shadow of britain

Chapter 300 Rothschild’s Gambling Table (8K4)

Astley Amphitheatre, in a small room on the second floor.

Lionel watched Arthur wrap himself in gauze and apply strong and pungent ointment in a familiar manner, coupled with his calm expression, Lionel couldn't help but laugh. .

He leaned against the table and asked, "Isn't this the first time you've done this? Arthur, your technique is too skilled."

Arthur put on his Scotland Yard uniform without hesitation and fastened the buttons one by one in front of the mirror: "If you mean getting injured in costume, it is indeed the first time. But if you mean dressing the wound , then I can’t remember how many times this was.

Lionel, Scotland Yard's job is not as easy as it appears in Hastings, and it's not always the limelight.To be honest, things like investigating homicides are actually nothing compared to street patrols.

When I first joined Scotland Yard, I was often assigned to patrol the narrowest and most dangerous and dark streets because I couldn't get along with the Sheriff.You also know that there are many docks in Greenwich, so I can often meet drunk sailors in the pubs in the training area and Irish men carrying bags on the docks.

There is a popular drunken fun game among these groups. They will bet in small groups. Each person will put out a penny. If anyone dares to beat the patrolling Scotland Yard policeman, he can take the money. Walk.Both Tom and Tony were beaten, and after I joined the team, the settlement target of this game was changed to me.Now, do you know why I am so skilled at bandaging? "

Lionel couldn't help but smile when he heard this: "I thought you were born to be so good at fighting, but it turns out you also have such a painful past."

Arthur tightened the hand wrapped in the bandage, and only after confirming that it was firmly fixed, he said: "For me, those days were not particularly unpleasant to look back on. It was better than rolling around in the mud puddles in the countryside of York when I was a child. . However, wrestling with Irish drunkards is indeed not a particularly good memory. I learned from them: no matter what the circumstances, do not fight with more than two gangsters, even if you think you are very strong."

Lionel laughed and said: "But listening to what you said, I finally understand why there are so many attacks on police officers in Scotland Yard every year. The statement in the newspaper is really unfair to you policemen. They have obviously suffered unreasonable disasters. But they are still accused of violent law enforcement. But journalists, that's the case. They often draw caricatures of Rothschild on their pages, painting my father with a big belly and a pocket full of gold coins.

I'm worried that in a few years, if they get tired of drawing my father, their caricature model might be me.But there is nothing we can do about it. Life has to go through this one time.So, take it easy, Arthur, not even His Majesty the King can escape their attacks, let alone you and me. "

Arthur put on his hat and looked at himself in the mirror: "As for these attacks coming from Fleet Street, I don't think it's a big deal. Because I can't say that Scotland Yard is completely clean. As far as I know, The mutual attacks between Scotland Yard and those being enforced often go both ways."

"Huh?" Lionel asked, "How do you say this?"

Arthur picked up the tea cup next to him and said: "For example, in the Tower Hamlets district I used to be in charge of, on the east side of Shoreditch Street, there is a place called Old Nicol, where people live There are about 5000 people, but it is the worst in the whole of London. Even if you don’t make a statement in the caliber of Scotland Yard, but express it according to the local priest’s statement, you will hardly hear anything from his mouth. Come on.

I talked to the local pastor about this issue on the first day I took office, and he told me: 'Old Nicole's moral standard is incredibly low, and people's lives are mainly about deception and concealment.Almost every family has one or more unexplained reasons to be afraid of the police. 'I also doubted whether the pastor's statement was exaggerated at first, but soon the residents of Old Nicol shattered my suspicion with practical actions.

On my first day on the job, the Kingsland Road Police Station in Old Nicol gave me a crime report for the first half of the year.The report shows that a total of 214 people were arrested in the first half of the year, including 72 people who were drunk and causing trouble, 35 people who assaulted police officers, 4 people who robbed with knives, 3 people who molested, 16 people who beat their wives and passing women, and 1 person who abandoned a child. , 27 people were involved in burglary and street pickpocketing, 33 people were involved in gambling, and oh, by the way, there were two people who attempted suicide.I can't remember the rest of the charges for animal cruelty, selling alcohol in violation of license requirements, and a bunch of other miscellaneous charges. "

Lionel, who has always been sensitive to numbers, couldn't help but take a breath when he heard this: "214 people? In other words, in half a year, 4.2% of the residents of Old Nicol were arrested?"

