The Shadow of Great Britain

48: Chapter 10: Oxford Gentleman 48: Chapter 10: Oxford Gentleman In the lecture hall of Gresham College, Arthur and Eld sat near the front.

By Arthur’s ear was the boiling sound of human voices, his nostrils filled with the scent of expensive perfume.

In the hall packed with listeners, women made up more than seventy percent.

Each of them was dressed magnificently.

Their skirts, wide as bell chimes, layered heavily like folds.

Looking up from the cotton candy-like puffiness of the skirts, the ladies’ waists appeared incredibly slender, constricted by corsets, resembling butterflies flapping their huge wings.

It wasn’t yet summer, but as if by agreement, they had already donned short sleeves—blossom-like, resplendently fluffy sleeves bloomed at their shoulders, adorned with many decorations Arthur could not name.

In terms of neckline taste, the ladies each had their own preferences.

Young women preferred a lower neckline, then draped a semi-transparent lace shawl—mantilla—allowing glimpses of their subtly visible, snowy skin and horizon-like, softly defined collarbones through the lace gaps.

As for the older ones, their choices were more conservative.

They mostly opted for the ruff collar, popular since the Renaissance, covering other areas, only accentuating their swan-like, gracefully winding necks.

Under the lavishly adorned wide brims of their hats, you couldn’t see the ladies’ eyes, just vaguely discern their bamboo-straight noses and the slightly perceptible smiles at the corners of their mouths with a hint of charm.

The charm of young girls lay in their youth and cuteness, while the composed allure in the ladies’ demeanor was equally captivating.

Eld was nearly dizzy with sight, excitedly tugging at Arthur’s sleeve.

Though he had drastically lowered his voice, one could still imagine the scene of his hormones surging from his flushed cheeks and trembling voice.

“Oh!

Arthur!

Look at that lady!

Look at her; she is truly enchanting!

Oh, I wouldn’t dare aspire to be her lover; even being a little dog she held in her arms would be a death I’d welcome.”

“Hehe!

Arthur, look, that lady.

Oh, heavens!

She flicked her skirt at me!

My God, is she hinting at something?”

“Damn!

I should have brought my sister today so I could use her to help me strike up a conversation.

Just approaching her directly would certainly make her think I’m uncouth.”

“Damn, science is truly marvelous!

God, why didn’t You let me know about this place sooner, I would have skipped studying classical literature.

Shelley and Byron, they’re nothing!

I’ve decided, from today forward, Sir Isaac Newton is the only sun in my heart!”

The gentleman sitting next to Arthur frowned and, lowering his voice, spoke to Arthur.

“Police Superintendent, the lecture is about to start.

Could you please ask your friend to quiet down?”

Arthur calmly said, “No, sir, you are mistaken, I do not know him.

Like you, I just happened to sit next to him.

But rest assured, as soon as the lecture ends, I will promptly escort this disturber of the peace to Scotland Yard.”

The gentleman, upon hearing this, even showed a somewhat apologetic smile.

He took off his hat and thanked him, “That would be much appreciated.”

“You’re welcome.”

Arthur glanced at Eld sitting beside him and explained to the gentleman, “You see, as everyone knows, graduates of the classical literature program at Oxford University are always like him.”

The gentleman was startled,”Oxford graduates are like that?”

Upon hearing the keyword “Oxford,” Eld couldn’t help but turn back and ask, “Oxford?

What Oxford?”

Arthur gave him a look, asking, “Sir, from which university did you graduate?”

It took a moment for Eld to catch on, not until Arthur had stomped on his foot.

He snorted through his nose, casually adjusting his collar, “A true Oxford gentleman never shies away from mentioning his alma mater.”

Arthur turned back and said to the gentleman beside him, “You see, just like I said.”

As soon as Arthur had finished, the gentleman sitting behind him chimed in, “Exactly, just as this police officer said, that’s how it is with Oxford.”

“May I ask where you graduated from?”

“Me?” The gentleman in the back patted his chest proudly and declared, “Cambridge.”

Eld, who was about to join the conversation, suddenly noticed that the previously noisy venue had become silent.

Everyone looked up to see a middle-aged gentleman who had appeared on the stage at some point, sporting a bright red bow tie, a white shirt, and an old but neat dark black suit.

Under his direction, staff from the Royal Society were moving the experimental equipment soon to be used in the presentation.

In the quiet hall, someone shouted, “Mr.

Faraday, I will always support you!”

Hearing this, the gentleman on the stage couldn’t help but blush and showed a shy smile as he kindly waved to the audience below.

He hadn’t even finished waving when thunderous applause and cheers erupted throughout the hall.

Seeing this, Eld couldn’t help but exclaim, “Good heavens!

My cousin wasn’t lying after all; Michael Faraday truly is the most popular scientist in the Royal Society!

Look at those ladies, they’re all standing to applaud his achievements.”

Arthur watched Faraday for a while before shaking his head, “I think it’s not just about the scientific achievements.

Based purely on his appearance and demeanor, he could outshine most of the men present here.

But seeing him here, it really feels surreal, especially since the last time I saw him was in a textbook.”

Eld said in surprise, “Does your history department also teach chemistry?”

Arthur shook his head, “Not in university, it was during high school.”

Eld scratched his head, “Does Yorkshire’s secondary education advance so fast?

The schools where I come from still teach topics like grammar and rhetoric.

Arthur, no wonder you managed to become a Police Superintendent at such a young age, science really is a wonderful thing.”

The Red Devil Agares squatted on the back of Arthur’s chair, grinning mischievously, “Arthur, are you envious of Faraday?

Don’t worry, just listen to me, and you could be like him someday.”

No sooner had Agares finished his sentence than Faraday stood on the podium.

He cleared his throat, and in the quiet hall, his voice resonated, not very loud but clear and magnetic, much like his research findings.

“Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.”

As soon as Faraday finished, another round of applause burst from below.

With a raise of his hand, the applause immediately ceased, and he smiled and said, “I know many of you may think that today I am still going to talk about chemistry.

But I am sorry to disappoint you today.

In fact, a few years ago, I was directed by my mentor, Sir Humphry Davy, to venture into the field of electrics.

But due to my limited talents, I haven’t achieved much in recent years, making me hesitant to present myself as a researcher in electrics on the stage.

However, from today onwards, all that changes.

I am about to present to you, for the first time, my latest research findings—electromagnetic induction!”