Chapter 326: Child Migration Programs
Chapter 323 The Child Migrant Program
“That’s right, I’m Arthur Hastings.”
The average Englishman had always hated this kind of self-consciousness about coming up to climb the friendship ladder, but Arthur, being an atypical English gentleman and Scotland Yard police officer, had never been resistant to such things.
Because of this stinking problem of his, he was often able to harvest unexpected information from his many street encounters, and this one today brought him an equally unusual piece of news.
The middle-aged gentleman shook Arthur’s hand excitedly at the news.
“Goodness! So it really is you! What a blessing from God, he must have come to send you to rescue those poor children!”
“Poor children? May I take the liberty, sir, of asking what you are?”
“Oh, I’m sorry! I forgot to introduce myself.”
The middle-aged gentleman hurriedly took out a business card from his jacket pocket and respectfully handed it over, “I’m Edward Brenton, the chairman of the British Friends of Children Association. I have read about you in the London newspapers before, you are an honorable and caring gentleman, a Scotland Yard police officer with no room for evil in his eyes.”
Agareth, who had just returned from his walk, had just pushed open the door when he heard someone sucking up to Arthur, and the Red Devil took off his hat and threw it on the counter, taking a swig of the beer in his hand with his ass in his mouth, “Burp! That’ll do! Arthur, I thought I’d be the only one looking for business with you today, I didn’t realize you were quite busy with this business.”
Arthur glanced at the Red Devil, then turned his gaze back to the gentleman in front of him.
Although he knew that he would most likely have to shell out money after receiving two kind words from someone, he still intended to listen to what kind of price the other party actually wanted.
“Who referred you, sir, and what is your problem?”
Brenton hurriedly introduced himself, “It was Mr. Schweyer who introduced me here, and my status is like what you see on the business card. As President of the British Society of Children’s Friends, I am dedicated to helping street children find a new home. Or more specifically, we sponsor their travel to overseas colonies free of charge ……”
“Wait!” Arthur raised his hand and interrupted Brenton, “Sir, are you trying to tell me that you’re in the business of sending underage children overseas to work as laborers? Bloody hell! I thought Liverpool’s mainstay was no longer the slave trade now.”
Brendon looked like it wasn’t the first time he had been perceived this way, and he defended in a loud voice, “Don’t get me wrong, our association is not engaged in the slave trade, and all of our businesses are non-profit in nature. We sincerely want to help those children establish a career overseas, which is far better than letting them stay in their home country begging, stealing, or scavenging for shoes.”
Arthur gathered the papers on his desk and stood up, “Sir, since you’ve read about my exploits in the papers, you must know which case I started out solving. Or even taking a step back, even if you really do have the best intentions in mind in doing this, I’ve never thought that throwing a bunch of kids into an overseas colony was any kind of a good idea for God.
By the way, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to have to talk to Mr. Schweyer about his import/export business. If the Port Authority puts out his ships, and that’s what he intends to do with those, then advertise as if I hadn’t mentioned it to him.”
Seeing that Arthur was leaving, Brenton hastened forward to detain him, “Mr. Hastings, why do you need to go to Mr. Schweyer. I can give you my answer right here, and we did get him to order a ship to transport several hundred children to Canada.”
When the Red Devil heard this, he was so happy that he slapped his thighs, “This old boy has confessed without a fight! Arthur, you hurry to shoot him in one shot, more souls more chips, you and I can just talk about the next business.”
Arthur pondered the words of Agares, he could not figure out which of the thirty-six plans the Red Devil is using today.
But the only thing that Arthur could be sure of was that since this gentleman could make Agares, a profitless devil, open his mouth, he must have something hanging over him that could make the Red Devil harvest souls.
As Arthur thought of this, his footsteps suddenly stopped, and he took out his pocket watch and glanced at it, then he solemnly asked, “Mr. Brenton, with three minutes’ time, you had better be able to explain what’s going on here clearly.”
Seeing that Arthur finally loosened his tongue, Brenton hastily seized the opportunity to clarify his claim and said.
“Mr. Hastings, first of all, in order to gain your trust, the association can let you go through all the accounts. And I can also swear here with my conscience to God that if I have made half a penny of ill-gotten gains with these kids, then let me go to hell!
