Chapter 291: London Focuses on You (K4)

Chapter 290 London Focuses on You (6K4)

London in late fall could not see the sunshine very early, and in the evening, the shining stars were vaguely visible behind the cloudy curtain of the night sky.

Under the bright moonlight, the newly installed kerosene street lamps beside the streets were lit up in turn, and the night that was so dark that you couldn’t see your fingers had already said goodbye to London permanently, and the glittering city of the night was no longer exclusive to Halloween, and the streets that were full of light were not just for guiding awakened undead out of the city.

Outside the semi-open-air Astley Amphitheatre, modeled after the Roman Colosseum, the streets are crowded with horse-drawn carriages waving their whips, and decent gentlemen with their wives, or someone else’s, on their arm.

Tonight alone, however, perhaps non-marital couples were in the majority.

Since it coincided with the holiday of Halloween, almost everyone, ladies and gentlemen, wore a mask that covered the upper half of their face, whether out of tradition or to hide the intimacy of their relationship.

There were many different styles, varieties and colors, some couples chose to dress up as General Nelson and his mistress Mrs. Hamilton, some staged the love story of Tristan and Isolde, and some were a little more daring as they dressed up as Shakespeare’s classic – Romeo and Juliet.

Of course, there are plenty of couples who chase fashion and have novel tastes, with one gentleman choosing to wear a Scotland Yard police officer’s uniform on his trip tonight, while his lady friend wore a red dress and held a small beige parasol.

Readers of Cockney magazine would have recognized that they were imitating Mr. Hastings and his assistant, Miss Helen, the protagonists of The Hastings Mysteries.

Of course, there is no shortage of people dressed up as the protagonists of other best-selling novels in Cockney, such as Mr. Pickwick, the Count of Monte Cristo, the Young Duke, or the Grand Theft Robber Robin Hood are also occasionally found on the streets.

Unfortunately, perhaps because of the difficulty of imitation, Darwin’s popular science work “Monkey Tales” in the Halloween mask competition unfortunately lost, after all, in this regard, the most similar imitation of Mr. Elder-Carter at this time in the waters off Argentina to play Fantasy Drift.

But while Mr. Carter’s absence dampened the Halloween festivities a bit, the pumpkin lights hanging from street stores added to the festive atmosphere of tonight’s show.

At the behest of the shopkeepers, the store’s fellows had placed their own hot-selling goods outside their doors, shouting to solicit customers.

The scavengers, who make their living by picking up horse manure and cleaning the paths for the ladies to get off the bus, have also seized the opportunity, and thanks to the masquerade balls and salons held intensively all over London tonight, they do not have to fight for a single piece of business in order to snatch a fight.

There was enough traffic tonight to keep them divided.

Though there is a great variety of nightly balls in London tonight, and the theaters have come out with special programs prepared for Halloween night, with every intention of getting a head start in the increasingly competitive battle for London’s top theaters.

But even so, the Astley Amphitheatre’s program remains the most notable of the nightly entertainment.

Thanks to advertisements in London’s major newspapers, Londoners were made aware of the Astley’s program for the evening weeks in advance. Even British gentlemen, accustomed to seeing the most highbrow and topical performances, couldn’t help but be attracted to their schedule.

Under the same moonlit sky, in the backstage lounge of the Astley Theater, Arthur put a cookie in his mouth and lifted his cup of black tea.

In his other hand he was cupping the newspaper, and with a flick of his arm, a line of headlines instantly caught his eye.

“<The Count of Monte Cristo and <The Pickwick Gaiden> Have Been Officially Authorized for Stage Adaptation

Alexander Dumas: “Although I have achieved unprecedented success in the world of fashionable novels, don’t forget that I come from a background of writing plays. The script for The Count of Monte Cristo is also written by myself, and I assure you that it will be of no lesser quality than my previous work, Henry III and His Court.”

Charles Dickens: “Although Pickwick’s Outward Bound is not yet finished, I feel that with what we have so far there is enough to stage the first act as well. As Alexander said, it’s really exciting to bring your own work to the theater stage. I think the Astley Theater has the best sets and professional actors, and I’m very happy to be able to work with them. Last but not least, I also hope that the audience will be able to see a perfect stage premiere there on Halloween night, so have a great time!”

“London Philharmonic Society Releases Halloween Itinerary as Mr. Arthur Hastings, Pianist and Conductor of the Second Orchestra, Channels the Astley Theatre.

“Mr. Hastings is believed to be releasing a number of new solo compositions on Halloween, which connoisseurs of the Hastings style will not want to miss.