"Yes."

Arthur took a sip of tea: "These are just those who were arrested. Judging from the lack of police resources at the Kingsland Road Police Station, I tend to believe that there must be many fish that have slipped through the net in the local area. These fish that have slipped through the net have been missing for many years. After all the accumulation, I can’t say that the local pastor’s words are really an exaggeration. The old man lives there all year round, and his responsibilities include listening to the residents’ confessions and providing them with psychological counseling, so the criminal information he knows must be There are definitely only a lot more than our group of police officers.

I can only pray for him privately, hoping that when he returns to God, God will take into account his heavy workload and arrange a better position for him.His workload is indeed much greater than that of the average clergyman. One day at Old Nicol's is equivalent to several weeks at Westminster, so I think it is completely understandable for him to complain occasionally.Although he is an apostle of God, he still has a temper after all. "

Lionel couldn't help but shake his head when he heard this: "I thought the poor Jewish community in London was bad enough, but I didn't expect there to be a worse place than it."

"Yes! London is always full of surprises."

Arthur smiled self-deprecatingly: "Whenever I find an area is bad enough, London will always put his arm around my shoulders and tell me: Hey! Man! Are you new here? Stop fucking sighing here , because the worse is yet to come!”

Agares put his hand on Arthur's shoulder and said, "Arthur, I don't remember when I changed my name to London. Besides, I'm not that familiar with London. I know Jerusalem best." "

Lionel asked: "What you just said is that citizens' attacks on the police are two-way. Is it convenient for you to say the next part?"

Arthur added some more tea: "It's not a big deal. Just don't spread it. In other words, even if you spread it, it won't have much impact, because Scotland Yard has basically dealt with it."

"Has it been dealt with? Dealing with the police?"

"Of course."

Arthur raised his eyebrows and said: "Lionel, although our internal affairs are not clean, we still have clear regulations. And I do not deny that the reason for the Fleet Street attack is that there are indeed some scum in our police force. Scotland Nearly a hundred employees are laid off each year, with Kingsland Road Police Station in Nicol laying off as many as six employees last year.

There was a case in Nicol Street last year that really embarrassed me. A police officer went to a Nicol Street pub and drank while on duty and beat a child who was staring at him while drunk.Moreover, he also gave a contradictory description of the situation in court. Those remarks brought shame to the entire Tower Hamlets Police District. Inspector Klein, the head of Tower Hamlets Police District who attended the trial He got furious on the spot and directly ordered him to shut up and sit down.As soon as the trial ended, he announced his dismissal decision. "

Lionel asked curiously: "Why do you know so much detail, when you were at the scene?"

Arthur nodded slightly and said, "I'm in the auditorium."

Lionel smiled and asked: "Then you're not angry?"

"Of course not, or even if I get angry, I won't yell in public." Arthur picked up the white porcelain teacup and touched it with Lionel, and said calmly: "I learned this from you, Lionel. Onel. Remember? That time I went to buy a house."

Lionel's eyes narrowed with laughter: "So..."

Arthur took a sip from the tea cup and said, "Yes, I just called Inspector Klein to No. 4 Whitehall Street for a talk afterwards."

"Hahaha." Lionel suppressed his laughter and asked, "What did you say?"

Arthur rubbed his temples and said: "Let me recall, I should have told Inspector Klein. There is a restless anxiety brewing within Scotland Yard. Although I don't want to criticize his work, the relationship between Parliament and Public attention seems to be increasing about local security and the police's inability to enforce the law. This has led colleagues at Scotland Yard to doubt his reliability, but I, the superintendent in charge of Greenwich and Tower Hamlets, still Still trust him.

