shadow of britain

Chapter 259 Americans, you have to be confident! (4K4)

Today, Arthur did not choose to go home directly after get off work as usual, nor did he choose to go to the Wheatstone Gramophone Manufacturing Workshop in Greenwich. Instead, he walked through Whitehall Street and arrived at Trafalgar Square. The coffee shop next to it.

Arthur greeted the waiter in the cafe and ordered a few snacks and drinks. As soon as the hot cocoa was brought to the table, he heard the wind chimes hanging at the door of the cafe jingling.

Colt, a young man with a sailor red face and a blue and white T-shirt, walked in with two gun holsters hanging on his waist.

He had just entered the door and was about to find a seat, but as soon as he glanced at him, he spotted Arthur sitting in the corner. He raised his hand in surprise and said hello: "What a coincidence! Mr. Hastings, I didn't expect you to be there too." it's here."

Arthur smiled and stretched out his hand for him to come and sit down: "Mr. Colt, there are no coincidences in this world, they are all destined. Just like there is no gravity in the world, it is just the quality of matter that distorts time and space. Just like time It’s just the definition of human beings. You and I at this moment will eventually be separated, and we will eventually meet again somewhere.”

The American boy who was not yet 20 years old was stunned by Arthur's words, but the red devil sitting beside him couldn't sit still after hearing this.

Agares, who was holding the parchment and reading it carefully, was shocked. He looked up at Arthur with a little doubt in his eyes: "Damn it! Are you Arthur Hastings? I thought he was You are Isaac Newton! Although most human philosophers are proficient in mathematics, it does not mean that they should be proficient in physics! Arthur, go pick up girls when you have nothing to do, and don't think about useless things!"

Colt obviously couldn't sense the Red Devil's dissatisfaction. He was still thinking about Arthur's previous words: "No gravity? No time? Mr. Hastings, you are trying to overthrow the physics established by Newton." System? Or is this the latest research result in British academia? This view does sound interesting."

Arthur waved his hand and said: "No, no, no, this is just an inappropriate metaphor made by a Scotland Yard superintendent with little education. I just want to tell you that our reunion is not accidental but inevitable. Don't forget, I am A detective. Do you know what a detective's job is? A detective's job is to deduce future possibilities from clues in the past."

When Colt heard this, he couldn't help but forget: "Why does this sound like a prophet?"

Arthur stirred the spoon: "Prophet? The work that prophets do is much more advanced than detectives. Not only can they accurately predict the future, but they can also persuade the tribe to avoid disasters. This is simply a myth."

Colt nodded slightly and said, "I also think it's too false to guess everything."

Arthur shook his head slightly: "That's not what I was referring to. I think the reason why this is a myth is mainly because the prophet's tribe actually listened to the advice."

Colt was stunned for a moment when he heard this, then he laughed and said: "Is this what you said? But if you think about it carefully, it seems like this. Sometimes it is really distressing to reason with a group of people. By the way, I wonder if you’ve ever heard of the custom of booing in New York theaters?”

"Sneaking?" Arthur asked, "What is that habit?"

Colt reached out for a cup of coffee: "Various themes of the War of Independence are very popular in American theaters, such as "The Battle of Bunker Hill" and "The Death of General Montgomery at the Siege of Quebec". These are popular theater plays. Every time The performance was always full. Whenever Washington's name was read on the stage and the actor playing Washington appeared on stage, the audience would cheer collectively. When the King of England was mentioned, the audience would boo in unison. Voice.

When Mr. William Dunlap's "Andre" premiered at the Park Theater, there was such a plot.Washington ordered the execution of the British spy Andre, and Brand, the character in the play, was dissatisfied with this and took off his Continental Army cap badge and smashed it to the ground.When the theater audience saw this scene, they stood up emotionally and physically attacked the actors and Mr. Dunlap.

After the performance, major newspapers in New York continued to pursue Mr. Dunlap, saying that he was insinuations to slander Washington, maliciously attack the American Revolution, and was a capitulationist surrender to the evil Britain.The newspaper also sarcastically said that we don’t know whether the character Andre is a British spy, but Mr. Dunlap is 100% a British spy.

Some people defended Mr. Dunlap by saying that his father was wounded in the Revolutionary War and that Mr. Dunlap himself had painted a portrait of George Washington and was unlikely to be a British spy.

