shadow of britain

Chapter 174 Elder's Waterloo

Almost at the same moment when Mrs. Levin was having a secret conversation with Mrs. Cowper in her boudoir, Arthur was sitting in front of the glass window at home, staring at the maple leaves in Hyde Park across the street, spinning his pen idly.

Beside him, the Red Devil was sitting at the table. He was clutching his stuffed stomach, hiccupping and panting.

Agares said: "Arthur, you listen to me, in the future, this kind of banquet, hiccup... you have to go more often."

Arthur frowned and leaned on the seat: "Agares, can you stop acting like you haven't eaten for a few months, and then you stumbled into Barr's manure dump restaurant."

The Red Devil was quite satisfied today, but when he heard this, he couldn't help but burst into anger.

"Arthur! What's the matter? Today is just showing you the tip of the iceberg of high society, and you feel that you are not you? Barr? If Barr followed you today, he would squat in Cord from the beginning of the banquet. In the bathroom of Linton's house, do you dare to compare me with that vile devil?"

When Arthur heard the words, he just comforted him: "Okay, okay, I understand. You are noble, you are amazing, such a big hell can't hold you."

"Strange yin and yang? Are you yin and yang?"

Agares' eyes widened, and the corneas almost touched Arthur's nose. He cursed: "Arthur, you fucking, don't do these things with me. You know, without me, how can I With you, without me, you are still farming in the countryside of Yorkshire at the moment. Didn’t you just eat something, I see you are in a hurry, and I didn’t fucking eat you.”

Agares had just finished cursing when suddenly a gust of evening wind blew in from the window, blowing the draft paper in Arthur's pocket onto the cornea of ​​the Red Devil's eye.

"Huh? What is this?"

The Red Devil withdrew the draft paper full of mathematical calculations from his eyes, only to see a line of beautiful sentences left in the few blank spaces: I woke up overnight and found that I had become famous and became a poet. Napoleon on board.

Arthur couldn't help raising his eyebrows when he heard this: "Isn't this the famous saying left by Lord Byron after he finished writing "Child Harold's Travels"? It seems that Miss Byron didn't care much about her father. I don't know anything. But how would Mrs. Milbanke feel if she knew her daughter had written such a sentence?"

Unexpectedly, when Agares heard this, he nodded in satisfaction: "Whatever she thinks, the important thing is that you did become famous overnight. Arthur, just wait and see, sooner or later you will Be the Napoleon of Scotland Yard."

Arthur leaned on the table with one hand and turned his face: "Why should one day come, I now have a French artilleryman under my command, and his father was also the commander of the French Pyrenees Army."

Arthur had just finished speaking when he heard someone ring the doorbell downstairs.

He curled his lips in dissatisfaction, stretched his waist and got up: "It's so late, who is it?"

He opened the door and went downstairs, but Dumas, who woke up hungry at night and was rummaging through boxes and cabinets in the kitchen on the first floor, opened the door first.

Standing outside the door was Elder, who was blushing from drinking, holding a stack of banknotes in his hand.

Elder gasped for breath, then threw the ticket on the coffee table beside the sofa, while he nestled in the corner of the sofa and looked up at the starry sky outside the window with a melancholy expression.

When Dumas saw his dead face, he knew what had probably happened.

With a slice of bread in his mouth, he turned to Arthur and asked, "Is this being rejected again?"

Arthur just shrugged his shoulders: "In life, nine out of ten unsatisfactory things can be said, and none of them can be said. Is it necessary to say so clearly?"

But Dumas still looked at the banknotes on the table in doubt: "But what's the matter with the money? Let him take the money and go away?"

After hearing this, Elder felt so angry that he cursed, "Alexander, can you stop thinking about such good things?"

Dumas took a sip of the carbonated water in the glass in his right hand, nodded and said, "That's right, I usually can't do such good things. You are the only one who can do such good things. Elder, You think about the good, money and love, at least you got one."

Elder was caught in the chest by Alexandre Dumas, and almost convulsed on the spot.

He scolded: "Damn! The money is not for me. I met Mrs. Cowper's valet and coachman on my way back, and they told me to order a gramophone from Arthur, and explained that it was urgent. Put it away." The thirty pounds in front of me is considered a deposit, if it is not enough, they will make it up later. If it is enough, then the extra part should be regarded as thanks for Arthur's help."

Dumas couldn't help cursing when he heard the words: "Damn, it's too easy to make money! You really answered the words of the Rothschild boy, Arthur, you are so fucking lucky! Did the lady take a fancy to you? Isn't this just rushing to send you money?"

