shadow of britain

Chapter 432 French Style

At dawn, when the first ray of sunlight in the morning illuminates the waves on the Seine River, Paris, which has been quiet all night, opens its hazy sleepy eyes and stretches out comfortably and leisurely.

The windows on the street were opened one after another, and from time to time in the rooms in the building, there would be the sound of the wife calling the lazy husband and the children to get up. Amidst the words of men and women getting up, the newly planted sycamore trees on both sides of the street are revealing their tender green, stretching their waists in the sunshine, bringing a hint of spring vitality to this city made of bricks and stones.

A low-key and simple carriage slowly drove out of the eastern suburbs of Paris. Except for a British gentleman in the car, the other two were passionate French friends who were born and raised in France. They were introducing the scenery of Paris that was about to be revealed in front of him. .

Soon, the carriage arrived at the Seine River. The sparkling waves on the river reflected the increasing numbers of people on the streets along the river. Although London also has the Thames, the vitality of the Seine and the majestic Notre Dame de Paris on the other side of the river give people a completely different feeling.

Perhaps it is because of the influence of the literary works of the two countries. It is the same river and the same church, but sunny Paris always brings more warmth to people than rainy London.

As the streets become more crowded, the city finally begins to reveal its true face to guests traveling from London.

Vendors stepped on the mottled tree shadows on the stone road to start a busy day. They pushed pushcarts filled with fresh vegetables and fruits and hawked along the streets. Their voices came and went, full of the breath of life.

Arthur glanced through the car window at the colorful fruits and vegetables in their trolley, mainly tomatoes, asparagus, cabbage, broad beans, peas, peppers, beans, potatoes, radishes and onions and garlic.

The variety of fruits is also quite rich. Just by taking a quick glance, you can find seasonal fruits such as strawberries, apricots, blueberries, raspberries, and red currants that have arrived from nearby estates. Occasionally, Arthur could see some processed pickled apples and pears from the jars at the hawker stalls.

Vidocq, who was sitting in the cafe waiting for customers, saw a few familiar figures getting off the carriage outside the shop. The 55-year-old legendary police detective said hello to his friend who was sitting awkwardly next to him. So he pushed open the door of the coffee shop alone and went out to greet him.

In morning cafes, the most common ones are gentlemen holding newspapers and wearing top hats.

As we all know, even hundreds of years from now, as long as a product is linked to aphrodisiacs, its price will probably not be much lower. For the French people who are naturally romantic, their demand for this aspect is even stronger.

The alluring aroma of bread exudes from the bakery, attracting passers-by to stop. Occasionally, you can see a few sneaky little guys running into the shop, picking up a piece of bread bigger than his head when no one is paying attention. Just run.

Among all the fruits and vegetables, the one highly recommended by Alexandre Dumas is asparagus.

In the tailor shop, tailors are busy custom-making clothes for customers with cloth rulers. And the craftsmen who made the hats were carefully decorating each hat with all kinds of fancy feather trinkets, striving to make every detail perfect.

If you are a bit greedy, you may want to order an extra dessert after the meal. Maybe a piece of French mousse cake, or a plate of macarons made of almond cake and cream. During this leisurely period, the cafe echoes with laughter and chatter, where people enjoy food and life.

Through the windows of the cafe, sunlight shines on the white tablecloths and shiny cutlery that have been laid out.

Due to its unique sweet taste and unique cultivation method, white asparagus has always been expensive, and its price is naturally much higher than that of ordinary asparagus, so that the French often call it 'edible' ivory'.

In another corner of the market, you can see craftsmen working seriously.

In the perfume store, various fragrances are intertwined. When the elegant and fragrant ladies went out and saw the shopkeeper chasing the thief, they either covered their mouths and shouted God softly, or they stopped and stared at this funny scene with smiling eyes.

The carriage walked for an unknown amount of time, and finally stopped in front of a café next to the Chateausay residence, where the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs is located.

The French love asparagus not only because of its taste, but also because they have an almost superstitious understanding of asparagus. Because from the perspective of mimicry, they think asparagus looks like that, so it must have aphrodisiac properties.

