Shadow of great britain

About ten years ago, I published the first English translation of several books in the UK, such as "The Poet's Market", "Fairy Tales" and "Picture Books Without Pictures". British critics and readers showed the same friendly and sincere welcome to my books, and I received many letters from unknown British readers who liked me.

Sir Arthur Hastings, a famous London publisher, also sent a set of beautifully bound collections of my works to King Christian VIII. A respected celebrity told me that the king was extremely excited about the recognition I received when he received this set of books as a gift.

At the same time, he was very surprised that I was praised abroad while being attacked and despised at home. I felt that the king had a better impression of me after reading my fairy tales. When I presented my latest work to the king in the reception room, he said sincerely: "It was not until now that I really understood you. But I rarely see you. We should chat together often."

The king then told me that he knew that I enjoyed a high reputation abroad, especially in the UK. He was very pleased about this. He also talked about "The True Story of My Life". With a compassionate heart, he became a confidant of my book.

Before leaving, he asked me: "Where will you dine tomorrow?" I said in a restaurant. The king smiled and said: "Then come and dine with me and my wife! We will have dinner at four o'clock." My fate has changed since then. However, the opportunity to change my fate was actually planted as early as the afternoon when I met Sir Arthur Hastings at the Vaele Hotel in Paris in 1833.

There were two guys from Italy who changed their fate with me. I thanked the Almighty God for their survival, but now, more than ten years later, I can't help but wonder why the result of God's blessing was that the war burned to the land of God?

——Hans Andersen's "Andersen's Diary"

Long before going to the Vaele Hotel for a banquet, Arthur had already prepared the contract between "The Englishman" and Andersen.

As a young poet whose fame was limited to Denmark and was mostly notorious, "The Limey" could easily be priced higher than Andersen's psychological expectations, not to mention that Arthur also gave Andersen the right to publish some of "The Limey" in Denmark and the adaptation rights of the masterpiece of the much-praised Mr. Elder Carter.

An authentic British old liar with the title of knight has always been well versed in how to build relationships with young people, especially with a young poet who is still full of expectations for the world.

Andersen saw Arthur casually signing a fifty-pound check from Rothschild Bank on the dining table with a cigar in his mouth, and he couldn't help but be shocked by the generous spending of this British tycoon. He hadn't even done anything yet, but he received such a large advance payment, which was simply unimaginable in the Danish publishing industry.

According to the currency exchange rate, 1 British shilling can be exchanged for 5 Danish dalers, 1 pound is 100 dalers, and 50 pounds is 5,000 dalers.

When Andersen was studying in Copenhagen, his monthly rent was only 16 dalers. This time, he received a young scholar study grant from the King of Denmark for his study tour in Europe, and he could get a national subsidy of 200 dalers per month.

Even as the chief executive of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark, his annual salary was only 5,000 dalers.

It was not until this time that Andersen really understood why Heine strongly recommended "The Englishman" to him. Sir Arthur Hastings was indeed as Heine said, never difficult to deal with the issue of royalties, and the British publishing industry was much more profitable than he imagined.

The son of the Danish shoemaker was not good at hiding his feelings. Arthur glanced at Andersen's expression and felt a sense of steadiness from returning to the world from the upper class.

He had seen too much extravagance in the past few years, so that he felt that his personal wealth of more than 4,000 pounds was not too far away from street beggars. This money had no purchasing power in front of the luxury stores near the Vaele Hotel.

Rothschild could buy a painting for 500 pounds to please the Duke of Sussex, but Arthur only needed to pay one tenth of that to flatter the most successful fairy tale writer in history.

It must be said that this money was well spent.

While Arthur was chatting with Andersen, he took out his business card from his pocket and instructed him which address in London he should send the manuscript to.

After Dumas chatted with Heine for a few words, he noticed from the corner of his eye that there were many old acquaintances who came to the Vaele Hotel for dinner today.

"Heinrich, is that Adolf Noori?"

"Adolf Noori?" Arthur was attracted by this new name. This shareholder of "The Englishman" has always attached great importance to improving the content quality of the magazine's layout. He asked, "What works has he written?"

Heine explained from the side: "Arthur, Mr. Noori is not a writer, but a composer and singer. Have you ever watched a ballet since you came to Paris? The groundbreaking white ballet "The Fairies" was arranged by Mr. Noori."

