The Shadow of Great Britain

216: Chapter 146 Arthur’s Rant (4K)_2 216: Chapter 146 Arthur’s Rant (4K)_2 Scotland Yard, such a second-class department filled with countrified folks, also wanted to split Home Office’s official apartments?

No way!

As for Arthur, a police inspector whose income was already higher than a common civil servant at the Home Office, he was especially an object of envy.

After all, as a police inspector with an annual salary of 150 pounds, his income had already surpassed the minimum income of the Home Office’s civil servants.

How could he not be grateful?

While pondering the issue of income, Arthur followed the old butler to the sofa by the fireplace to warm himself.

He sat on the sofa, looking at the Persian-style brown-red carpet beneath his feet, just lifting his cup to take a deep drink of coffee.

Miss Cooper sat across from him with a smile in her eyes.

She sized up the two phonographs on the coffee table and began, “Mr.

Hastings, you really have gone out of your way.

When I presumptuously sent someone to order the phonographs, I didn’t dare hold out too much hope.

After all, there are so many people looking to order phonographs nowadays.

You managed to obtain two so quickly; it must have taken quite a bit of effort, right?”

Arthur waved his hand, “Madam, I can’t claim any credit for that.

It was just a coincidence.

Mr.

Wheatstone happened to have two just completed, and he was reluctant to hand them over to me directly since others were offering higher prices.

But when I told him that the order was placed by you, Mr.

Wheatstone immediately decided to prioritize your order.

After all, it’s all because Mr.

Wheatstone admires your reputation, I merely relayed the message for you.”

Upon hearing this, Miss Cooper’s eyes crinkled with laughter, “Really?

I didn’t know my reputation could actually earn the validation of young and promising scholars like you and Mr.

Wheatstone.”

Arthur just smiled, “Madam, you underestimate the influence of the name Emily Cooper in London.

Everyone knows you’re not only a beauty who is proficient in dance and skilled at socializing but also always enthusiastic about new things.

We researchers in natural philosophy have heard stories about your sponsorship of scientific research, so we all respect you greatly.

Not to deceive you, even Mr.

Faraday has mentioned you to me.”

“Mr.

Faraday has mentioned me?” Miss Cooper, overwhelmed by the honor, placed her hands on her chest, “Oh, God!

I haven’t heard of such a thing.”

The Red Devil, hearing this, mimicked Miss Cooper’s manner, raising his voice, “Oh, Arthur!

I haven’t heard of such a thing either!

And I bet, neither has Faraday!”

While sipping his coffee, Arthur glanced at the Red Devil, warning him with his eyes not to mess around, then, putting down his coffee cup, he smiled beamingly, “You don’t know, Mrs.

Copper, but Mr.

Faraday is a shy person.

If you were to ask him directly, he would surely be too embarrassed to speak.

Mr.

Wheatstone is also quite shy; most of us philosophers are of this character, and I am no exception.”

Miss Cooper blinked her dark eyes, and with a flutter of her eyelashes, she teased, “Come on, Mr.

Hastings, you must be trying to amuse me.

Everyone knows that Mr.

Faraday wouldn’t compliment other women freely; he reserves all his sweet words for his wife.

As for you being shy?

I don’t believe it.

How could a Scotland Yard officer be shy?

If you were, how then would you face criminals, or solve so many major cases?

I’ve heard from Colonel Fitzroy that you alone took down seventeen pirates on the high seas.”

Arthur, dead serious, said, “Madam, you don’t know, the reason I could take down seventeen pirates was precisely because I am shy.”

Miss Cooper covered her mouth with a hand, baffled, “How so?”

Sitting up straight, Arthur earnestly explained, “Because if I had let them live, they would certainly have spread the word about how shy I was.”

Lady Copper slightly lifted her hand to cover her mouth upon hearing these words, but the corners of her mouth upturned could still be seen between her fingers.

“Thank God, Mr.

Hastings, for leading you to Scotland Yard.

Without such guidance, with your troublesome nature, if you had become a criminal, you surely would have turned all of Britain upside down,” she said.

Arthur, upon hearing this, merely doffed his hat and replied, “It’s no matter, madam, I’d be the same at Scotland Yard.”

No sooner had he spoken these words than Lady Copper could no longer contain herself, and she burst into laughter, tears streaming from her eyes.

As she pulled out her handkerchief to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes, she said, “Mr.

Hastings, forgive me, that was indelicate of me.

But speaking of which, Lady Livingstone’s assessment of you is indeed not off the mark; you truly are a very special young man.

A man like you, whether placed in Scotland Yard, on the battlefields of Waterloo, or even in the arena of romance, is bound to succeed sooner or later.

If only my foolish brother could speak half as well as you, Lord Byron would not have interfered in his marriage—my late sister-in-law was quite fond of your type.”

“Lord Byron?” Arthur, well aware of the story of Lord Byron and Baroness Ponsonby, feigned ignorance, and humbly said, “Madam, you flatter me too much, how could I dare compare myself to that brightest literary star of Britain in the 19th century?

But did your sister-in-law and Lord Byron have some kind of story?”

At this, Lady Copper opened her mouth as if to say something, but then she held back, “Never mind, it’s all in the past.

It’s only natural you wouldn’t know.

After all, you were still young back then.

If I’m not mistaken, you’re only 20 this year, right?”

Arthur nodded, “I will turn 21 on January 15th next year.”

Lady Copper, trying not to chuckle again, said, “You young people always wish you were older.

Meanwhile, those of us who are truly of age always wish we could be younger.”

But at your age, you could also be considering marriage.

You have a stable job with a decent income and you are eloquent and strong.

Surely, finding a suitable young lady would be fairly easy for you.

Have you thought about this matter?

Perhaps I’m being presumptuous, but don’t mind me, as my eldest son is also nearing the age to discuss marriage, so I often find myself thinking about these matters,” she remarked.

At this, Arthur sensed an opportunity to possibly secure a ticket to Almack’s Club.

Arthur organized his thoughts and also remembered the likelihood of the Whig Party coming to power.

Taking the opportunity, he lamented, “Madam, you must know that I am an officer of Scotland Yard.

Scotland Yard’s work is incredibly hectic on normal days, and there aren’t many opportunities for a holiday, so I don’t have much chance for socializing.”

Lady Copper blinked in surprise: “Oh…

is that so?

I do know that the patrols at Scotland Yard work very hard.

But aren’t you now the Chief Inspector of Scotland Yard?

Why would that be?

I thought officials at your level would have a lot of leisure time!”

Upon hearing this, Arthur suddenly remembered various high-ranking officials at the Home Office, and a mischievous thought began to stir in his mind: “Madam, what you say isn’t entirely wrong.

There are indeed some departments within the Government that are quite relaxed, but not all departments are so.”

Some departments, like the Treasury’s auditing office or the Home Office’s Police Oversight Committee, certainly can afford to start late and finish early, with a leisurely day of 5-6 hours of work, plus weekends and various holiday breaks.

However, other departments, such as Scotland Yard, require over 10 hours of work per day.

The staff are run ragged, operating under constant stress and overload.

At least the high-intensity work at Scotland Yard serves a purpose, as we are genuinely doing work.

But there are departments that wear themselves out creating registry tables, concocting stories, superficially appeasing those above and creating chaos below.

In reality, whether they exist or not makes no difference to the functioning of the British Government.”