Chapter 143: Science Leaps Forward
Chapter 143 Science is Leaping Forward
In the speech preparation room of the Royal Society, Charles Wheatstone’s head was sweating, his lips were white, his shirt was soaked with sweat, and he couldn’t stop his legs from shaking at the thought that he would have to stand at the podium in front of an audience of hundreds or thousands tomorrow.
Wheatstone sat in his chair for a moment, but then feeling uneasy, he stood up and paced back and forth across the room, but not for a moment before he felt a weakness in his calves and stomach again.
Obviously, this morning, he had felt in better shape than ever, but now, he felt like he was literally close to death.
Wheatstone muttered, “Perhaps I should find an opportunity to flee London until the Royal Society forgets about me and then return?”
Just as Wheatstone was muttering to himself, he only heard a click as the unlocked door was pushed open from the outside.
A shock went through Wheatstone, and he took a step backward, nearly knocking over the floor-to-ceiling mirror behind him.
In a startled voice, he asked, “I thought it wasn’t my turn yet? I’m only on stage tomorrow.”
He shot a look and standing in the doorway was a young man whose physical appearance and dress looked slightly familiar.
With a pipe in his mouth, the youth raised his hand slightly upward to support the large brimmed hat covering his forehead, and greeted Wheatstone with, “Greetings, sir, I’ve come to apologize to you.”
“It is you?!”
Wheatstone of course recognized this guy who had tripped over himself at the entrance of the academy not too long ago, if it wasn’t for this kid, he might have escaped this ‘hell’ by now.
He originally wanted to compare himself with Arthur, but when he realized the physical gap between the two, Wheatstone still wisely gave up this idea.
In the case that he couldn’t beat the other party, he still chose to be peace-loving.
Wheatstone sighed, “So, who exactly are you?”
Arthur took off his pipe and extended his hand at Wheatstone in a friendly manner, “Arthur Hastings, I heard from Mr. Faraday that you seem to want to talk to me?”
“Black …… Hastings? You are Mr. Hastings?”
Wheatstone slapped his head, “My God! How could it be you? I’m …… sorry, I just can’t connect you with the image of a thug who stretches his legs and trips over people ……”
Arthur couldn’t help but stroke his chin at that, “Wow? Is that so? Didn’t Mr. Faraday tell you that in addition to being a researcher in electromagnetism, I’m also a Scotland Yard policeman? There’s really no difference between a Scotland Yard cop and a thug, the only difference between the two might be that our use of violence is a legitimate act.”
Wheatstone sniffed embarrassedly and rubbed the back of his head and returned, “You are a policeman of Scotland Yard, which …… this I have heard of. But Mr. Faraday also told me that you are very gentle and courteous, unlike the average policeman. So in my imagination, you should have been pale, with a bit of tepidness between your eyebrows, and an air of nobility between your hands and feet. ……”
Arthur sniffed and shrugged his shoulders, “With all due respect, Mr. Wheatstone, a pale face and lack of energy is a sure sign of tuberculosis, and that’s not an aristocratic air. But I can also understand your thoughts, after all, the current social trend is like this, novels depicting the aristocracy is always written so.
If you want to express their noble birth, handsome appearance, will always write what ‘her delicate neck is like a swan’s long neck, white skin is as pale as the midnight moonlight,’ or ‘long and graceful hands and arms are just the right four points, like heraldry to their natural markings’.
Such morbid depictions are practically boilerplate. So it’s a strange society indeed, where those who actually have a disease wish they didn’t, and those who don’t wish they did.”
Wheatstone snapped and laughed twice, “I’m sorry, sir, that’s my fault. I …… am not so eloquent as you are. You may not know that although they call me a scientist, I have spent most of my life working as a laborer in my family’s musical instrument workshop, and I’ve spent more time interacting with violins than with people.”
Arthur smiled and spoke, “I am like you, I am not that good with words. You may not know this, but although I am a Catholic by all accounts, I have walked in hell for most of my life, and I make deals with the devil far more than I pray to God.”
“What do you …… what do you want ……”
Wheatstone tasted the wrongness in Arthur’s words as he took a step backward, and out of the corner of his eye he couldn’t help but drift to the door behind Arthur.
Arthur, of course, noticed his reaction, and he gently pulled the flintlock pistol from his pocket and slapped it on the tabletop in front of him.
Arthur spoke, “Mr. Wheatstone, you study acoustics, so you must know that sound travels at 343 meters per second through the air. I, on the other hand, study bullets, so I can also tell you with certainty that the speed of bullets is faster than sound. If you don’t believe me, we can do an experiment right now, after all, practice tests the truth.”