Elder said contemptuously: "Come on! Alexander, take it easy! Don't always apply your French thinking on this kind of thing. At Mrs. Cowper's age, she can almost be Arthur's mother, you That mind full of pornographic waste, can you think about something else?"

Dumas was not angry when he heard the words, he just replied: "Since you say so, then I won't lend you the magazine I bought."

When Elder heard this, he sat up from the sofa: "Why! I told you about that place!"

While sipping carbonated water, Dumas replied: "It's nothing, it's simply that I don't deserve it."

As soon as he finished speaking, the sleepy Darwin also came down the stairs in his pajamas.

While rubbing his eyes, he said dissatisfiedly: "What are you making a fuss about? Go to bed early and get up early, so you have enough energy."

When Elder saw him, he was furious: "Sleep, sleep! You know how to sleep every day. What's the use of going to bed so early every day? Look at your hair, it almost makes you sleepless."

Darwin was fine at first, but when he heard this, he burst into a fit of anger: "Oh! What the hell, Elder, what do you mean? Going to the banquet today, so many ladies are there, I Don’t blame others for not giving you a chance if you don’t have the ability to strike up a conversation.”

"That's right." Alexandre Dumas raised his eyebrows: "It's not a crime for British men to be bald. Don't look at Charles as if he's dull. Last time I saw him dating a beautiful lady in a restaurant."

Elder was struck by lightning when he heard this, and he fell down on the sofa in agony. He cried and begged: "My God! What kind of crime have I committed? How dare you do this? punish me?"

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but said, "What kind of sin? If you are sincere, I suggest you go to the church and find a pastor to confess immediately. If you really can't speak, at least you have to make atonement to the goat."

When Elder heard this, he blushed and his neck was thick. He emphasized again and again: "Arthur, it's not my fault! It's the devil who tempted me!"

Agares was just passing by the living room, but when he heard this, he immediately picked up the draft paper and threw it at Elder's face.

The Red Devil scolded loudly: "Fart your mother!"

Elder was hit in the face by the ball of paper, he was taken aback for a moment, then bent down to pick up the ball of paper.

He unfolded the small ball of paper and saw the beautiful handwriting. Elder, who was born in the Department of Classical Literature, finally used his academic skills that he hadn't used for a long time, and he saw something wrong at a glance.

"Lord Byron's sentence..."

He looked at Arthur suspiciously: "This... She gave you this?"

Arthur said in relief: "I stole it. For your physical and mental health, I think you'd better choose to believe it."

"Oh! God!" Elder knelt down while clutching his analgesic heart: "Arthur, when did you hook up with her?"

"It's not as bad as you think, it's just that Mrs. Milbank asked me to take care of her for a while." Arthur said: "Elder, you want to be more open and face it with a smile."

With tears in his eyes, Elder recited Byron's lines: "This is the saddest of all stories—worse than tragic, because it makes us smile."

After hearing this, Arthur just raised his forehead and said, "Tell me, why don't you move out these things earlier?"

When Dumas heard this, he just shook his head: "Arthur, it's useless for you to tell him this. It's like what Democritus said-a fool can only gain wisdom through misfortune."

As soon as he finished speaking, suddenly, there was another bell ringing outside the door.

Arthur stepped forward to open the door, and there stood a butler with short blond hair, white gloves, and a tuxedo.

The butler said embarrassedly: "Excuse me, is Mr. Hastings at home? I am Mrs. Levin's butler. When Mr. Elder Carter came to bring the message, we didn't make it clear. Apart from booking for Mrs. Cowper In addition to the magical gramophone and records, Madam just heard that Mr. Hastings is going to give a concert in the near future? If it is true, Mrs. Levin would like to book an additional ticket for Mr. Hastings' concert .Apologies if I disturbed you."

The butler had just finished speaking, and before Arthur could reply, he heard Elder, who was leaning on the sofa, tremblingly said, "Lee...Lee...Madam Levin?"

After finishing speaking, Elder hiccupped and twitched.

Arthur glanced at him, and replied with regret on his face: "The matter of the concert has not been confirmed yet. Mr. Hastings should continue to discuss with Mr. Mochelles of the London Philharmonic Association. But please Don't worry, I have already kept the reservation of tickets for Mrs. Levin in mind.

But before this matter is resolved, please make room for me. I think what I need most now may be to book an emergency bed for Mr. Elder Carter at the nearby St. Mary's Hospital immediately. "

(End of this chapter)