Mr. Jacob Mendelssohn, a member of the London Philharmonic Society and a renowned pianist, said in an interview, “I know that there is a lot of criticism against Arthur in the British music world at the moment. They say that Arthur has only one piece a year, and that he doesn’t play anything but The Bells. Folks are speculating if all the favor the Muses have shown him has been consumed. I suspected as much at one time, and as his friend, I was worried about his situation for a while.

But just a short time ago, Arthur called me to his home as a guest, and made me listen to a couple of new tunes. It was then that I realized how absurd and rude my fears really were. If my tunes represented beauty, nobility and harmony, Arthur represented passion, restlessness and fervent love, and behind that love lurked a biting melancholy and depth.

I really seldom envy a person, but this time, sorry, Arthur, although you are my friend, but I still have to say the last word, I envy you, I really envy you! Why is the muse so madly in love with you? Could it be that you were her lover in a previous life?
Alas …… Arthur, I see that you are just intentional, why do you want me to listen to such a copy of things before I depart for Paris? Arthur, you are a bad man. Now it seems that your being a policeman at Scotland Yard might be good news for the European music scene; if you were composing full-time, where would there be room for us in Europe?”

“Jacob Mendelssohn’s temporary change of Paris itinerary, the Romantic pianist who has inherited Mr. Bach’s mantle, has announced that he will be giving a mat performance of Mr. Hastings’ new piece at the Halloween show.

Seeing this, Arthur took a sip of hot black tea and leisurely exhaled a mouthful of white air: “Jacob, you’ve learned the hard way, too! You clearly know that those tunes aren’t mine, but you still bragged in front of the reporters without gasping for air. Now, counting Mr. Vidocq that time, I owe you two favors.”

Immediately afterward, his gaze moved down a little further, and there was an equally striking to the point of appalling news headline.

“Thirty-five Days After Landing in London, Forty-nine English Fencing Masters Lose Their Lives One After Another; London Fencing Association Tragically Wiped Out!

“London Fencing Association Loses Hundreds of Members in One Week, Silence in the Practice Halls.

The Birth of Napoleon of Foil! Who is François Bertrand?

“Can’t 22 million people in Great Britain find a single person who knows how to fight with a sword?

“The frog’s legs have stepped on Britannia’s face! “The British martial arts have lost their face!

I hereby call for the immediate organization of the Eighth Antifa Alliance!

The Sad Newspaper! In order to preserve the glory of English swordsmanship, Mr. Hastings, Superintendent of Scotland Yard, declares that he will fight a duel of honor with the Parisian Sword Saint, François Bertrand, before he plays a new piece.

The London Philharmonic Society tries to prevent this unnecessary bloodshed, and Mr. Moscheles, the President of the Philharmonic Society, denounces it as outrageous enough to ask a promising young pianist to capture a criminal, but to risk losing his life or his hands in a duel is simply absurd!

Mr. Faraday, the head of the Royal Society’s Royal Institute, expressed his concern to a newspaper reporter: Arthur is currently working with Mr. Wheatstone and me on an important paper in the field of electromagnetism, and I fear that his departure may cause irreparable damage to the field of electromagnetism research”.

After the news of the duel was announced, Mr. Hastings’ ardent supporters in the fields of science and music came to the Greater London Police Station at 4 Whitehall Street to hold a protest demonstration.

Mrs. Codrington, a representative of the demonstrators, said, We ladies of the Blue Stockings have always been supportive of Mr. Hastings, but he has gone too far this time. We don’t think it can all be blamed on him though, and we don’t see why the consequences of the incompetence of the fencing community in Britain should be borne by such a prominent figure as Mr. Hastings.

Miss Byron, who was accompanied by her mother and also participated in the demonstration, agreed: I know Mr. Hastings very well, not only as a very polite and funny gentleman, but also as an outstanding police officer, a good pianist, and a pioneering researcher in natural philosophy. I have also heard that he is equally very good with a sword, but I don’t think he should be the price to pay for covering up the incompetence of others.

Incidentally, in the course of the interview, the reporter also heard a number of quite creative solutions.

“If Bertrand dares to stick his claws into Mr. Hastings, then we’ll cut off his shoulders along with him!”

“Don’t blame me for not warning Scotland Yard, if you don’t stop this duel, I’ll be sure to bring my gun when I go to the show that day!”

“Don’t ye disbelieve him; I testify that the gentleman who has just said that is an Oxford graduate! Do ye know the weight of an Oxford gentleman’s promise?”

“Scotland Yard has announced that it will increase patrols in the vicinity of the Astley Amphitheater on Halloween night and enact short-term controls on firearms in the area.

“Charles Rowan, Chief Constable of the Greater London Police: Arthur Hastings is Scotland Yard’s finest officer and an asset to all Londoners, and we will certainly answer the call of Londoners for his safety.

