Chapter 4: What is Hell

Chapter 4: What is Hell
Before Arthur could walk through the front door of the police force headquarters, a fellow officer, also wearing a police uniform with him and clutching a thick stack of information, grabbed him and stopped him.

When the other party saw Arthur’s face, he raised his hand and wiped the sweat from his head with a look of amnesty.

“Thank goodness, Arthur, you’re finally here! I wouldn’t have been able to cope with those difficult juries and high-minded magistrates if you’d been late. Come on, we’re running out of time, let’s walk and talk.”

Arthur spoke without much concern as he was pushed forward.

“Tony, you just lack some of the necessary self-confidence. The magistrates’ court isn’t something to be intimidated by, and all you have to do is read out the indictment in your hand to everyone. It’s not like you can’t read, so what’s there to worry about?”

Tony said in discouragement, “Arthur, it’s not like you don’t know that before I did this job, I was just a cobbler who repaired shoes for people, and if it weren’t for the fact that quite a few people in our part of the world are already almost too poor to wear shoes, I probably wouldn’t have come to London in my life.

Although I did know two words, that was all I knew. My highest education was only the Sunday school I attended as a child, and the only book I read in its entirety was the Bible.

How can an inferior man like me compare with a proper college-educated high school student like you?”

Arthur kindly consoled, “Tony, that’s already better than quite a few ministers, at least you’ve read the Bible in its entirety.”

“You’re kidding me again.” Tony asked, “By the way, let me ask you something, does that London University you went to charge expensive tuition?”

Arthur raised an eyebrow, “You want to further your education?”

Tony red-faced and waved his hands back and forth, “Where would I dare to have that kind of noble thoughts.”

“Then why are you asking?”

Tony held his tongue for half a day before he finally made up his mind to spit out the truth.

“That’s probably all I’ll ever be in this life. But my kid can’t be like me, I didn’t wrestle in this shithole for so many years just to have him suffer along with me. He has to go to school, not just to school, but to college. Even though he’s not old enough yet, I have to help him prepare the money for school first, don’t you think that’s true?”

Hearing this, Arthur patted Tony’s shoulder rather appreciatively, “Tony, I didn’t expect you to be such a responsible father. It would be great if you could also show such courage while on duty.”

Tony’s already reddened face was simply hot to the touch when he heard this.

“Arthur, I really didn’t mean to leave you alone in the alley last time. The guys were armed with hammers and knives, and I couldn’t have lined up much use even if I had stayed. The only reason I scattered was to go back and call for reinforcements for you.”

“It’s okay, I’ve forgiven you.” Arthur patted the officer’s knife at his waist, “At least after that time, the higher-ups were finally willing to issue us some decent weapons.”

“But then again, Arthur, how did you get out of that one?”

Arthur’s afterglow glanced at Agareth, who was sulking on the side, and spoke, “Don’t worry about that, I always have my ways. The next time you encounter something like this, you should run or run, you’re already a father, don’t joke about your family.”

Tony was simply ashamed of himself, he smiled sarcastically, “Actually, I’m far from being a father, I’ve just recently planned to get married. I’ve already submitted the marriage application, and as soon as it’s approved by the higher-ups, I’ll be officially married.”

Arthur couldn’t help but frown, “What the hell are they up to? Why do police officers need approval to get married?
You can’t drink, grow a beard, gamble, go into debt, possess any bad habits, or be unkempt or have any undignified behavior, or even have a mental patient in the family.

For individual police officers, they have to have proper religious beliefs, possess a certain degree of cultural quality, and are strictly prohibited from engaging in private business and keeping poultry or even pets. In any public place, even during off-duty hours, they should consciously participate in and be courageous in maintaining public order and shoulder all the responsibilities of upholding the moral norms of the society.

What is even more ridiculous is that they are only willing to offer twelve shillings a week for such a person.

That’s all, now it’s getting to marriage, why don’t they just give us a wife? That way they can keep an eye on me twenty-four hours a day.”

Tony, hearing Arthur’s bitter complaint, agreed: “Come on, Arthur, your wife can’t keep an eye on you twenty-four hours a day. Have you forgotten that? We’re on duty fourteen hours a day, and if we’re unlucky, we’ll get another hour or two from the bosses. And your wife? She’d be lucky to watch you for an average of eight hours a day.”

Tony sighed helplessly as he spoke, “No use complaining about that though. By the way, you still haven’t told me how much the tuition fee for the University of London is.”

Arthur eased his breath and responded, “Twenty-three pounds and six shillings for an academic year.”

“Hiss ……” Tony sucked in a breath of cool air, “That’s really expensive, I only earn thirty or so pounds a year, and I have to spend most of it to pay for my children’s schooling. Looks like I’ll have to save up early.”

“That’s cheap enough, I don’t think you’ve inquired about the tuition fees at the four main lawyers’ chambers in London.”

“How much do they charge there?”

Arthur held up three fingers at him, “That much, a year.”

“Thirty pounds?” Tony frowned and gritted his teeth, “My salary should go up again, work hard and I might be able to squeeze it out of him. Lawyer? Little Tony the lawyer? That’s a good career, much better than his father’s for sure.”

Just as Tony fell into an infinite reverie, Arthur poured cold water on him.

“Thirty pounds? Tony, what were you thinking? It’s three hundred pounds.”

Tony only felt the sky spinning before his eyes when he heard the figure, “They’re killing me straight away, aren’t they. I probably won’t be able to save up for his tuition for the rest of my life.”

“It’s okay if you can’t, that place wasn’t meant for ordinary citizens like us. Most of the people who go there are bankers, factory owners, or the children of nobles.”

“Don’t they usually go to Oxford or Cambridge?”

“Well, that’s true. But there are always people who want a change, aren’t there? It’s like when you’re used to potatoes and occasionally you want to get some bread accompanied by drippings to spice things up.”

“Just a change of flavor costs three hundred pounds a year more?”

Tony looked at the gray sky and just felt that his future was gray.

“Arthur, why are you telling me this. If I didn’t know, I might have felt better off. Now I feel like I can barely survive. Arthur, you’re going to hell for doing this.”

“Hell?” Arthur gave a rare hint of a smile, “Tony, I’m sorry to say this, but you and I are already here.”

(End of chapter)