As you are a policeman, you must surely know how many stragglers are at present gathering in the urban areas of Britain. Take London for example, according to our association, the Greater London area alone is home to around 100,000 homeless people. And children make up a significant portion of these homeless people.
These children do not have a mature outlook and lack judgment on right and wrong, so they are easily instigated by others to do something illegal and criminal. At the Old Bailey in London alone, 103 children under the age of 14 have been sentenced to death for crimes committed in the last 30 years, and countless others have been sentenced to banishment. There are dozens of magistrates’ courts like the Old Bailey in London.
Even if they have the good nature not to be seduced by evil, but intend to fend for themselves. But …… I don’t know whether you have ever been to the factories in the East End, where the children have not the slightest time for school or play.
I once talked to a seven year old girl there, a seven year old who didn’t really know the meaning of the word ‘play’, who knew Jesus but not God, who had never left that cramped area since she was born, who had never seen a tree, a blade of grass, or understood what a beautiful daisy was.
Is it possible that in the face of this, you still insist that they remain in the sinful East End, instead of allowing them to travel to overseas colonies to find new opportunities?”
No sooner had Brendon finished his words than he felt as if gravity had lost its effect on him. The lack of oxygen caused his face to redden for a split second, and it was only then that he realized that his collar had been lifted up at some point, and at that moment, he was dangling by his feet in the air.
Until then he remembered that what stood in front of him was not only a courteous young man, but also a government eagle claw that specialized in dirty work.
“Mr. Brenton, as I said, I’ll only give you three minutes. If you are sincere in your desire for help, please come up with something I can fix, rather than cross-examine me on moral considerations. I’ve cross-examined myself too many times over the past year or so on moral issues. So, I’m more interested in getting down to brass tacks. I just want to know, what can I do?”
Seeing this, the Red Devil just shook his head in disgust, “Arthur, I told you before, one shot and he’s dead, no problem whatsoever. It won’t solve the problem, so why are you asking so much?”
Brendon’s collar suddenly loosened, and he fell from mid-air to the ground, covering his collar and breathing heavily, “Insolence! You are simply rude.”
Arthur leaned over the bar and raised his head at the bartender who had come to watch, signaling the onlookers to all move away.
He struck a match and lit his pipe, lifting the corner of his jacket to reveal his pistol, “Mr. Brenton, you have one minute. I assure you, if you don’t get your questions straight, more rudeness is to come.”
Brenton also did not expect Arthur to have this attitude, from the brief contact today, this young police officer was not at all as warm as the newspapers said, nor was he as nice as Schwylla said, this was purely an unreasonable thug. Brenton gasped as he climbed up while holding onto the table, ”Mr. Schweyer’s ship has been detained, and our child immigration program can’t go smoothly. To make matters worse, the Port Authority informed us a while ago that the latest regulations from the Ministry of Colonial Affairs state that all civilian immigration applications will be frozen during the cholera period, whether they are out or in.
The hundreds of stray children currently in the Association have now been in Liverpool for a full two months, and if we continue to run out of money like this, the funds we have raised will soon dry up. Worse still, even if we were ruthless enough to let them return to vagrancy, with the situation as it is now, parishes are scrambling to expel vagrants in order to prevent the introduction of cholera.
If the children go back to wandering, then they will have to roam around the edges of towns, or among the ungoverned mountains and woodlands. As you know, in this case, they wouldn’t survive for more than a few days.”
Arthur listened to Brenton’s statement while pulling out white gloves from his pocket and putting them on, “I have no right to overturn the decision of the Ministry of Colonial Affairs. Since they decided that civilian immigration is suspended, it is suspended. If it’s on the Royal Navy’s exile ship, honestly, a few hundred is too conspicuous a number.
And more than you, I doubt the Royal Navy would respect the lives of these street children. After all, their sailors have to eat a whip every now and then, not to mention for the others. Still, if it’s just a matter of feeding, clothing, and sheltering this group of stray children during the cholera, then I’ll be able to offer a few tips.”
Brendon, who had thought that Arthur would not help, was dragging his aching leg out of the room when he couldn’t help but jerk back at these words, “What do you suggest?”