As Good As It Gets! According to an inside source: 500 police officers will be driving to the Astley Theater on the night of Halloween! Citizens are urged to refrain from making any drastic moves. St. Mary’s Hospital will be sending emergency doctors to the dueling grounds to do everything in their power to ensure Mr. Hastings’ safety.

Arthur poured the last bit of black tea in his cup into his mouth as well, and he had just put down his newspaper when he saw Bertrand, in his fighting suit, walk in from the east side of the common room.

His forehead was beaded with sweat, and it was obvious that even the Foil Napoleon had his moments of nervousness.

When Bertrand saw Arthur, he couldn’t help but breathe a long sigh of relief and took three steps forward, “Mr. Hastings, I’m really glad now that I wisely chose to accept your handheld …… uh, no, friendship that day. No, not right either, it’s loyalty to the Bonaparte family and friendship between us. Oh, looking at the situation today, even if I win the fight, I guess it is impossible for me to walk out of the theater alive. From the moment I stepped through the doors of this place, I realized that I would have to go out today lying down.”

Arthur laughed softly, “Don’t worry, Mr. Bertrand, as long as you follow the script, I guarantee that nothing will happen to either of us. Relax, it’s just a scene, you and I aren’t professional actors, but we’ve rehearsed it several times at least. And in order to prevent the audience from shooting black guns at you and me, we’ve purposely set the dueling stage a little further away this time, and we’ve also asked Scotland Yard to tighten up gun control. So ……”

Hearing this, Bertrand opened his mouth and interrupted, “If I hadn’t promised you that day, is it true that Scotland Yard wouldn’t have engaged in gun control?”

“No, it would still be engaged.” Arthur smiled and leaned back in his chair, “But then, I wouldn’t be able to guarantee the comprehensiveness of gun control. After all, as you understand, the job of a police officer is not a good one, and occasionally there is that one or two fish that slip through the net.”

Bertrand winced and said, “The more I think about it now, the more I think I made the right decision. It’s my own fault though, I seem to have overplayed my hand, if I hadn’t picked the field of so many fencing clubs in London, I wouldn’t have had to end up in a duel with you.”

Arthur was unperturbed by Bertrand’s speculations, he just shrugged, “Well, Mr. Bertrand, you’d better hurry up and get your props ready. There are quite a few big shots coming tonight, and quite a few of your French lords, such as the French ambassador, Mr. Talleyrand. If he takes a fancy to you, it will certainly help you in Paris. As I said earlier, I don’t intend for you to lose too badly either, you can lose very magnificently. Overall, I’m in favor of a win-win situation.”

Bertrand reached out and gave Arthur a quick high five, “I’ll leave you to your preparations. But seeing as you’re in such a calm state, I probably really don’t have to worry about this performance.”

With that, Bertrand pulled the door open and walked out.

Unexpectedly, not long after he had gone out, another familiar face came in the lounge.

It was Lionel Rothschild, dressed in his formal tuxedo and bow tie.

Lionel’s mouth was tinged with a hint if a smile, while between his eyebrows hung a strand of worry that was the opposite of happiness.

The always polite and courteous young man walked straight towards Arthur, even forgetting to greet him.

He came directly to sit in front of Arthur and opened his mouth to ask, “Arthur, are you sure about your chances of winning today?”

Arthur heard something wrong in the words, “Is something wrong?”

Lionel took a deep breath and nodded, “Something good, but also something bad.”

Arthur teased, “I thought only the civil servants in the various departments spoke like that, but is it the same for bankers?”

Lionel laughed as he waved his hand, “That’s just it, I’m not joking with you anymore, and this really isn’t the time for joking either. Arthur, I have something very important to tell you, you have to win this match today.”

Arthur lifted the teapot and poured himself another cup, “Thank you for reminding me, Lionel, but that was my original intention as well.”

“Arthur, I’m not talking about your determination to win, but the outcome of this duel has to be that you win! For I have just been informed by my father that there will be several special guests in the theater today. If you can excel in front of them, it will more than help Rothschild as the caterer, it will also favor your own future.”

“Hmm?”

Arthur looked for clues from the other party’s words, he pondered slightly and instantly seemed to have figured something out, he couldn’t help but slightly widen his eyes and pointed at the ceiling, “You mean that one?”

Lionel smiled brightly and said, “That’s right, that’s the one!”

Sitting on the chandelier, Agareth grabbed his cheeks with both hands and said sarcastically, “Wow! O my King Solomon! Arthur, is even God coming down to watch you and Bertrand monkey around? Still, I think that carpenter would have preferred to see the Jews put nails in the cross! Now that the Jews have it, Arthur, while there’s still time, you hurry up and saw two more pieces of rotten wood, and for the sake of all the time I’ve spent with you, I’ll begrudgingly nail you up.”

