The Shadow of Great Britain

203: Chapter 139: Busybody 203: Chapter 139: Busybody Westminster, London, 4 Whitehall, headquarters of the Greater London Police Department.

Arthur sat in the office on the second floor, a thick stack of police materials piled beside him.

Although every Police Superintendent at Scotland Yard faced such a stack of weekly police reports every Monday, it was without a doubt that Arthur had to deal with the thickest stack of them all.

The reason his materials were the thickest was simple – his jurisdiction included Tower Hamlets, the most chaotic part of London.

Besides handling the daily police work, he also had to submit a report on last week’s riot in Hyde Park to Scotland Yard and the Home Office.

Finally finishing these tasks, Arthur leaned back in his chair and stretched, the sunlight streaming through the window revealing plenty of ink stains on his right hand, the one he wrote with.

He turned sideways, frowning as he looked at the documents on his desk and the numerous files in the office cabinet.

Back when he was a Police Superintendent in Greenwich, he could manage this workload.

But now as a Police Superintendent, whether from the standpoint of improving work efficiency or reducing his own burden, he should consider hiring a few police assistants who could help.

Tom and Tony were certainly willing to help, but due to their educational level and personality, they were simply not cut out for clerical work.

Arthur mulled over this matter, thinking that perhaps during the University of London’s graduation season, he might consider holding an on-site recruitment at the school?

It would reduce his burden and also give back to his alma mater, helping to address the employment rate issue of the University of London.

However, the only difficulty might be that the starting salary for junior police assistants at Scotland Yard wasn’t particularly competitive in the market.

Although the salary for ordinary officers at Scotland Yard had risen to fifteen shillings a week, which gradually slowed the high turnover rate, in recent months, some officers had still chosen to leave the force in search of higher pay.

This might be due to the recent economic recovery and also because London had been quite unsettled lately, provoking a rapid expansion in the private security market in London.

Saying ‘private security’ might sound too grand; in reality, these were jobs like doormen or bell ringers.

Of course, in the 21st century, such jobs would generally be called security jobs.

But can security protect anyone?

Arthur was very aware.

Security couldn’t protect anyone.

But that being said, any officer who had worked at Scotland Yard would be highly sought after in the private security market upon leaving the force, with most retired officers landing a new job with a significant pay raise.

Even now, the Duke of Wellington, the current Prime Minister of Britain, was considering hiring a private security team due to repeated vandalism of his house’s windows.

Thinking of the Duke of Wellington, Arthur couldn’t help but worry.

According to what he knew, a new session of Parliament was to be convened in two weeks, and from what he learned from Charles Dickens, who specialized in covering Parliament, the Whig Party was very likely to launch a total attack on Wellington’s Cabinet in two weeks.

Given the current situation, even Wellington, the best at building defensive lines in Britain, would inevitably face a decisive blow this time.

But worrying about this was of little use; if Wellington fell, at most, he would retire early and henceforth quietly spend his days sleeping in the House of Lords.

After all, having conquered four French Marshals in the Iberian Peninsula, he had been lavishly praised by His Majesty the King and the Government, not only was he successfully promoted to Duke and knighted as a Knight of the Garter, but he also received 500,000 from His Majesty the King and the Government.

Worrying about him was truly unnecessary.

The urgent matter at hand was to prudently consider which new support he should turn to after the Duke of Wellington and Sir Peel’s Tory Party were out of office.

Arthur thought it over, but momentarily came to no conclusion.

He rubbed his sore palms and took out a clean sheet of paper from the drawer, planning to list all the things he intended to do or was about to do in the coming days.

1.

Visit the music academy near Baker Street as soon as possible to discuss part-time concert matters with Mr.

Mozesales

2.

After setting the concert date, reserve a number of tickets for Mrs.

Livingstone

3.

Go to the Greenwich District to book a phonograph and records with Mr.

Charles Wheatstone

4.

Contact Fiona, and ask her “Little Brothers of Cambridge” to retrieve the cursed wallet for Eld, including the Beagle’s naval training supply receipt inside

5.

Visit Fleet Street to choose a suitable newspaper to serialize Alexander’s masterpiece, “The Count of Monte Cristo”

6.

Hold a recruitment fair at London University on Gower Street, looking for at least one civil police assistant.

If a suitable candidate is found, consider transferring them to LPS for development training

7.

Analyze and investigate the internal files provided by Eld from LPS to see if a connection with the Whig Party can be found

Agares stood behind Arthur with his hands clasped behind his back, bending forward and pushing up his monocle.

The Red Devil nodded approvingly, “Arthur, that’s the spirit.

Keep running, and one day you’ll make it to the top.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur merely raised an eyebrow, “Do you think I keep running because I’m ambitious?”

The Red Devil smiled, “Isn’t it for ambition?”

Arthur simply shook his head, “No, it’s not for ambition.

Running is only to avoid stagnation.

You don’t understand, Agares, this is a grand era.

If you can’t keep up, you’ll be left behind; no one is going to wait for you.”

Agares found this somewhat familiar,” How come I remember you saying these words to someone before?

Oh!

Right, that mad priest from Oxford.

Don’t you want to find out more about him?

I’ve read in the newspapers that the anti-Robert Peel movement at Oxford University is quite vigorous, and your acquaintance, John Newman, the priest of St.

Mary’s in Oxford, happens to be one of its leaders.”

Arthur shrugged,”If they wish to proceed, let them.

After all, even the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Archbishop of York are constantly attacking Sir Peel in Parliament over the Catholic Emancipation Act.

A bunch of Oxford clerics isn’t really a problem since the priests won’t be throwing bricks through Sir Peel’s windows.”

The Red Devil smirked, raising an eyebrow, “So you’re planning to sever ties with the Tory Party?

Oh!

My dear Arthur, you really are a little scoundrel, fickle as the wind.

But this really is surprising; I thought you’d feel guilty doing such a thing.”

Arthur, with his fingers interlaced, rested his arms on the desk.

He smiled, “Agares, I’ve told you before, as a Police Superintendent at Scotland Yard, I maintain absolute political neutrality.

I’m not interested in party strife.

Moreover, haven’t you followed great figures like King Solomon before?

If so, you should understand that if you do not seize your position today, you’ll be replaced tomorrow.

Power shifts are like castration; eternal power is true control.

It seems that the Tory Party’s three decades of rule are coming to an end, although I believe they will eventually return.

But before that, I need to find a reasonable path to help myself through these turbulent times.”

The Red Devil smiled upon hearing this, “What do you plan to do then?”

Arthur pinched his chin, looking at the two stacks of files in front of him—one the police report from Scotland Yard, and the other the analysis of the LPS files.

He stood up, walked over to the window with his teacup, where bright sunshine and a bustling road lay outside, and Downing Street was not far off in his sight.

Arthur sipped his tea and spoke softly, “I believe, no matter which party is in power, they always need someone to do their business for them, be it public or private.

I always have to find an opportunity to resolve an issue for them.”

The Red Devil nodded and moved beside Arthur, “And what if there is no opportunity?”

Arthur’s smile broadened, his face beaming.

“Then I’ll just have to create one.”