But everyone became more excited when they heard about painting. They revealed Mr. Dunlap’s experience of going to London to study painting under Benjamin West in his early years, saying that it was at that time that he must have obtained the British government’s funding.What's more, although Dunlap looks draped in stars and stripes, he is an out-and-out St. George's Cross.The government should drive Dunlap to Canada just like it did when it expelled the royalists from the country.

In order to avoid controversy, Mr. Dunlap had to work day and night to revise the script. It took a long time before the matter was completely settled. "

When Arthur heard this, he froze in the chair while holding the tea cup. The steam from the hot cocoa covered his face, and his eyelashes were covered with a layer of fine water droplets.

"Hmm...why does it sound so familiar..."

Arthur put down his tea cup and leaned on the seat. He was silent for a while and then said, "Are there any similar ones? Although I have never been to the United States, I had planned to go there to make a living before, so if there are any Please tell me more about such strange and strange things. Maybe one day I will actually go there, and I will use these precautions."

"Are you planning to go to America?"

Colt was flattered when he heard this and said: "Why would you want to go to the United States? Of course, the United States is a very good country. But Mr. Hastings, why would you want to go? You are not doing well in London. Really? Don’t look at the boos and boos in American theaters every day, but as long as American businessmen have some savings, they will find ways to come to Europe and become a noble.

The most typical example is to pay a large dowry to their daughter and let her marry a bankrupt European noble.And they also like to compare with each other. In their evaluation system, the British title is the most noble, followed by France, followed by the German states, Spain, Austria, etc.

If a daughter of any family could marry an English lord, his parents would have to hold a banquet for a week and mention the matter in front of the guests eight hundred times.If my new uncle is willing to go to the United States once in a while to make them happy, I think those people will be willing to give away all their property. "

When Arthur heard this, although there was no smile on his face, his hand holding the tea cup was trembling slightly: "Is it that exaggerated?" "Why not!"

Colt became more and more angry as he thought about it, and he replied: "You probably don't know that two years ago, there was a banker who bought a banker in a New York newspaper just because his daughter married the fourth-generation grandson of a certain British earl. The newspaper published a page to celebrate, saying that although the wedding cost a lot, it was all worth it, because it was the pursuit of the true meaning of European classical culture at all costs.

You didn't see that newspaper, otherwise you must be as angry as me.Although the banker who had nothing but money did not say it clearly, the newspaper statement revealed what he meant - America is country, rustic, rude, and tasteless, while Britain is the world's pearl, fashionable, elegant, and stylish. .The water from the Mississippi River doesn't taste good, but the water from the Thames River is just sweet.Alas, my daughter has now become a countess and is no longer used to the New York air.In fact, my uncle and the girl did not want to come to the United States after they got married. They were supposed to live in London or Paris, holding salons and banquets every day, and attending various high-end balls.However, in order to spread the advanced civilization of Europe, they still traveled thousands of miles with a humanitarian spirit. You must praise them.

Before I came to the UK, I really believed what he said. Now that I'm here, I can see that although the UK is more advanced, with many factories and various high-end products, the US is a bit rustic, but... but it's not the same. To the extent he said!Damn it, why didn't he drown his whole family in the Thames? "

After all, Colt was still a hot-blooded 19-year-old boy, and when it came to this, his rough, already sunburned skin looked like a boiled duck covered in maple syrup.

He couldn't help but laugh at himself: "Mr. Hastings, if you ask me to go to the United States under these conditions, it will be no problem. But I think that even if you want to go, it is best to stay at Scotland Yard for two more years. If you can get a A knighthood. Haha... A nobleman who is several generations away can make them spend a lot of money. If you can be knighted by your own ability, then you should not be drowned in money! I guarantee that you will set foot in New York. Or on the docks in Boston, the bankers on the back foot will be like pugs smelling shit, carrying big bags of tabloids and bringing their precious daughters to propose marriage.”

When Arthur heard this, he replied calmly: "Mr. Colt, first of all, let's make it clear that I am not shit."

Colt glared and said: "Of course, you would be more popular if you were meat! Because they are real dogs! On the one hand, you have to be regarded as a British spy even if you write a script, and on the other hand, if you can get French citizenship, you don't need American citizenship. If you can get British citizenship, you don't need French citizenship. For a useless aristocratic title, which is not even a title but just a blood relationship, and you can give away a lot of family property by marrying a daughter, do you think Americans are schizophrenic?"

