and asked softly: "That night, after you and Mr. Vidocq took the assassins to the Grand Paris Police Department, did they confess?"

Dumas closed the menu, rubbed his temples and recalled: "I heard from Mr. Vidocq that the guy did not admit his crime at first, but he did not hold on for too long. He confessed everything the next morning. He said that he was instructed by the royalists to attack the Kaidaosai Mansion. Based on his confession, the Greater Paris Police raided two royalist hideouts and arrested more than a dozen of his accomplices.

At first, the Greater Paris Police thought that this was all, but later the Austrian ambassador provided the police department with a piece of intelligence, saying that the assassination was related to the "Young Italy". Italian Prime Minister Metternich seemed to be very happy about the assassination of Louis Philippe, because he had previously warned the French government not to accommodate exiled Italians, but Louis Philippe ignored his words.

Mr. Vidocq said that the mocking tone of the Austrian envoy that day almost irritated the Paris Police Chief Rissocquet. Therefore, Rissocquet interrogated the newly captured royalist assassins overnight. The result was that the Grand Paris Police Department found that these royalists seemed to be acting together with "Young Italy". "

Arthur drank a sip of wine calmly.

Royalists?

Young Italy?

How could he not know about this?

The efficiency of the Grand Paris Police Department amazed the retired senior police officer of Scotland Yard. Arthur never thought that the Paris police could investigate the case to such an extent.

Obviously, they didn't even catch the real assassin, but they were able to deduce a transnational assassination case based on the confession of the fake assassin.

Arthur asked, "Alexander, don't you know Mazzini of Young Italy? Could it be that he and his little brothers are really involved in this case?"

Dumas spread his hands and said, "Who knows? Mazzini and I have only met once. However, the goal of Young Italy is to overthrow the autocratic rule of the Papal States. Why they are mixed with the French royalists, I really don't understand..."

Heine heard it, as if he remembered something, he clapped his hands and said, "Could it be that Young Italy received sponsorship from the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies? The royal family of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies is also a branch of the Bourbon. From this perspective, it doesn't seem surprising that they are mixed with the orthodox."