However, although I trust his abilities, I also highly recognize the results of his work so far.But given the magistrates’ longstanding hostility to Scotland Yard, I also understand that the job there is not easy to do.Therefore, if he feels that he is a little out of his depth, he does not need to push himself too hard. Gold will shine wherever it goes. I am willing to tactfully convey to Director Luo Wan on his behalf his application for transfer to a more suitable department. "

When Lionel heard this, he covered his stomach with his hands and laughed until tears came out: "Arthur, I admit that I may have inspired you in the first half, but the second half is mostly understood by you yourself. You just have it." There is no need to 'attribute' all this talent to my head."

Arthur poured the last bit of tea into his stomach and replied with a smile: "Lionel, you are so humble."

The red devil put his arm on Arthur's shoulder and took a bite of the sugar cane, chewed it twice, and spat out a mouthful of scum: "Arthur, you are the one who is humble. You little bastard was born to make a deal with the devil. Keep up the good work. , I’m optimistic about you.”

Lionel took out his handkerchief and wiped the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes. He asked, "Did Inspector Klein feel inspired after this conversation?"

Arthur nodded lightly and said: "I am very encouraged. By the way, due to his outstanding work performance in the past year, Inspector Klein was promoted to superintendent not long ago. Now, like me, he has a lot of burdens on his shoulders. St Edward's Crown Badge. As I have just said, Inspector Crane is a very capable police officer and he deserves it all. Losing him is a great loss to Tower Hamlets ,

But fortunately, we still have excellent local police commanders such as the newly appointed Inspector Jones or Chief Ledley of Whitechapel Police Station.Even the Kingsland Road Police Station, which I have always criticized before, still has many police officers with high moral character and sense of social responsibility.I understand that the relationship between the Kingsland Road police officers and the residents of Old Nicol is quite complicated. "

Lionel asked: "How do you say it?"

Arthur said: "In addition to completing daily tasks, the police officers on Kingsland Road often volunteer to participate in some tasks that should not be done by them. For example, using the medical knowledge learned in police training when the doctor cannot be present Provide some simple medical first aid on occasions. Or stop domestic violence, stop husbands from beating their wives, and parents from abusing children, although this is not their responsibility either in legislation or in Scotland Yard regulations.

And as I said before, most of the residents of Old Nicol have little education and very unstable incomes, so many people rely on alcohol to get by.Parents are unable to perform their guardianship duties while intoxicated, and of course, they rarely do so while sober.Because of this, children often get lost in more than 30 local streets.Now almost all the little ghosts there have learned to ask the police for help when they get lost, and residents often call the police on their behalf to ask the police to take these little things away.

Perhaps because this kind of case happens so frequently, the Kingsland Road Police Station also purchased some toys to keep these little guys quiet. They even allocated special funds to provide these thirsty and hungry kids with toys. kid buys jam and bread.At this point, they are probably the best in London.Except for some scumbags, the other police officers on Kingsland Road have always been worthy of the uniform they wear, and their behavior is worthy of respect.They are an invaluable asset to a parish often mired in despair and trouble. "

Lionel smiled and said: "Thank you for telling me so much. Arthur, based on what you just said, I feel that the taxes I paid should have been in vain."

Arthur thought about it for a moment and modified it slightly: "I can only say that part of the tax money is indeed not wasted."

Lionel asked with a smile: "It's always a pleasure to chat with you. But it's getting late. Maybe it's time for us to go to the third floor to meet His Majesty the King. Although your performance can still be improved. place, but overall it is still very successful, at least His Majesty the King is very happy to see it, I think this is enough, isn't it?"

Arthur asked as he walked: "Did Brother Angelo say anything?"

Lionel put a hand on the door handle: "They saw something was wrong, but seeing that you used their sword skills, the two masters didn't care too much. After all, they also understood that this It's just a play, not a real fight on the battlefield. If they really want to see you fight with others, they shouldn't come to the Astley Theater, but to the streets of Greenwich. And your opponent Not the Paris swordsman Bertrand, but groups of street gangsters armed with crowbars and clubs.”

