shadow of britain

Chapter 18 Admiralty Orders

In a detached villa on the outskirts of London, Sir Peel leaned comfortably on the sofa by the fireplace, enjoying a pleasant vacation time.

He held an exquisite black teacup in one hand, and a freshly baked Times newspaper in the other.

"It's the best of times, it's the worst of times. Damn it! It's so well written, that kid's going to be a great writer!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he looked up and saw Mrs. Peel walking in with a stack of neatly stacked newspapers.

Sir Peel couldn't help joking: "Oh, ma'am, what are you doing buying so many newspapers? Are you planning to sell newspapers part-time?"

Mrs. Peel gave him an angry look: "Robert! You told me that there might be news about Officer Arthur today, but you didn't tell me that there would be so many.

I told the newspaper peddler I wanted a paper with Constable Arthur on it and he couldn't wait to get me a copy of every paper he sold!
Although I am also a loyal fan of Officer Arthur, how much does it cost you to list so many of him at once! "

Sir Peel shook his head with a smile: "No, no, ma'am. I only spent money from The Times, and all other newspapers were kindly sponsored by our young and promising member of the House of Commons, Mr. George Morris.

Mr. Morris is a man with a strong sense of social responsibility, so when I showed him the story about Officer Arthur, he immediately stood up and said he would give generously. "

When Mrs. Peel heard this, she wondered: "I know that Mr. Morris just inherited his father's bank shares, but no matter how rich he is, he can't afford to spend so much, right?
And even if he is willing to spend money, his mobility is too high.I just counted, from the big newspapers to the tabloids, Mr. Morris found a total of thirty or so.How did he contact so many newspapers? "

Sir Peel couldn't hold back at last when he heard this, and he threw back his head and laughed with delight.

"My dear, Mr. Morris has to look for it even if he runs away! Because I told him that if the public's attention is not on the glorious image of Officer Arthur, then all the things about him using the umbrella to bribe the election will be exposed. .George Morris is a member of the Tory Party like me, and I, as a senior, have to give him advice on how to handle crisis communication, don't I?"

When Mrs. Peel heard this, she also trembled with laughter. She threw all the newspapers aside, then pressed on his thigh and slapped him lightly.

"Robert, you are so bad! Morris must lose a lot this time."

"Oh, no, no, no." Sir Peel shook his finger: "Honey, in the political field, we usually call this win-win cooperation.

Maurice has kept his future, for which I am grateful.

And I not only retained the most outstanding police officer of Scotland Yard with the smallest cost, but also showed the bright image of Scotland Yard to the public through this incident.

You know, I built Scotland Yard from top to bottom, and Scotland Yard is as good as I am, so that's my accomplishment as well.

Even the young court clerk who wrote the news got a chance to present his article on a bigger stage.

In this transaction, there are no losers, all winners. "

"What about Mr. Morris's purse? Robert, you are a liar."

Sir Peel raised his eyebrows and pulled his wife into his arms: "Honey, this is your fault. You have been married to me for so many years, why do you still not understand your husband's occupation?
I'm a senior member of parliament, so don't try to pry any bad things out of my mouth.I never speak ill of civilized people. "

"Don't you say it when the House of Commons is in session?"

"Oh, my dear, it's not a civilized person to sit in the House of Commons, it's just a bunch of baboons, don't you think trainers are nice to animals? I'm totally justified in the zoo It should have a solid theoretical basis.”

Mrs. Peel buried her face in Sir Peel's arms, laughing so hard she could hardly breathe.

"Robert, it's really rude of you to say that. How can you say that the MPs are all baboons?"

Sir Peel was indifferent to this, and he opened the newspaper to read the next article about the Ottoman Empire considering recognizing the independence of Greece.

"Because they also think I'm a baboon and attack me because we're a different breed. Honey, you know, respect is always mutual, just like you and me."

……

In front of the gates of the Royal Naval School in Greenwich.

Arthur looked at the teaching building with a light blue roof and milky white exterior walls in front of him, and was slightly absent-minded.

Elder continued to introduce beside him: "This is where you will study in the future. It is not only a school but also a work of art. Sir James Thornhill is responsible for the overall design of the interior. The whole adopts a pure Baroque style.

By the way, there is a special painting hall here, people who know art like you will definitely like it.

The oil painting there is the largest in Europe and even in the world. It took more than ten years from design to completion, and passed through the hands of many people. It was finally completed by Sir Christopher Wren in 1696.

And the overall architectural design of the school is from the famous designer Andre Le Nôtre, do you know him?He is the chief gardener of Louis XIV, and the Palace of Versailles was also designed by him, an absolute master.

In addition, there are many fragmentary paintings in the school. Most of the themes are about the glorious history of the Royal Navy, from the battle of Gravelines, which defeated the Spanish Armada, to the 1596 Cadiz expedition, which completely destroyed them. Or it was the 1814 Battle of Chisapeake where the gang of North American colonial rebels burned down their Congress and the White House.

Of course, this is of course the Royal Navy's most proud Battle of Trafalgar in 1805. In that war, we completely wiped out the combined fleet of France and Spain. It is a pity that General Horatio Nelson, the soul of the Royal Navy, is here. He died heroically in the war.

However, although General Nelson has gone away, the order he conveyed with the semaphore before the war still remains in the hearts of every officer and soldier in the Royal Navy.

As General Nelson said - England expects everyone to do their part. "

Elder's mouth was almost dry, but he turned his head and saw that Arthur beside him obviously didn't listen to a word.

His good friend's eyes were blank, he must be in a daze.

Elder held his forehead and complained: "Damn! Arthur, you haven't woken up from drinking yesterday? As soon as I took a sip, I knew that the wine had been mixed with water. It's just a little cheap beer. Why are you dizzy now? Wine The stamina isn't that great, is it?"

Arthur just came back to his senses, and he rubbed his face: "The stamina of the wine is not that great, but the stamina of the article is really too great."

"Article? What article?"

Elder had long forgotten what happened yesterday, and it was not until Arthur reminded him that he remembered the court clerk named Charles Dickens.

Arthur asked: "You are a professional in literature. What do you think of his writing?"

Elder held his chin and thought for a while. He picked up the knowledge of literary criticism that he had lost for a long time, and commented: "The writing style is not bad, but if he wants to become a great writer, he is still almost ready."

"Where is the difference?"

Elder recalled Dickens' behavior, and shook his hands in disdain.

"Sir comes and goes, and he is too polite. In my opinion, unless he makes changes, such a person will not be a writer."

Arthur thought that Elder would give some legitimate reason, but he didn't expect it to be this reason.

He was about to ask further questions, but out of the corner of his eye, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a man in a navy uniform walking towards them.

Elder also spotted the other party. The kid who didn't stand or sit down actually shuddered, and then hurriedly stood at attention and saluted.

"Good morning, Colonel Fitzroy!"

The middle-aged man didn't treat Arthur as an outsider, he said directly to Elder, "I was looking for you."

"Do you have anything to do with me?"

Colonel Fitzroy stroked his wrinkled white gloves and said, "I don't want the person you recommended to me two days ago."

"Ah? Why?" Elder was anxious when he heard this: "Colonel, how can you just say no? I've already discussed it with him!"

Fitzroy was also very helpless: "Elder, it's not that I don't want it, it's what the above said. Is there something wrong with the person you're looking for, or is it related to some important person?
The content of this order is very strange, and the level involved is also very high.

I don't know if that person had a brain twitch, but he actually issued an order to the fleet commander alone for a little naturalist, and then transferred it to me.

I see that the person you recommended is named Hastings. Does he have any relationship with the Marquess of Hastings?Could it be his grandson? "

(End of this chapter)