The Shadow of Great Britain

”But it works.” Arthur admitted frankly, ”I know a lot of people like that. Some are so energetic that you hardly have time to be melancholic, while others are so sharp-tongued that they end up making things absurd enough to be funny. When you’re with them, you even wonder why you were angry about certain things before.”

Victoria’s attention was clearly captured, ”For example?”

Arthur hesitated very little, ”For example, Mr. Disraeli.”

”Benjamin Disraeli?” Victoria repeated, evidently still remembering the name, ”The one who wrote ’Contarini Fleming’? I remember him often sharing fashion tips in magazines.”

”That’s right.” Arthur leaned against the corner of the table, ”Have you read his new work? ’Henrietta Temple’, let me tell you a little secret, this book has a real-life inspiration.”

”Inspiration?” Victoria pondered, ”Viscount Palmerston? I remember his last name is Temple. No, wait, I remember the main character in this book is a girl.”

”This has nothing to do with Viscount Palmerston.” Arthur said mysteriously, ”This book is actually about Benjamin’s former lover, Mrs. Sikes’ story.”

Victoria’s face burned from her cheekbones to her ears, ”What nonsense are you talking, Sir Arthur. You should know, I shouldn’t be listening to this kind of... private anecdote.”

Arthur didn’t respond, nor did he step back immediately.

He was too familiar with this reaction; the faster the denial, the more likely that curiosity had already taken hold.

”Of course.” He bowed his head with the flow, ”If you don’t want to hear it, then naturally I shouldn’t talk too much.”

This was said just right, neither continuing nor truly retracting.

There was a moment of silence in the study, leaving only the ticking of the fireplace clock.

Victoria stared at the desk for two seconds, as if wrestling with herself.

Finally, she raised her head, cleared her throat, restoring some deliberately calm composure.

”However...” she paused, ”Even if you didn’t mention it, I had guessed a bit. I still remember some sentences from the book, you could tell from the start that Mr. Disraeli was commemorating his first love or something...”

”Your Majesty is truly perceptive.” Arthur chuckled and said, ”I bet what you referred must be: the charm of a first love often lies in us being oblivious to its eventual end. Or maybe that line: time is the best healer. But can you guess which sentence I remember the most from this book?”

”Which one?”

”Debt is the hotbed of folly and crime.” Arthur pursed his lips, ”If you know Mr. Disraeli, you’d know that this guy has been soaking in the hotbed for years.”

Victoria was initially stunned, then couldn’t help but hum softly, ”You’re quite merciless.”

She finally sat up straight, her forehead leaving the desk surface, yet her elbows still rested on the edge, ”To discuss a Lower House member like this in front of me, the Queen, is it appropriate?”

”If Your Majesty means etiquette, then of course it’s inappropriate.” Arthur admitted straightforwardly, ”But if talking about the reality, Benjamin himself might describe it even worse than I do.”

Victoria was full of disbelief, ”Is he really living that badly?”

”Economically, yes.” Arthur nodded, ”But spiritually, it’s the exact opposite.”

This answer evidently surprised Victoria.

”How so?”

”Because a person in long-term debt either gets crushed by it or is forced to learn to compromise with reality.” Arthur said steadily, ”And my friend Mr. Disraeli is not between the two. Because he knows he might go bankrupt at any time, he is less afraid of failure.”

Victoria half-joked, ”That doesn’t sound like a life experience worth emulating.”

”Certainly not worth emulating.” Arthur smiled slightly, ”But very much worth observing.”

Speaking of this, Arthur cleared his throat, familiar with Disraeli’s past as if it were his own treasure trove, ”Our Mr. Disraeli was born into a middle-class Jewish family but was baptized into the National Church at a young age. Yet, because his father held an anti-Whig Party stance, this Jewish lad received a traditional Tory perspective in his education growing up. However, he dropped out of school after only a few years to work as an assistant at a law firm. But rather than legal contracts, he was more enthusiastic about fashion and attire. Our Benjamin quickly got caught up in the trend of young gentlemen pursuing a dandy lifestyle, the thing he was most passionate about every day was showing up at the office in dazzling, expensive attire...”

Victoria asked curiously, ”So, didn’t he soon get fired from that firm?”

”No.” Arthur emphasized, ”Benjamin never gave anyone the opportunity to fire him. He fired himself, feeling that being a lawyer’s assistant wasn’t aligned with his vision for the future, so he decisively quit and traveled to the European Continent. And upon returning from Europe, he felt that becoming a formal court lawyer would suit his identity, so he registered as a student at Lincoln’s Inn.”

Victoria could almost guess the next development, ”And then not long after, he had a new idea?”

”Yes, this time it’s being a stock broker.” Arthur replied with a smile, ”At the time, Spanish colonies were gaining independence, and stocks of South American mining companies were all the rage. With the push from George Canning, our Government successively recognized the new governments of Argentina, Columbia, and Mexico. Benjamin thought that if he scored big in the stock market, he wouldn’t have to worry for the rest of his life, so he got involved with the Financial City and borrowed 7,000 pounds to invest in the stock market.”

”So, how much did he make in the end?”

”Almost nothing.” As Disraeli’s primary creditor, no one knew better than Arthur just how empty Disraeli’s pockets were.

Victoria blinked, ”Seven thousand pounds?”

”Principal, interest, and personal debts, it added up to more.” Arthur added, ”That was a very standard Financial City education, when the market recedes, everyone suddenly remembers the spirit of the contract.”

Victoria couldn’t help but gasp, ”That was a huge sum, he was really unlucky.”

”The unluckiness was yet to come.” Arthur began, ”When Benjamin first entered the stock market, he made money. But he was overwhelmed by victory, not only didn’t he take profits on time, but instead he started eyeing the publishing business, opening a newspaper with others. As you can imagine, his publishing business didn’t last long either. So, when I met him, he was actually carrying nearly ten thousand pounds of debt.”

”Nearly ten thousand pounds?” Victoria repeated involuntarily, this time her tone was more than just surprise, but with a little true bewilderment, ”Then how can he still stand on the streets of London, nonchalantly writing novels, running for parliament, and attending social salons?”

Arthur certainly wasn’t going to tell Victoria that when he first met Disraeli, the guy was practically on the verge of depression.

”By willpower.” Arthur responded without hesitation, ”And an almost reckless optimism and confidence. Benjamin never intended to live life as a sustainable balance sheet. He’s more like the kind of person who, even if the boat is taking in water, insists on hoisting the sails to the most conspicuous position. You have to know, this is a guy whose maiden speech in the Lower House was met with boos, yet he was still able to provocatively announce, ’I will sit now, but the day will come when you will hear me.’”

Victoria couldn’t help but chuckle, ”So what did he do afterward? He couldn’t have just dragged it on forever.”

”So he did something bold at the time,” Arthur continued, ”He decided to pay off his debts with writing.”

”With novels?”

”With novels, columns, anything that could be turned into royalties or manuscript fees,” Arthur nodded with a smile, ”’Vivian Grey’ made some money, although it offended quite a few people. Afterward there was ’Young Duke’, ’Alroy’s Wonderful Story’, and so on, none of which were enough to turn his fortunes around but at least made the creditors realize that this guy was still alive and not about to die anytime soon.”

Victoria was utterly puzzled, ”Is it enough merely to let creditors know that he is still alive?”

Arthur replied with a laugh, ”Of course, because for banks, as long as the debtor is alive, there’s hope they can be repaid, and it counts as an asset on the ledger. But if the debtor is dead, then his debts all become bad debts.”