Arthur pulled out his pocket watch and glanced at it, “Tomorrow at five o’clock in the afternoon, bring your association’s accounts to me at the Golden Lion Inn on the old pier. If nothing happens, by the time that time comes, you’ll have all the food and drink you need.”
With those words, Arthur pushed open the door and walked out.
But when he was halfway there, he suddenly seemed to remember something and turned his head and shouted at Brenton, “As for today’s portion, remember to ask Mr. Schweyer to collect it. Tell him that the magazine has been selling like hotcakes lately, so the advertisement section has appreciated slightly again.”
Agareth, who was floating beside Arthur, heard this and couldn’t help but snicker at this, “You might as well say it’s a share payment to God.”
Arthur also ignored the red devil’s sneer, but put on his bowler hat while walking, “Didn’t you say you wanted to talk business with me? Where’s the chance to get rich?”
Agares waddled slowly with his hands behind his back, and the red devil, who had done nothing wrong, kicked a black cat that was lying on the ground sunbathing, and opened his mouth, “A little hint that someone is wondering how to deal with you.”
“The tip is worthless.” Arthur took a drag on his cigarette, “And it doesn’t tickle my interest in buying it.”
“Wow, my dear Arthur.” The Red Devil grinned, “Don’t be in such a hurry, I’m not finished yet. It’s not just one set of people who want to get at you, and it’s not just Liverpool’s either.”
Arthur walked along with his face as normal, “Say on.”
Red Devil stared wide-eyed, “The following can be paid for!”
Arthur stopped in his tracks and asked, “What about the price?”
“Ooh, the price!” Agareth excitedly threw a hook into the air, “What a wonderful word! Arthur, do you know how hard it is to make a deal with you? You’re a little scoundrel who has almost everything of class in his house given to him by someone else, whether it’s a violin or a phonograph!”
“No way.” Arthur pulled out his ears as if nothing had happened, “The guys are just too enthusiastic.”
Agares spoke up, “I won’t ask for more with you for the price, as a quality customer, I only want those souls you have left on hand. This order, let’s just settle the bill.”
“So cheap?” This time it was Arthur who became suspicious.
“Cheap? Of course, the services I provide are always cheap. To be honest, if it wasn’t for the fact that I see that your kid has a surplus of money in his hand and is not very motivated to labor, I wouldn’t bother to ask for the souls of those pirates you have on hand. Heavy with salt and smelling like sweat, one bite is as good as an expired beer popping.”
“Agareth, that’s because you don’t appreciate it. Chocolate with a heart of wine is precious stuff.”
“Bullshit! It’s only brain-dead guys who like that kind of stuff.”
Perhaps having been suppressed for too long, the Red Devil, who had managed to close a single deal, was so excited that at the end of the year he was very proud to have avoided hanging a zero on this year’s turnover.
Agareth tugged at the red bow tie he had passed on from somewhere, and announced in Italian tenor-like tones, “I have been accidentally informed that the merchants of the Liverpool Association have just gathered together this morning for a short little meeting. The main discussion at the meeting was whether it would be more cost-effective to give you a little taste of sweetness or a direct display of toughness.”
Arthur leaned against the alley wall and smoked a cigarette, “And the conclusion?”
The Red Devil rubbed his hands together playfully, “Some wanted to play soft, some wanted to play hard, and the end result was of course both soft and hard. To be honest, after so many years, the changes in Britannia really surprised me. The energy of the merchants simply can’t be compared to what it used to be.
They are no longer the pathetic people kneeling beside the noble lords and begging, but the power holders who turn their hands to the clouds and the rain. In the Liverpool Association, there are not only old Pfleger and old Tory, but more importantly, they all have the ability to connect to London and influence the government’s resolution.
From what I have learned so far, they are at least now operating the nearest Parliament and Treasury, and you had better be more careful about that.”
When Arthur heard this, he simply returned, “Is that all? Agareth, if that’s all there is to it, I have to say that the price of your information is a bit inflated. If you were a Scotland Yard informant, I’m sure I’d pay some compensation to get you back from whence you came.”
“Wow, Arthur, you’re quite the hothead.” The Red Devil covered his mouth and snickered, “The Liverpool side is feeling a bit annoyed with you for the time being and wants to send you packing in a hurry. But the guy from London wants your life.”
(End of chapter)