On Greenwich's central street, a horse-drawn carriage waddled along.

In the carriage, Arthur looked at Elder who was sitting opposite him whistling and reading the tabloids, and couldn't help but sigh: "Didn't I ask you to buy new clothes?" Do you think Greenwich's clothing stores are better than London's West End? ”

Elder turned to the next page of the newspaper absently, and while reading the exciting plot on it intently, he replied, "It's too expensive to buy a new dress to attend a high-class banquet." Besides, I'm not a social person, so I may not be able to attend a banquet once a month, and I don't have much clothes to buy, which is too bad. ”

"What then? Although I heard from them that the ladies and ladies of the Blue Sox Society didn't really care about the well-dressed scientists who gave them lectures, do you know science? I ask you, what is the left-handed rule and what is the right-handed spiral theorem, it really doesn't work, you must at least understand the Hastings force, right? ”

Elder took a delicate pair of small scissors from the pocket of his jacket and carefully cut out what he was pleased with the day along the edge of the newspaper and put it in his arms.

"Arthur, don't worry about me. I usually go straight to my uncle's house to get the clothes I wear at the banquets, but he took a boat to the Ionian Islands, the garrison of the Mediterranean Fleet, last month, and we are about the same size, so what about borrowing me from his big box of clothes? ”

When Arthur heard this, he knew that this kid must not have any good intentions, and he asked, "You think about taking things from your uncle's house every day, can your uncle and cousin agree?" ”

"Why don't you agree?"

Elder raised an eyebrow and said, "Lady Codrington has also sent them an invitation to a banquet. Didn't I tell you? General Codrington was my uncle's old superior. Since I'm going too, they can't just watch me lose Carter's face at the banquet, right? By the way, Arthur, I'll have to tell you that if no one asks my sister to dance at the party, you'll have to help her. ”

"How to break the siege?" Arthur frowned and asked, "I don't know how to dance, if I go up to ask her, I will lose more than her face." ”

Elder clutched his forehead with a headache: "That's going to be difficult." When that little girl heard that I knew you, one of the guests of honour at the banquet, she pestered me to let her show off at the Sunday banquet. Even if you can't dance, you'll have to find a way for me to show her out. ”

Arthur glanced out the car window: "Revealed?" It's easy to do. You asked your sister to take your place and help me rub the hand-crank generator at the banquet. ”

When Elder heard this, he couldn't help but complain, "Arthur! Can you not always come up with such bad ideas? The reputation of the aristocratic lady is 'weak' and 'beautiful', why did my sister become 'able to continuously turn a hand generator'? Does this sound like a word? If you think about it, I don't want her to end my colorful life so soon. ”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but sigh helplessly: "Why do women always pay more attention to their appearance instead of trying to make themselves appear smarter?" ”

When Elder heard this, he couldn't help but snort coldly, and lifted his collar: "It's very simple!" Because most of the men are stupid, but only a few are blind. ”

Arthur raised an eyebrow and asked, "So what?" What part do you belong to? ”

"Hmph......" Elder waved his hand absently, "Arthur, I am very self-aware in this regard. ”

"Thank goodness." Arthur took the half-cut newspaper from his hand: "Our University of London was not established to give you such an education. ”

Agares, who was sitting in the car window and watching the scenery, heard this, smiled evilly and whistled: "Oh! It seems that the teaching philosophy of the University of London is indeed open, and stupid men and blind people who do not understand amorous feelings can sit in class on an equal footing. ”

Arthur glanced at the Red Devil, but before he and Elder could continue to discuss whether he was blind or not, Elder had already forgotten about his sister's troubles.

This guy is full of imagination about what kind of encounter will happen at the banquet: "Oh! Arthur, you say, if I get a love at the ball, do you think I should accept it? Or should it be rejected mercilessly? ”

Arthur flipped through the newspaper and said, "If this happened before I hunted Fred, I would probably advise you to refuse, after all, you are about to embark on a voyage around the world, which is five or six years, and time may hurt the relationship between you and your partner." But after boarding the Beagle, now, my attitude has changed. ”

Elder was stunned: "Why? ”

Arthur put down the newspaper and replied earnestly, "Because as a good friend of yours, I'd rather see you have a relationship with a human than with a fish." Elder you have to reflect on yourself, if you continue to do this, you will go to hell sooner or later! ”

"Oh! Arthur! Elder was a little moved: "You finally understand why I always have that impulse, it's not my personal character, it's the common denominator of sailors who make a living at sea." ”

"I fully understand you, and I finally understand why the Beagle had a chaplain with her."

Arthur said, "The reason why Colonel Fitzroy asked Charles to follow the Beagle is so that he can ask him to forgive you anytime and anywhere in God's place. Elder listens to me, confesses to Charles in time after making mistakes, and mitigates his sins in time. When you die, you must go to heaven, not to hell. ”

Elder was relieved, "Arthur, you always think so much about your friends. ”

Arthur shook his head, "No, Elder, you're thinking too much. I'm not thinking about you, I'm thinking about myself. I just don't want to see you in hell after I'm dead. ”

Elder was a little upset when he heard this: "Arthur, you fuck! Where have I offended you? You hate me so much? Drinking, watching a play, when did I not take you? ”

Arthur looked a little helpless: "No, no, Held, there is nothing wrong with our friendship. I just don't want to be ridiculed by the devils in Hell after I die: 'Look, this guy over there, he has a friend who went to Hell because of the sunfish. ’