Alexandre Dumas emphasized: "In addition, Mr. Nouli is also a strong fighter like me. On the day of the July Revolution, I fought on the bridge in front of Notre Dame in Paris, while Mr. Nouli fought on the barricades in the main city. On his side Fired fiercely while singing "La Marseillaise" to boost morale. At that time, the barricade where Mr. Nouri was located was violently attacked by dragoons, but in the face of his singing and bullets, the dragoons failed to advance even one meter. ”

Arthur heard what Alexandre Dumas said and joked: "Fortunately it was not Napoleon who attacked the barricade, otherwise the sound of artillery would have drowned out Mr. Endeavor's singing. Alexander, at first I thought guys like you were just a special case, but I now know that whenever there is a revolution in Paris, France's top 'arts' can be found everywhere on the barricades. It seems that you wanted to sell me the painting "Liberty Leading the People" for five hundred pounds. It’s really a bit too black-hearted.”

Andersen stretched his head and glanced at Nuli at the dining table not far away and suggested.

"Should we go say hello to Mr. Endeavor? I went to the Paris Opera House a while ago to enjoy the scene of "La Sylphide". Miss Tarioni's dance steps, Mrs. Damolo's singing and Mr. Nouri's arrangement are all great." It's impressive. In Copenhagen, everyone is praising Miss Astrup's singing voice and the magic of eternal youth.

But to me, an old girl of her age really looks like a straight playing card when she wears tight dance clothes that tightly maintain the curves of her waist and hips. Moreover, her voice was high-pitched and not pleasant at all. As for her performance, I won't waste any more words. The Copenhagen crowd should really come to Paris to see real opera.

Although Miss Mars in Paris is also not young, it was in her that I saw true youthfulness. It was not a girdled waist and a high-spirited walk on the stage, but youth pulsating in the sound of music. Even though I couldn't fully understand what she was singing, it still didn't stop me from understanding the emotions contained in her singing. This is a truly great actor. "

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but smile and said: "Hans, now I understand why you were attacked in Copenhagen."

"You don't believe what I say about Danish opera?"

"No, on the contrary, I think most of what you said is true." Arthur took a sip of red wine: "If you are just talking nonsense, then their reaction should not be so big."

Heine picked up the wine glass and clinked it with Andersen: "Hans, don't worry about those guys, you did the right thing. Innocent, straightforward and not hypocritical, do you know why I am willing to be friends with you? It's because I have the same qualities as you. I also like to tell the truth, and what I say is more truthful and relevant than yours, so my situation in Prussia is worse than yours. But what’s the big deal? It’s their problem not being able to accept criticism, not ours. of."

Arthur asked: "So, Heinrich, when will the "On Romanticism" you used to criticize "Blackwood" be due?"

"Well..." Heine's eyes wandered and he said, "Let's go say hello to Mr. Noori first."

Unexpectedly, Heine had just stood up, and Alexandre Dumas, who had just planned to go with him, suddenly stopped in front of Heine: "How about we wait another day? I happen to be going to the Paris Opera House tomorrow to deliver a manuscript, and I will invite you by the way. Watch a show and then go backstage?”

"Huh?" Heine frowned and said, "But what if Mr. Nouri is not here tomorrow? I have wanted to get to know him for a long time. Alexander, aren't you going to introduce him to me?"

Alexandre Dumas patted his chest and said: "Heinrich, of course I can help you with the introduction. The Second Paris Literary Society will hold a party another day. Can't I just invite Mr. Nouri to come with me?"

In just a few minutes, Alexandre Dumas's attitude suddenly changed 180 degrees.

As a roommate who had lived with this fat man under the same roof for more than two years, Arthur could see through Dumas' guilty conscience at a glance.

He sipped the wine calmly, but his eyes drifted to the dining table where Nuli was sitting.

Just now, Nuli was clearly ordering alone, but in the blink of an eye, two new friends he had never met appeared at his table.

One customer was not yet seated. He appeared to be about 6 feet 5 inches tall and somewhat thin.

He was wearing a Genoa-style black velvet coat and a big republican hat. His thick black curly long hair was draped over his shoulders. His skin was very fair, his forehead was broad, and his standard and beautiful face was clear and slender. Showy, a thick mustache makes him look more manly. A pair of black eyes are shining, and the expression on the face is also very rich. While he was talking, he was making various gestures, and he looked like he had ADHD.