The best asparagus is the white asparagus that was favored by the 'Sun King' Louis XIV.

Sparks were flying in the blacksmith shop, and the blacksmiths wielded heavy hammers to shape a variety of iron tools, including small horseshoe nails, clothes racks and other daily necessities, as well as those customized by aggressive young people. Sword embryo.

They order a pot of freshly brewed coffee, the rich aroma filling the air, paired with freshly baked croissants and hot chocolate, which is the traditional way for Parisians to start their day.

In the spring when hormones are surging, it’s hard to find anything on the market in Paris.

The waiters were busy between the tables and chairs, preparing everything for the first batch of guests arriving today.

On both sides of the street, various small shops line up, from bakeries to perfume shops, from bookstores to antique shops, each one tells its own story.

The sound of turning the pages of newspapers and the low sounds of conversation intertwined to form a unique movement in the coffee shop morning.

As for the ladies, most of them wore elaborate hats and held lace fans, enjoying breakfast with friends. In order to stay in shape, most of them only order a light salad or a hot soup with bread and cheese.

Although he was getting older, Vidocq's physique remained as strong as before. Arthur held the hand of the head of the security department, who was as strong as an ox, and joked: "Mr. Vidocq, Long time no see. I'm sorry to say that I wanted to recruit you to serve at Scotland Yard. But what I didn't expect is that your position in the Paris Police Department is still secure, while I have been eliminated in London. "

Vidocq took off his hat and said: "Brother, your luck is much better than mine. I have already heard about you from the coconut tree. You don't call it out, you call it refrigeration to prepare for a comeback in the future. Your Excellencies in London should appreciate you, otherwise they would not send you to Hanover."

Arthur smiled and replied: "Are you trying to comfort me? If you have a choice, who would be willing to leave the center of power? It's a cold treatment, but everyone knows that big shots are very forgetful. If I were in Hanover Living a normal life, maybe in a few months they will forget that there is a person like me in the British administrative organization. "

Victor shrugged his shoulders and said, "That's better than being ordered to quit the Security Department like I did. The worst thing is that they originally promised me a monthly pension of 500 francs, but the money was only paid for five months before it stopped."

Arthur was about to push open the door of the coffee shop. When he heard this, he couldn't help turning his head and asked: "What happened to you?"

"Alas..." Vidocq sighed. He called to Alexandre Dumas and Louis and said, "Gentlemen, come in and have a cup of coffee together. We can talk about the story slowly. Anyway, I don't have much to do now. Are you willing?" If so, I can chat with you until the afternoon, but I have to leave in the evening, because my friends and I have a banquet to attend." Vidocq led a few people to sit down in the coffee shop, and the man who came with him came with him. Seeing these unfamiliar faces, my friend showed a rather excited smile: "Good morning, gentlemen, I have admired the names of several of you for a long time."

Arthur took a look at this gentleman. He was dressed in black, with a traditional French chest decoration on his top. The gold watch chain on his hand gave people a very heavy feeling.

All in all, at first glance, he didn't look like he was from a noble family, but like a local squire from some remote town, or a nouveau riche who suddenly made a fortune.

Vidocq could tell at a glance what Arthur was thinking. Whether it was London or Paris, people who were engaged in the police detective profession always had this habit of inferring the background of strangers.

But today he was not in the mood to play a guessing game with Arthur, but directly revealed the answer to the guests.

"Let me introduce to you, this is Mr. Samson, a well-known executioner, or, to put it more informally, he is currently the best executioner in Paris. He has been doing this for more than forty years. "

Speaking of this, Vidocq also made a joke. He put his arm on Samson's shoulder and laughed loudly: "When I was the captain of the security force, I always kept him busy. Samson, you can't Blame it on me!”

Samson was a little embarrassed by Vidocq. He explained in a low voice to the distinguished guests in front of him: "My lords, don't take Mr. Vidoc's words seriously. He always likes to play tricks on people."