Held, if you insist on going to hell after death, I'll have to go to heaven with all my might. ”

Elder rolled his eyes when he heard this, and he punched Arthur in the shoulder: "What a yours!" I must make it clear to you again and again that I have never had anything to do with fish, and that I just wanted to explain to you the special customs of the sailors. ”

After that, Elder hurriedly changed the subject: "Anyway, what are you doing in Greenwich today?" Aren't you based at the Metropolitan Police headquarters in Greater London? I came here today to miss my poor and humble self in the past? ”

Arthur saw that he did not want to mention this stubble, so he also went down the slope and got off the donkey: "I have come to find a gentleman who runs an instrument shop in Greenwich, and he will also be one of the stars of the Sunday banquet." ”

Arthur stuck his head out of the car window and said to the driver, "The trouble stops here, and we'll just walk through it ourselves." ”

With that, Arthur pushed open the door and led Elder through the muddy streets and crowds of people after the rain, and the two walked past the apartment that the real estate agent had introduced them to before, and not far away was a three-story red brick house with a brown fir roof.

On the first floor, there is a billboard against the red door facing the street, which reads - Inheritance for three generations, good quality and low price, master craftsmanship, and no bullying for children.

The sign on the door shows its name, Wheatstone Musical Instruments.

Through the windows of the shops, you can see rows of musical instruments hanging on the clean walls painted with white paint.

There are court instruments such as violins, pianos, and harps that can be used for big scenes, as well as rebek, pan flutes, and flutes, which are commonly used by street artists.

Of course, there are also trumpets used in the army to give orders and control the speed of the troops' advance, and a snare drum that is worn around the neck as they advance.

Elder squatted by the window and glanced at it, and couldn't help nodding: "I didn't think there was such a store in Greenwich." The variety of musical instruments in this shop is not inferior to that of the largest musical instrument stores in London. But is the owner of this store in the water, why did he open the store in Greenwich? How many people here have the leisure to buy these things? If he opened his store in the West End, he would definitely make a lot of money. ”

Arthur pushed the door open and said, "Maybe it's because he didn't have so many customers who came to the door, so he opened the shop here." You don't know, Held, this gentleman is a weirdo. ”

The two of them had just pushed the door open when the door frame rang the bell hanging behind the door.

Only the ringing of a jingling bell was heard, and the few customers in the deserted store couldn't help but look back at the two of them.

But soon, they turned their attention back to the octale that hung on the wall.

"Alfred, I've never seen this instrument before, why don't we try to accompany this new thing at this school's poetry festival this year?"

"Uh...... William, is it for your poems, or for mine? Otherwise, let's be more stable, the new thing may not be more reliable than the old one. Actually, I don't think it's necessary to have an accompaniment, and it's okay to just chant ......."

Elder heard them talking about poetry, and the top student of the University of London's Department of Classics couldn't help but lean over: "Am I lucky enough to be able to join the discussion between the two gentlemen?" Contemptible people are not talented, and they happen to have some unique insights on poetry. ”

The two young men glanced at Elder warily, one of them seemed a little shy, and the other had a pride between his eyebrows.

Several people were silent for a while, and finally the shy one opened his mouth to relieve Elder: "Sir, there is nothing on the table for our poetry, so I won't trouble you." ”

But the arrogant young man on the other side was a little dissatisfied when he heard this, and he corrected: "Alfred, don't always be so modest. Your poetry won our Cambridge Gold Medal last year, you should have a little more courage and not always be so cringe-intimidating. ”

The shy young man touched the back of his head embarrassedly and said, "But...... But...... William, didn't you write a burlesque about the poem I won last year? I think my poem may indeed be flawed. ”

When the arrogant young man heard this, his tongue couldn't help but knot a little: "Alfred, I didn't write that farce...... Not to target you. I didn't know you at that time, but besides, if I think your work is not good, will I recreate it on the basis of your work? Alfred, you need to be confident, and Cambridge students should be confident! ”

Elder heard the word 'Cambridge' mentioned repeatedly, his eyelids couldn't help jumping, he took a step back, shook his head at Arthur and said, "Oh God! Did you hear that? Cambridge, we're really unlucky to go out today! What exactly is it that you hear him talking about? Cambridge actually has poetry, which is simply a joke in the world! ”

Elder thought that his voice had been suppressed low enough, but he didn't expect his words to fall into the other person's ears.

The arrogant young man stepped forward and asked with a frown, "Sir, what do you mean?" Do you despise the brilliant art and civilization that Cambridge has created? ”

Seeing him so aggressive, Elder couldn't help but take a step back and replied with a sneer, "No, of course not." Truth be told, I quite appreciate the work of your Cambridge students, like that...... Uh......"

He paused for a long time, but he couldn't recall anything in his head, and in a hurry, he could only tug at Arthur's clothes: "Arthur, do you remember?" As for the one I told you last time, it's the one in Cambridge and the one that I wrote...... It's okay. ”

Arthur didn't want to get involved in the conflict caused by Elder as a troublemaker, but since it was already like this, he had to reminisce along with it.

"Ahh You're talking about that. That's it, well......"

Arthur racked his brains to recall, and suddenly a flash of inspiration flashed in his mind: "That's right, that's it, gently I go, just as I come gently, I gently beckon, as a cloud ...... the western sky"

(End of chapter)