Arthur smiled and said: "Lionel, you are quite knowledgeable. If one day you are tired of making money, you may want to consider coming to Scotland Yard to experience it."

Lionel laughed and opened the door: "Forget it, I can't beat a street gangster."

Arthur and Lionel were chatting. Suddenly, they heard a thumping sound coming downstairs from outside the door, followed by a furious roar: "You two scoundrels, don't run away! Guard! Here!" I’ll catch those two bastards!”

When Arthur heard this, he subconsciously raised his hand to pull out the police officer's knife from his waist, but as soon as he grasped the handle of the knife, the tight touch from the bandage on his hand still made him couldn't help but loosen his grip.

Just when he was hesitating whether to take action, he suddenly saw two black figures coming out of the upstairs.

Judge Norton took the lead and pushed aside Arthur and Lionel, grabbing a path through the gap between the people.

When Bernie Harrison who followed closely behind saw Arthur, he was taken aback for a moment, then took off his hat and smiled awkwardly but politely: "Good evening, Mr. Hastings. I'm sorry, but tonight's matter can be taken care of. It seems a little bad.”

After saying this, Harrison didn't wait for Arthur to reply, and rushed down with his hat in hand.Not long after his figure disappeared, four or five strong men in decent tuxedos rushed down from upstairs. They were Viscount Palmerston and Lady Leven's valet respectively.

Because the two His Excellencies wanted to create a more private and secluded space for getting along, these servants had also gone to the public balcony to chat and smoke.

If not, with their strong skills, it would be absolutely impossible for Norton and Harrison to pull out such a long distance.

When the male servants saw Lionel and Arthur blocking the corridor, they hurriedly asked: "Sir, did you just see two unscrupulous people escaping from here?"

Arthur nodded slightly, pointed to the window casually and excused himself: "It may be too late for you to chase now. I just saw from the window sill that they had escaped into the carriage and were picked up. They must be an organized criminal gang. . It’s not unusual for something like this to happen in a theater. It’s probably not the first time these people you met today have committed such a crime. They looked like they were familiar with the way they slipped away.”

As Arthur was talking about this, suddenly, he looked up and saw a man walking down the stairs angrily.

The man was stroking his slightly wrinkled coat as he walked. He was Viscount Palmerston.

When Palmerston saw Arthur, his anger disappeared. He asked happily: "Oh, Mr. Hastings, with you here, those two rude people must have been caught." Are you here?"

Arthur didn't know how those two idiots provoked the Foreign Secretary. He thought about it and decided that it would be better to explore the way first.

Arthur regretfully pointed to his gauze-wrapped arm and said: "Sorry, Your Excellency, if it were normal times, I would definitely be able to take down those two gangsters. But today I was injured and I really can't exert my strength. Please forgive me as much as I can."

Palmerston saw Arthur's injured arm, slapped his head and said: "Oh! How could I forget this? It's really not your fault. You just asked Bertrand to shoot him. Now you You are already strong enough to be able to walk on the ground. How can I blame you for not catching those two bastards? Speaking of which, how are your injuries?"

Arthur chuckled softly: "The doctor helped me take out the bullets and apply medicine. Except for a little pain, it's nothing serious. By the way, Your Excellency, although I can't help you catch those two gangsters, but After all, it is my duty to fight crime. Since you are here, why not explain the case to me first, and save you a trip to Scotland Yard tomorrow."

Hearing this, Palmerston pretended to be concerned: "This... is not good..."

"There's nothing wrong with it." Arthur pretended to endure the pain and took out a pen and paper from his inner pocket: "Just try to be concise."

Seeing his persistence, Palmerston stopped trying to dissuade him.

He introduced: "Don't worry, in fact, the case is not complicated at all. I was enjoying tonight's program in the box. Suddenly, I heard the sound of the door being kicked open from behind. I turned around and saw that the door was kicked open. The two men who opened the door were the two men who had just escaped.