Seeing this, Vidocq joked: "Samson is a pretty good guy, but it's always weird to have dinner with him. He is not very good at dealing with social situations, and his career as an executioner determines his The scope of activities is quite narrow and can only be divided between work and family. This is a French tradition, and this is the fifth generation of his family to be an executioner. "

Seeing Samson's anxious look, Arthur smiled and helped him out: "Okay, Mr. Vidocq, I believe Mr. Samson is a good man. He doesn't like killing people, but he is doing his job. Fulfill your duties as an instrument of law.”

When Samson heard this, he immediately seemed to have met a close friend. He nodded gratefully and agreed: "Yes, I and my colleagues, we are just tools. It was the judicial system that killed them."

Alexandre Dumas didn't care about Samson's career. On the contrary, the fat man liked to inquire about specific details: "Can I take the liberty of asking some questions? Mr. Samson, how many heads have you chopped off so far?"

Samson responded honestly: "Sir, about 360."

While stirring the coffee, Vidocq added: "One of them belongs to Marie Antoinette, Queen of Louis XVI."

As soon as Vidocq said these words, Arthur immediately caused a burst of exclamation.

Only then did they know why Vidocq brought Samson to the banquet.

There is indeed much to talk about in Mr. Samson.

Louis also became interested in Samson. He asked cautiously: "How did it feel when you fixed the head of the condemned prisoner in the hole of the wooden noose?"

When it came to professional issues, Samson obviously became much calmer. He explained in detail: "My assistant is responsible for that. He first shaved off the prisoner's hair, and then placed a basket underneath. The heads and bodies will fall inside one by one, and my task is to make the preparations fast and good. When everything is ready, I loosen the rope with the reamer and the condemned man falls to the ground. "

Alexandre Dumas further asked: "Then...will the death row prisoner still feel uncomfortable after being beheaded?"

Samson took a sip of coffee and nodded: "Yes, sir. His face was still twitching, his eyes were still moving, and his whole head seemed to be filled with rage. However, there was one exception. That was in 1793, when I was still My father's assistant. We were ordered to hang Louis XVI, whose Majesty our whole family was extremely supportive of, but they forced us to do it.

When the hanging was completed, the overseer ordered me to show the king's head to everyone present to prove its authenticity. My calves were trembling with fear, but I still had to do as I was told. I gritted my teeth and grabbed the king's hair and lifted his head.

Everyone present at the time saw that the handsome face was still so peaceful and noble, without any trace of distortion or anger. My father suddenly became paralyzed with fear. Fortunately, I was by my side and supported him.

I saw his fearful look and sad tears, so I quickly covered his face with my body. Because I know that if the authorities discovered what he was like at that time, our father and son would definitely be sent to the gallows. "

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but said: "It seems that the executioner's profession is indeed a kind of torture for people. Haven't you ever thought about changing your profession to do something else?"

Samson looked at the amiable English gentleman and said frankly, "I have thought about it. I once wanted to join the army, become a soldier, and then become a general. But my father told me that society has a deep prejudice against people in our profession, and it would be difficult for me to succeed in the army, so I finally backed off. However, there is nothing wrong with being an executioner. My father told me at the time that at least our family has been carrying on this responsibility for generations, and so far I have never heard of anyone coming forward to blame us."

Vidocq interjected: "Your father should have added: 'Except those who have their heads chopped off will complain.'"

When Samson heard this, he became a little annoyed: "Please don't be joking, Mr. Vidocq, I'm talking about a historical issue!"

Vidocq curled his lips: "Not all."

Samson said: "My father is just an ordinary person. He just does things according to the habits of his life. He is neither a good person nor a bad person. He has never seen much of the world in his life. He is not like me. He has no idea what social interaction is about."

Vidocq saw that Samson seemed really angry, so he changed the topic at the right time: "Arthur, Alexander, haven't you two introduced me to the gentleman next to you? Samson shared his legendary experience. , I am also very interested in this gentleman’s story.”

Arthur and Alexandre Dumas looked at each other and said almost in unison: "Are you sure you want to listen?"

When Vidocq heard this, he became even more interested. He picked up the coffee cup and asked: "Is there some hidden secret of Britain buried in him?"

Arthur picked up a napkin and wiped his mouth: "That's not true, but as far as I know, he seems to have been born in Versailles."

(End of this chapter)