Speaking of this, Colt couldn't help but pull out the revolver from his holster: "Damn it! The more I talk about it, the more angry I get. I just wish I could kill all those people. When I think of this, I feel sorry for Dunlap." Sir, I feel unworthy. Who the hell is the British spy?"

Hearing this, the real British spy Arthur just calmly took a sip of hot cocoa and prepared to listen to Colt continue to fire.

Colt vigorously attacked: "The poems, plays, and novels are all anti-British works such as "The Vision of Columbia," "Columbia: An American War Poetry," "The End of British Tyranny," and "The Conquest of Canaan." The descriptions of Britain are also the same. The poor are struggling, the rich are unkind, the whole society is morally corrupt, and the social order is disordered. When it comes to America, it means old-fashioned farmers, upright and just citizens, and all kinds of enthusiastic gentlemen.

But the actual situation is that the writers who created these works will run to Europe as soon as they seize the opportunity, squat in Paris if they want to be shameless, or settle directly in London if they are shameless.If there is anything wrong with Mr. Dunlap's "Andre," it is that he is too honest and tells the innermost thoughts of bankers, big businessmen, and writers.The result is that these two truths suddenly punctured the fragile self-esteem of Americans.Since then, Mr. Dunlap should have understood that it was better to lie to him than to tell the truth in artistic creation. "

When Arthur heard Colt's words, he felt a little weird, and he also felt that he had been given an inexplicable sense of superiority.

This was the first time he realized that this was what it felt like to be an old Union Jack.

Agares also noticed the change in Arthur's mood. The red devil smiled and rubbed his hands: "Arthur, how are you? Isn't this kind of cheap pleasure wonderful? He is obviously an American millionaire, but he But he has to find a poor British aristocrat to support his waist. Tsk, tsk, tsk, stupid humans are always like this."

Arthur took a sip of hot cocoa and said calmly: "That's almost it, Agares, if you keep talking, I will buy a ticket to go to the United States tomorrow."

"No, no, no, now is not the time." Agares pushed up his small glasses: "Didn't you listen to what this young man said? Now is not the time, you have to be knighted before going. Arthur Hastings Sir Arthur, this name alone can fool the wealthy people in New York. Arthur, you are currently rising rapidly in Scotland Yard, why are you in such a hurry to show off your wealth in front of a group of rubes? "

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but glance at him and sighed sincerely: "Don't you think that in this era, even the devil looks down on Americans?"

When Colt heard Arthur speak, he couldn't help but echoed: "Devil? I think those rich people are a bunch of vampires! They lie on America's belly and suck it full, and then turn around and take a lot of it. The banknotes are exchanged for a mouthful of Thames water. If I have money in the future..."

When Arthur heard this, he suddenly said: "By the way, as I told you before, it will still be inconvenient for Americans to set up factories in the UK, and you are in the arms business such as guns. So, , do you want to consider becoming a British citizen first? Although applying for nationality is still quite troublesome, and you have to meet certain years of residence and other conditions, but if you can really improve the Colt revolver, get a patent in this area , I don’t think it can’t be run quickly.”

"I..." When Colt heard this, his brows couldn't help but jump three times.

After all, he had just finished scolding someone, so it was quite difficult for him to change his words at this time. Young people have always been thin-skinned.

Of course Arthur also understood where his psychological barriers lay. He said: "Samuel, I know you are a great patriot and a true American. But to be honest, there is another great man living in my family. A patriot, a real fat French man. Although he often hates Britain when he mentions it, this does not prevent him from making money by posting articles in the UK. Think about it from another perspective, you can take the money you earn in the UK and spend it in the United States. , isn’t this a truly patriotic act? You are much better than the banker who spent a lot of money to marry his daughter.”

"You..." Colt hesitated: "Has your French friend also become a British citizen?"

"That's not true." Arthur shook his head and said, "But I just completed the naturalization application of another Frenchman two days ago. He is also a great patriot. His level of patriotism even makes me feel that if there is a world There is one person who is loyal to France and it must be him."

"Is it such an exaggeration?"

"Of course." Arthur picked up a piece of crispy biscuit and took a bite: "By the way, that person's surname is Bonaparte."

　The leader will update in the middle of the night. You can get up and watch it tomorrow morning.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)