I thought they had gone to the wrong room, and I was about to give a friendly reminder. Unexpectedly, the man in the purple tuxedo jacket yelled and insulted my female companion: 'You stinky bitch, you filthy whore!I guessed that you were doing these stupid things! '

As you know, a brave gentleman will never allow himself to suffer such an insult, let alone tolerate his female companion being slandered as a prostitute, so I chased her out regardless of my own safety. "

When Arthur heard this, he held his chin and pondered for a while.

He seems to have understood the ins and outs of this matter. There is no way to describe Norton and Harrison in terms of talent. They are simply two geniuses.

He had clearly told Harrison the room number, so he could knock the door open even if he kicked it?
For a moment, Arthur also felt that this matter was a bit tricky.

After all, if he really caught Norton for this matter, Norton would definitely confess Harrison.

Harrison was confessed, and with his conduct, he would most likely have to involve Arthur again when he got to court.

In order to prevent the matter from getting worse, Arthur had to find another way to make Palmerston retreat.

Arthur first asked: "Have you seen the appearance of the criminal clearly?"

Palmerston shook his head and said: "The situation was urgent at the time, and the lights in the room were relatively dim, so at most I could only identify their clothes, but I couldn't see their appearance clearly."

The red devil sat on the handrail of the stairs and swung his tail and said with a evil smile, "That'll be easy."

Arthur pretended to investigate carefully and said: "Sir, the situation you just mentioned is actually very common in the East End of London. Judging from your description, my preliminary analysis is that this may be a case of prostitution... The badger game of the fraud gang. Of course, a well-educated and stylish gentleman like you may not know what the badger game is, and there is no need to know. But I kindly ask you to allow me to take your female companion back to the police station for investigation. After questioning, it is very likely that she was involved in this crime."

"My female companion?" When Palmerston heard that Arthur wanted to take Mrs. Leven away, he immediately thought of withdrawing the case.

It is embarrassing enough to have the door kicked down in a box at the Astley Theatre. If Scotland Yard were to ask Mrs. Leven, the wife of the Russian ambassador, to be taken away for investigation, the matter would most likely be published in The Times tomorrow. Headlines.

Bernie Harrison's prostitution scandal has just passed. If the news of the Foreign Secretary seducing a married woman breaks out at this time, Londoners will have something to talk about after dinner for the next month.

Although Palmerston has never been a devout Christian like Bernie Harrison, even from the beginning of his entry into politics, he has always been shown as a playboy.But it was a bit exciting to be so blatantly bold and make headlines with the wife of a foreign minister.

Combined with the consistent behavior of the London reporters who like to make big news in Fleet Street, Palmerston can even imagine what kind of news headlines will appear on his desk tomorrow.

"The Gentle Country of Heroes?"This is Viscount Palmerston's 'gunboat' diplomacy! 》

"St. Petersburg continues to exert a dirty influence on British foreign policy!" 》

"Poland or Russia?"Bernie Harrison and Viscount Palmerston gave different explanations"

"I am very worried about the traitorous tendencies that have recently emerged among politicians"

"Check it out for everyone else in the council!" 》

"The only good thing about the recent foreign news is that Arthur Hastings defeated Francois Bertrand in a duel last night"

When he thought of this, cold sweat broke out on Palmerston's head.

He smiled and waved his hand and said: "Forget it, I thought about it carefully, this is just an unfortunate episode in this beautiful night tonight. The police officers are working very hard tonight, I shouldn't give you any more More trouble. I have always been committed to serving the whole of Britain, and naturally the police of Scotland Yard should be included in it. Superintendent Hastings, do you think this is the truth?"

Arthur said seriously: "Thank you for your understanding, Your Excellency. But I must also emphasize that protecting the lives and property of London citizens is also the responsibility of Scotland Yard. You are also a member of the London citizens, and we absolutely have the obligation to protect you. Therefore, Please stop refusing."