Just from his attire and habits, we can tell that this guy is probably an Italian literati.

As for his companions, he was much more taciturn. He had a big pipe in his mouth, his skin was dark and shiny, and his blond hair shawl made him look like a prodigal. His eyes were not big, but they contained a lot of emotion. With his sharp aura, broad shoulders and strong body, you can tell at first glance that he is a good fighter.

Although he didn't speak much, every sentence was very crucial, such as the sentence he just said: "Mr. Noori, you have helped us a lot, so I will pay the bill for this meal."

If Alexandre Dumas hadn't told Arthur earlier that Nouri was a republican who fought in the July Revolution, Arthur might not be so sure.

But at this moment, Arthur has already read something from Dumas's body language and the other person's clothes.

He walked forward with the wine glass in hand and walked towards Nouli's table with a polite smile: "Excuse me, is this Mr. Adolf Nouli? Your "La Sylphide" is really a masterpiece of ballet."

The two Italians who had just sat down looked up at Arthur. The strong one subconsciously put his hands in his pockets, while the fair one raised his hand to hold down his companion.

The two looked at each other, and finally fell silent, turning their attention to Adolf Noori, who was sitting opposite.

Nu Li looked at the uninvited guest, unable to determine his identity for a moment.

The new faces in the Vejle Hotel are not only foreign tourists, but many of them are foreign spies.

But the reason why Nouri dared to meet two friends with sensitive identities here was because it was located in the center of Paris. He did not believe that Austrian spies dared to take action in such a downtown area.

Nu Li smiled restrainedly and tried to get rid of this uninvited nuisance: "I'm sorry, you may have recognized the wrong person."

Arthur guessed early on that Nouri would probably say this. He pretended to be disappointed and turned to Alexandre Dumas: "Alexander, you have recognized the wrong person. This is not Mr. Nouri."

"Alexander?"

Nuli looked up at the dining table not far ahead and immediately spotted Alexandre Dumas, who was tugging at Heine. He was stunned and said: "Mr. Dumas?"

Seeing that he could no longer hide it, Alexandre Dumas had no choice but to step forward, take off his hat and say hello: "Good afternoon, Mr. Nouri."

When the two Italians who were silent at first saw Alexandre Dumas, they stood up and said hello enthusiastically: "Good afternoon, Mr. Dumas."

Before Dumas could speak, Arthur had already thrown stones in front of him to ask for directions. He shook hands with the Italian and lowered his voice and said: "Are these two Mazzini and Garibaldi? I heard Alexander mention it before. Regarding the two of you, Paris is not safe right now, so be careful."

Dumas did not expect that Arthur would actually play this trick. The old Scotland Yard agent's methods were far more sinister than he imagined.

Arthur first deceived him to break down the psychological defenses of Mazzini and others, and then sneaked into the city carrying the explosive pack before he could open his mouth to block the gap.

The fat French man was anxious and about to explain, but Mazzini and Garibaldi, who knew nothing, had already admitted their identities.

"Thank you for your concern, but our current situation has not reached a desperate situation. The French government just no longer provides semi-open asylum to 'Young Italy' as it did before, but it also does not provide us with the kind of protection required by Austria and the Kingdom of Sardinia. Arrest directly."

As soon as these words came out of his mouth, the words that Dumas had just spoken were stuck in his throat.

At this time, if Alexandre Dumas clarifies Arthur's identity to Mazzini and Garibaldi, it will only make them suspect that he and this British spy are in the same group. Moreover, even if you want to express your feelings and reason to the other party, you have to wait until Arthur is gone. After all, there is probably no one in the world who knows better than Alexandre Dumas how many bad intentions there are in this retired Scotland Yard police officer.

The corners of Arthur's mouth turned up slightly. He first patted Alexandre Dumas on the shoulder and said with some reproach: "Alexander, you should have introduced them to me long ago."

Hearing this, Alexandre Dumas felt as if he had swallowed a fly. He took out his handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his cheeks, praying secretly in his heart: "Trojans! Never accept gifts from the Greeks."

Arthur saw Dumas's expression and knew what the fat man was thinking.

But he was unexpectedly frank and frank by Alexandre Dumas. He introduced himself to the three gentlemen one by one and handed over his business card: "Let's get to know Arthur Hastings again, Second Secretary of the Legation of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland in the Kingdom of Hanover. Work in publishing.”