In the early morning of London Harbour, it was foggy everywhere.

Arthur stood on London Bridge in casual clothes, holding an onion ring in his hand, and he ate while admiring the water scenery of the River Thames.

Although the sun has only just risen, the Thames is already a busy scene, with countless boats crammed at the mouth waiting to enter the docks, and the shouts of sailors and boatmen are constantly shouting.

Some of them spoke English with different accents, while others were communicating in a language that Arthur didn't understand.

But even if Arthur didn't understand, it didn't stop him from reading from the rough red faces and splashes of the spit stars of the sailors, what kind of heated exchange they were engaged in.

"Fuck! What the hell are those bitches doing up front? When the stars were still in the sky, Lao Tzu was waiting here, and now that the sun is out, Lao Tzu is still blocked here, doesn't it mean that the docks in London are expanding? Where the have they expanded! Did the council gobs swallow all the money? ”

"Do you think you're in a hurry? If you don't, you will open the boat and overturn all the boats in front of you, and if you don't, you will shut up your foul mouth, fool! ”

"Do you think Lao Tzu won't dare?"

"You dare, you dare, why don't you bump into it? Look at your antique medieval ship, you don't know you thought you just fished it out of the water. The bottom of the boat is full of barnacles, and you are not afraid that one day when you go out to sea and encounter a big wave that will break the boat apart and let you drown in the water. ”

"Okay, okay, you sailors who run near the sea just don't have any patience, Lao Tzu's ship sailed back from South America, and you can wait for a few months, can't you even bear it all morning?"

"What the hell are you talking about? You are going to the ocean to transport all the things that can be stored, but Lao Tzu is transporting seafood, and if you don't enter the port to unload the goods, Lao Tzu's fish will be rotten! Besides, it's your business to quarrel with Lao Tzu, and just because others are wrong doesn't mean you're right, stupid! ”

"You're fucking scolding again?"

"I'll fuck you!"

When Arthur had finished eating the onion rings on the stone pier of London Bridge, he took out his pipe and put it in his mouth, lit the fire with a match, took a deep breath, and sighed.

"The daily 'stage play' on the Thames is still as exciting. This is much more exciting than the repertoire of the Old Vic Theatre. ”

"Arthur."

Agareth leaned over his elbows at the bridge, his fist against his head, and ten thousand dissatisfaction could be heard in his tone.

"You watch the play and watch the play, but can you go and refund the ticket first. It's been two days, and there's no movement at Scotland Yard about Willocks, so you can finally trust me this time, right? ”

Arthur didn't take Agares' words to heart at all, his attention was still focused on the battle on the Thames.

In response to Agareth's question, he just waved his hand: "It's still early, the ticket office hasn't opened, I'm not in a hurry, what are you anxious about?" ”

"Hey! Arthur, fuck you! ”

Agareth was possessed by the sailor in an instant, and he was about to scold Arthur, but before he could say anything, a man suddenly walked up to Arthur and patted him on the back.

"Yo, Arthur! How did the matter of your two colleagues go last time, do you need my help? ”

Arthur turned his head to see that it was his old classmate Elder who was talking to him.

"Not bad. I helped them out of the family and finally got the people out. ”

"Family ties?"

Elder raised his eyebrows, smiled and hooked his shoulders and said, "I didn't see it!" Arthur! You turned out to be a hidden boy! How? Is it the relationship between which big man in your family is gone? ”

Arthur took a puff of his cigarette: "Of course it's Arthur Hastings' relationship." ”

"Arthur Hastings?" Elder pondered, "Do you have any elders in your family with the same name?" ”

"What do you think, Elder, it's my own relationship."

"You're back in Scotland Yard?"

Arthur took off his pipe a little helplessly: "Older, don't you usually read the newspaper?" Not only did I go back, but I was promoted. ”

Elder said disdainfully, "What am I looking at that thing for?" Only those who need to study read newspapers, and I am already a top student of classical literature.

Besides, it wasn't very useful for sailing, and I was so busy improving my drawing skills that I didn't have time to distract myself from the big and going on around London.

Moreover, what does your promotion have to do with whether I read the newspaper or not? The newspapers don't report this kind of thing!

I occasionally buy a newspaper, but it tells little stories about life, like the duke's mistress, the lawyer's maid, the governess for the children, and so on. ”

The more Arthur listened, the tighter his brows furrowed: "What kind of newspaper do you usually read?" Why can't I buy this? ”

Elder said triumphantly: "That's because you didn't bother to look for it, and you will definitely find it if you look for it." ”

He pulled Arthur in front of him, put his hand over his ear, and said in a low voice.

"Listen to me, in the Greenwich area where you live, take the north entrance into Christmas Road, walk about two hundred feet and turn left, there is a small alley with two chimneys, and every Wednesday afternoon from three to five o'clock, as long as it doesn't catch the rainstorm, there will be a 50-something in a gray hat and a black coat......"

Hearing this, Arthur hurriedly covered his mouth.

He looked at him with a serious face: "Held, you can't say any more. This kind of newspaper is not subject to stamp duty as soon as it sounds. It is illegal not to pay stamp duty, and this case is still happening in my jurisdiction.

This kind of thing, I don't know, forget it, if I know it, I can't find it, but your information is too detailed. If you keep talking, I'll have to take care of it. ”

Elder was so shocked that he clutched his forehead and shouted, "Oh my God! I almost forgot you were a cop. ”

Arthur looked at his friend, who was out of the wire, and didn't know what to say, so he turned to ask.

"Held, why are you here today?"

"Our ship has recently been overhauled nearby, so I came to take a look, and by the way, to complete the task given to me by Colonel Fitzroy, who asked me to pick up the naturalist who replaced you.

By the way, I haven't asked you yet. Now that you're back in Scotland Yard, why are you still wearing casual clothes? Did you change the rules there? ”

"Nope. Scotland Yard gave me a few days off, saying that I had been too tired lately and asked me to recuperate for a week. ”

Elder exclaimed, "! How big of a leader are you? Can Scotland Yard give you a holiday? ”

Arthur smiled: "It's not that big, just a police inspector." ”

"I don't know much about your Scotland Yard, what is the rank of the Inspector if he is compared to the Royal Navy?"

Arthur lit his pipe: "What rank is your uncle?" ”

Elder took it for granted and said, "Rear Admiral! How did you forget about this? ”

"That's the equivalent of a rear admiral."

Elder laughed and punched Arthur: "Fuck you! Let's go, since you're on vacation, let's go have a drink and celebrate! ”

"Aren't you going to meet that naturalist?"

Elder waved his hand as if he didn't care: "I'm sorry, just let him dry for a while, who made him a Cambridge graduate." I still attach great importance to the friendship between our classmates at the University of London. ”