Chapter 18: Admiralty Orders
Chapter 18 Admiralty Orders
Inside his detached house on the outskirts of London, Sir Peel leaned comfortably on the sofa by the fireplace, enjoying a pleasant vacation.
He held a cup of exquisite black tea in one hand, while in the other he cupped a freshly baked copy of the Times.
“It was the best of times and the worst of times. Damn! That was a fantastic bit of writing, that kid is going to be a great writer someday!”
He had just finished saying this when he looked up and saw Mrs. Peel walk in holding a mountain of neatly yoked newspapers.
Sir Peel couldn’t help but snicker, “Wow, ma’am, what are you doing buying so many newspapers? Are you planning to sell newspapers on the side?”
Mrs. Peel gave him a blank look without any goodwill, “Robert! You told me that there might be news about Officer Arthur today, but you didn’t tell me that I would have so many.
I told the newspaper vendor that I wanted a paper with Officer Arthur in it, and he simply hated to give me a copy of every paper he sold!
Although I’m also a big fan of Officer Arthur, how much money does it cost when you print so much for him at once!”
Sir Peel laughed and shook his head, “No, no, no, ma’am. I only spent money on The Times, the other papers were all kindly sponsored by our young and promising member of the House of Commons, Mr. George Morris.
Mr. Morris is a man with a strong sense of social responsibility, so when I showed him that story about Sergeant Arthur, he immediately stepped forward to say that he would contribute generously.”
Hearing this, Mrs. Peel queried, “I know that Mr. Morris has just inherited his father’s shares in the bank, but even if he were rich, he couldn’t afford to spend so much, could he?
And even if he was willing to spend money, his mobility is too high. I just counted, from the big newspapers to the small ones, Mr. Morris has found more than thirty in total. How did he contact so many newspapers?”
Hearing this, Sir Pierre finally couldn’t hold it in, and he threw back his head in joy and laughed.
“My dear, Mr. Morris had to find them even if he had to run his legs off! For I told him that if the public’s attention was not on the shining image of Sergeant Arthur, it would all be revealed that he had bribed the election with an umbrella. George Morris is a Tory like me, and I, being a senior, had to give him a few pointers on how to handle crisis communications, didn’t I?”
Mrs. Peel, too, burst out laughing when she heard this, and she threw the papers all to one side, then pressed herself against his thigh and slapped him lightly.
“Robert, you are so bad! Maurice must have lost a fortune this time.”
“Oh, no, no, no.” Sir Peel wagged his finger, “My dear, in politics, we usually call this a win-win partnership.
Maurice keeps his future and gets my thanks.
I, on the other hand, not only retained Scotland Yard’s most distinguished officer at minimal cost, but also showed the public a bright image of Scotland Yard through this.
You know, I single-handedly built Scotland Yard from the ground up. Scotland Yard’s success is my success, so this is also my achievement.
Even the young court clerk who wrote the news was given the opportunity to present his article on a bigger stage.
There are no losers in this deal, they are all winners.”
“And what about Mr. Morris’s wallet? Robert, you’re a lying little devil.”
Sir Pierre raised an eyebrow and gathered his lady into his arms, “That’s where you’re wrong, my dear. You’ve been married to me for so many years, how come you still don’t understand your husband’s profession?
I’m a senior councilor, so don’t you dare try to pry anything half bad out of me. I never speak ill of civilized people.”
“And you don’t say anything when the House of Commons is in session?”
“Oh, my dear, it isn’t a civilized man who gets to sit in the House of Commons; it’s a heap of baboons, and do you think a tamer is going to be nice to an animal? It’s perfectly justified and well-theorized that I’m cracking up in a zoo.”
Mrs. Peel buried her face in Sir Peel’s arm, and she could hardly breathe for laughing.
“Robert, that’s a very rude thing to say. How can you call MPs baboons?”
Sir Peel didn’t care as he unfolded the paper and read the next article about the Ottoman Empire considering recognizing Greek independence.