Wheatstone’s throat knots shrugged and swallowed heavily, “I …… you …… are we discussing scientific principles now?” Arthur pulled back his chair and sat down, he took a drag on his cigarette and let out a long puff of white mist, “For the moment, yes, but if you’re not being honest, that won’t be the case anytime soon. While I may not beat you in science, my study of violence may not be matched by ten of you.”
Wheatstone took a breath and raised his hands slightly, “Okay …… well, I’ll listen to you …… you ……”
Before the words fell, Wheatstone suddenly rushed toward the door with one strong step, but before he could leap over the threshold, he heard a sound of opening the pistol’s safety ringing out behind him.
When it was too late, Wheatstone violently held his head and crouched on the ground and yelled, “Don’t shoot! Don’t shoot! You’re right! The bullet is faster than the sound! Damn it! Why do you have to put me on the stage? I can do anything but that! Mr. Hastings, why don’t I make you a fiddle and we’ll call it even between us.”
As soon as Wheatstone said this, the devil on the side couldn’t help whistling, “Wow! A violin!”
Arthur glanced at the heartened red devil and spoke, “Sorry! Mr. Wheatstone. According to Scotland Yard’s internal regulations, we can’t ask for anything from good citizens. Unless ……”
“Unless what?” Wheatstone turned around in a slow crouch.
Arthur spun the pistol around and put it back on the table, “Unless the gift is out of friendship. If friendship does exist between us, I might even consider making a small request to the Duke of Sussex, such as postponing your speech or something, after all, he still owes me a favor.”
“A violin to postpone my speech?”
Wheatstone’s eyes lit up, and he rushed forward as if he had seen a savior and shook Arthur’s hand, an excited expression overflowing on his face, “Wow! Heth …… is not right, my dear Arthur! You are worthy of the public’s trust as an upstanding police officer who is always there for the public when they need you. Mr. Faraday was so right when he said that in addition to your scientific talent, you have this golden personal integrity!”
Arthur sniffed and shook his head while smoking, “Mr. Wheatstone, don’t misunderstand. Even if I help you, it’s not because of the violin, but because of friendship.”
“Right, friendship!” Wheatstone giggled, “Of course it’s because of friendship, how could it be because of the violin? Arthur, are you willing to accept my friendship?”
The corner of Arthur’s mouth lifted, the fish had jumped into his creel all by itself, he had no reason to refuse.
“Of course, my friend. Of course I am willing to accept your friendship. Out of friendship, I intend to invite you to attend a banquet with me in London’s West End this Sunday evening, and I suppose you have no reason to refuse?”
“A banquet?” Wheatstone’s smile snapped, “Isn’t friendship a violin?”
Arthur wasn’t about to keep pulling his punches with him on that front as he leaned down and snapped his hat on top of Wheatstone’s head.
“Mr. Wheatstone, accepting your fiddle is my acceptance of your friendship. And to accept my invitation to the banquet is your acceptance of my friendship. I cannot be indebted to you for the courtesy of friends and the rules of human intercourse. What I say, do you agree?”
Wheatstone glanced at Arthur’s reddened eyes, and again detected the creepy smile at the corner of his mouth.
What’s more, it’s really hard to react any other way when there’s a gun pressed against the top of your head.
Wheatstone squeezed out a smile that was worse than a cry as he nodded, “It’s really hard to disagree with your friendship.”
Arthur laughed and patted his shoulder, “You’ll get to know me later. Mr. Wheatstone, you should know that I have always been good at socializing. So, in return, your science lecture is delayed until next month, and during this period, I will train you in presentation and help you overcome your fear.”
Whitestone blinked his eyes twice in tears, “Do you need to point a gun at me during the training as well?”
“No, no, no.”
Arthur wagged his finger, “The training is free, and in the meantime, if you can make some breakthroughs in the field of acoustics, it might even solve the problem of fear of speaking for you once and for all. I’ve already heard Mr. Faraday talk about that 10,000-sound cylinder invention of yours, and if you can combine it with the sound-generating principle of the octave, you might be able to come up with an incredible contraption as well.”
Wheatstone froze in his hearing, Arthur’s words gave him a flash of light inside his head, it was as if he was about to touch on something.
“You …… you mean?”
Arthur asked with a smile, “Mr. Wheatstone, since your Universal Sound Cylinder is capable of presenting the characteristics of sound curves produced under different vibration modes, why not reverse it? In that case, wouldn’t it be possible to complete the lecture without you standing on the podium and just swinging a machine?”
(End of chapter)