Arthur didn’t pay any attention to the Red Devil’s mockery, he just asked, “Why did His Majesty the King come to the Astley Theater? Don’t royalty usually go to the Covent Garden Theater for their elegant operas?”

Lionel clapped his hands together and pursed his lips, “This can only be blamed on the fact that our publicity for this duel was simply too successful! Arthur, truth be told, Rothschild’s social circle is actually quite wide. As you know, besides stocks and bonds, our main business is the loan business. You also know that you are one of our loan service clients, and before you, we have provided quality services at low prices to many people, such as the Duke of Wellington, the late Duke of Liverpool, or the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, Mr. Vansittart, and Mr. Herris, the former Chairman of the Board of Trade, are all some of our service recipients.

Of all the people we serve, it is the royal family of Britain that we value most. Until the lucky succession of His Majesty, King William IV, he was for a long time the unpopular Duke of Clarence. Perhaps because of his early spendthrift ways, or because no one else respected him much, his finances were in pretty bad shape for a long time. During that time, Rothschild provided him with tens of thousands of pounds of long-term stable borrowing services before and after, so he also won some friendship from him as a result.

He would occasionally invite my father over for a simple dinner, or perhaps give him some proper financial advice or something. It so happened that during this morning, His Majesty suddenly asked about this sword fight. Since he had been serving in the Royal Navy in his early years, he was always interested in this aspect of things.

Plus, the whole city of London is in an uproar over the duel between you and Bertrand, so he had the idea of coming to see the show. His Majesty’s order, perhaps the great nobles of the House of Lords could care less, but for Rothschild, there is no way we can pass up this opportunity. So, Arthur, you understand, it would be in everyone’s interest to win this duel.”

After Lionel said this, he suddenly lowered his voice and said, “Arthur, I asked the people from the London Swordsmanship Association. Bertrand’s strength is no joke, he’s not just a reputation. So I think, to be on the safe side, we might as well ……”

Lionel said this and made a gesture of counting the tickets at Arthur: “Arthur, what do you think? I don’t want you to lose your honor, but life is precious after all, isn’t it? You have a tune to play later.”

Seeing this movement of his, Arthur just stood up solemnly and spoke with some sadness, “Lionel! I really didn’t expect that, so in your perception, I am actually that kind of person?……”

Lionel hurriedly collected his smile upon hearing this, he got up and apologized, “Arthur, don’t be angry, this is just an immature proposal, I in no way meant to offend you. I was just habitually applying banker’s logic, I’m sorry, I should have understood that, as a true master swordsman, your honor is not something that can be tarnished with money.”

Arthur sighed and shook his head as he picked up a cookie and held it aloft towards the chandelier, through the small hole in the cookie he could just make out the mocking like smirk of the Red Devil, “Lionel, Mr. Bertrand is already my friend. I have won his friendship as Rothschild won His Majesty’s.”

“Hm?”

Lionel suddenly froze, he was still thinking about how to apologize to Arthur, when he heard this he burst into tears and pinched his waist, “Arthur, it’s really exciting to be friends with you! I thought you were a sensitive person!”

Arthur threw the cookie into his mouth and chewed delicately to savor it, “No, Lionel, you’re right. I am indeed quite sensitive about friendship, and I’ve made this trip for almost nothing to make friends.”

“Ah ……”

The confident smile returned to Lionel’s face as he supported one hand on the back of Arthur’s chair and spoke down, “Arthur, don’t be so worried. The price of friendship has always been very expensive, especially the friendship of the great ones, it is simply heavenly. Compared to them, I think Mr. Bertrand is already cheap. But you like to make friends, and so do I. Why don’t you take me to meet him some day? In that case, I think we can just about even out the price of friendship.”

At that, Lionel also extended his hand towards Arthur and smiled at him with a raised eyebrow.

Arthur took out a handkerchief to wipe the cookie crumbs from his hand, and then took his hand in a familiar grip.

Arthur spoke, “Lionel, I hope that our friendship is not something that can be measured simply in terms of money.”

Lionel smiled and nodded, “Of course, but I do have the idea of making additional investments, because in my opinion, the current valuation of this stock is actually still on the low side. You see, Arthur, a copy of The Englishman alone would be a pleasant surprise to me.”

Arthur sniffed and just shook his head, “You’re really not listening, Lionel. But whatever, I have nothing to say about that. Because when it comes to investing, I’m really not a connoisseur.”

Lionel patted Arthur’s shoulder, “Arthur, put on a good show, the main character of today’s drama is you, we are all just dipping our toes in the water. Please don’t forget that this Halloween night, the whole London is focusing on you.”

(End of chapter)