Seeing that Arthur didn't understand what he meant, Palmerston could only hint tactfully: "I can assure you that my female companion is innocent. I have known her for a long time. She is a very rich lady. , will never look down upon the little property I have, let alone blackmail me. Do you remember what I told you before? I was bankrupt when I was young, but that was not the only time I went bankrupt. I also experienced a financial difficulty years ago, and it was that lady who helped me out of it. So, what happened tonight was just an accidental incident, and that ended here. Arthur, young man, you Just recuperate and don't worry about such small things. You are no longer an ordinary young police officer, you are a Scotland Yard superintendent, and you have to start thinking about the overall situation."

When Lionel heard this, he immediately understood which lady Palmerston was referring to.

He also smiled and came up to smooth things over: "Arthur, I assure you that His Excellency the Viscount's testimony is true. Let's forget about it."

Arthur pretended to be embarrassed for a moment, then sighed: "Since you all said so, then... alas..."

Arthur sighed and put away the pen and paper again: "It's really unpleasant to watch two villains slip away from your hands. Your Excellency, you really shouldn't be so kind. Listen to me, Your gentleness and kindness will harm you one day."

Palmerston smiled and smoothed his hair back: "I know it too, but I can't help it. I can't bear to see other people's misfortune. Those two gentlemen may just want to try their luck. If they can find me in a more tactful way, I would have given them a few shillings if they asked for it. But at that time, you know, I was really angry. But let it go as it is, I don't care."

After saying that, Palmerston extended his hand to say goodbye to Arthur: "Goodbye, Mr. Hastings. Your duel tonight was very exciting, and Mr. Chopin's performance was also very comfortable. I hope that tonight The income from his performance can help the Polish people. May God be with Poland."

Arthur watched Viscount Palmerston leave the stairwell with the servants. He waited until he was sure they were gone, then turned to Lionel and asked, "Who is his female companion?"

Lionel looked around and made sure there was no one around, then he said: "Mrs. Levine."

"Then he said he went bankrupt a few years ago..."

Lionel smiled mysteriously and said: "About 1825, Palmerston did experience a financial bankruptcy. He owed a lot of money to Rothschild Bank, Barings Bank and other Ling Ling Banks. The total loan amounted to about more than 1 pounds. At that time, no one was willing to continue to guarantee loans to him, so the Viscount approached his old friend Mrs. Leven. Mrs. Leven told him that he could go to the casino to try his luck, so he went to the casino to try his luck. Viscount Macston went to a casino on St. James Street and won a huge sum of twenty-five thousand pounds in just two days. Arthur, do you remember what I told you? People with strength are lucky. He has always been good, so you know, Viscount Palmerston is also a strong man."

Arthur couldn't help but take a breath after hearing this: "Twenty-five thousand pounds? Mrs. Leven is really willing to spend the money. But I don't know whether this is her temporary passion, or whether she is making long-term investments for the Russians, or whether Or both? But then again, Lionel, how do you know about this?"

Lionel smiled and replied: "Because that casino is run by a Jew, Mr. Jacob Hart, and I know him. Mr. Hart also prospered in officialdom because of this gambling game. He was just dismissed from the diplomatic service earlier this year. Appointed British Consul in Leipzig."

Arthur couldn't help but smile when he heard this: "It seems that the rate of return on this investment is quite high! It's still hard to make a conclusion about what the major shareholder Mrs. Levine got. But Mr. Hart, a small shareholder who followed the investment, I have successfully cashed out these stocks.”

Lionel smiled and took out his cigar and lit it: "Isn't that right? Arthur, do you want to play two games recently? Unlike Mr. Hart, I plan to hold it for a long time."

When Arthur heard this, he just took off his hat and fanned himself. He shook his head and said: "Lionel, you can't always inject capital. If you keep doing this, my own equity will be diluted." about there."

Lionel laughed loudly when he heard this. He took a puff of his cigar and blew out the smoke ring: "Arthur, you don't have to worry so much. As you said, my investment is not just investment, but also investment." It's impulsive. You have the control of the board of directors. I won't use the weights on the gaming table to strangle you and prevent you from playing. Unless...you want to change to a bigger one. table……"

　——The second update will be posted tomorrow morning————

　　
　
(End of this chapter)