“Because they likewise think I am a baboon too, and attack me because we are all of a different breed. You must know, my dear, that respect has always had to be mutual, just as it is with you and me.”
……
The gates of the Royal Naval School in Greenwich.
Arthur was slightly lost in thought as he looked ahead at the school building with its pale blue roof and cream colored facade.
Elder, on the other hand, was beside him, introducing, “This is where you will attend your studies in the future, not only a school but also a work of art, the general design of the interior was handled by Sir James Thornhill, and the overall use of pure baroque style. By the way, there is a special painting hall inside, you know art people will surely like it.
The oil paintings in there are the largest in Europe and the world, and it took more than ten years from design to completion, passed through many hands, and was finally completed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1696.
The overall architectural design of the school is by the famous designer André Le Nôtre, do you know him? He was the chief gardener of Louis XIV, and the Versailles Palace Court was also designed by him, an absolute masterpiece.
In addition, the school has a collection of paintings, mostly on the history of the Royal Navy, from the Battle of Gravelines, where the Spanish Armada was defeated, to the 1596 Cadiz Expedition, which destroyed them all, or the 1814 Battle of Chisabique, where the North American colonial rebels burnt down their Parliament and the White House.
And of course, the proudest battle of the Royal Navy was the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805, where we annihilated the combined French and Spanish fleet, but sadly the soul of the Royal Navy, Admiral Horatio Nelson, was killed in the battle.
But although Admiral Nelson is no longer with us, the words of command he conveyed by semaphore before the battle remain in the hearts and minds of every man and woman serving in the Royal Navy.
As Admiral Nelson said – England expects every man to do his duty.”
Elder’s mouth was dry from talking, yet he turned his head to see that Arthur beside him clearly hadn’t heard a word.
His good friend’s eyes were vacant, and he must have been in a daze.
Holding his forehead, Elder grumbled, “Damn! Arthur, you haven’t woken up from yesterday’s drink yet? One sip and I knew it was watered down, just a little cheap beer, and you’re still dizzy? It’s not that strong, is it?”
Arthur just came back to his senses, he rubbed his face, “The aftertaste of the wine wasn’t that strong, but the aftertaste of the article was just too much.”
“Article? What article?”
Elder had long forgotten all about yesterday, and it wasn’t until Arthur reminded him that he remembered the court clerk named Charles Dickens.
Arthur asked, “You’re the professional when it comes to literature, what do you think of his writing?”
Elder cupped his chin and thought for a while, he picked up his long lost and unused knowledge of literary criticism and commented, “The writing is okay, but to become a great writer, he’s still almost on fire now.”
“Almost where?”
Elder recalled Dickens’ demeanor and waved his hand dismissively.
“Opening his mouth is Mr. Come and Mr. Go, and he’s just too much of a man of manners. As I see it, unless he makes a change, a man like that can’t be a literary hero.”
Arthur thought Elder would give some decent reason, but he didn’t expect it to be this one.
He was about to pursue the question, but out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly glimpsed a man in a naval uniform walking towards them.
Elder also discovered the other party, and the boy who stood without standing and sat without sitting actually shivered, then hurriedly stood upright and saluted.
“Good morning, Colonel Fitzroy!”
The middle-aged man didn’t treat Arthur as an outsider, he directly rushed to Elder and spoke, “I was looking for you.”
“What is it that you are looking for me for?”
Colonel Fitzroy stroked his wrinkled white gloves while speaking, “I don’t want the man you recommended to me two days ago.”
“Huh? Why?” Elder instantly became anxious upon hearing this, “Colonel, how can you say you don’t want it? I’ve even talked to him!”
Fitzroy was also helpless, “Elder, it’s not that I don’t want it, it’s the meaning from above. Is there something wrong with the person you’re looking for, or is he related to some big shot?
The content of this order is very strange, and the layers involved are very high.
I don’t even know if it’s a brain fart that he gave a separate order to the Fleet Admiral for a little museum man, and then transferred it to me.
I see that the person you recommended has the surname Hastings, is he related to the Marquis of Hastings? Hardly his grandson?”
(End of chapter)