Greenwich District, on the street near Sundial Square.

Arthur sat in a rickety carriage in a neat police uniform.

In his hand, he held a copy of the "London Social Guide" that he had bought from a second-hand bookstore, and read every word on it carefully.

Although he had been in London for five years, he had never attended a serious banquet or ball.

The reason for this is simple.

First, because of his personality, he prefers to stay alone in his cabin and read a little book that can entertain himself rather than breathe in the turbid air of various social places.

The second is that his social status was too low in the past.

Half a year ago, he was just an ordinary patrolman in Scotland Yard, and this small role naturally did not attract the attention of high society. A wealthy man like Elder who is willing to fight with him will only appear on the campus of the University of London.

Therefore, since Arthur graduated, during the time when Elder was training in the Royal Navy, his social activities were basically to get together with a few friends such as Tom and Tony, and he was reluctant to order too many things in restaurants even for a bottle of wine.

After all, Tom and Tony, one of whom has already started a family, and the other is working hard to "prove that he has at least £20 savings" under the marriage conditions stipulated by Scotland Yard.

Of course, even though Arthur had been promoted to superintendent and his personal wealth was growing rapidly, he had no idea of developing in the social sphere before he accepted General Codlington's invitation.

That's because the social rules of 19th-century British society were so cumbersome that Arthur, who wasn't born and raised and didn't come from a serious British middle class, could not have learned all about it overnight.

In the case of the "London Social Guide" that Arthur was holding, even though he had tried very hard to memorize it since he had been at work this morning, he had not fully figured it out until now.

And after reading this book, Arthur is most fortunate that he has no female dependents at home, and he himself is a lonely man.

In the social sphere, these high-class aristocratic ladies or women from middle-class merchant families pay more attention than gentlemen, and the interaction between men and women leads to a long list of taboos.

There are various written or unwritten rules for them to wear skirts alone, and skirts are divided into various types such as balls, dinners, walks, car rides, etc., and there are special country clothes for visiting relatives or parties in the countryside, and the most gorgeous evening dresses are specially worn on solemn occasions.

Of course, although these costumes may sound varied, in fact the young ladies probably wear long black dresses most often, because in this era, they wear black for almost a period of time every year to mourn their deceased husbands, parents, siblings or in-laws.

And when Arthur saw the next paragraph of the regulations on the communication between men and women, he suddenly felt that his head was pressed with a heavy layer of marble that had been filled with all kinds of cumbersome regulations.

When riding in a carriage, the gentleman never sat next to a woman who was not a relative, and had to sit on the side with his back to the direction in which the horse was traveling, giving up the seat opposite to the lady. And always be careful not to step on the skirts of the ladies, and when it comes time to get out of the car, the gentleman should get out of the car first and be prepared to help the ladies who are wearing wide skirts to the point of immobility.

Arthur didn't really care about that, and he didn't have much chance of encountering such an encounter anyway.

There have always been no ladies in the car with him, but some ordinary ordinary gentlemen.

For example, the top students of the Department of Classics at the University of London, who often began with 'Fuck' and ended with 'Shit', the master of the language of the Royal Navy sailors, and the greatest jewel of British literature in the 19th century, 'the Thames that walked on the earth' - Mr. Elder Carter.

Or maybe he wrote a book all his life, but in the end he was not as good as his 6-year-old son, who often claimed to be peace-loving, but opened the arsenal without saying a word, took out 3,500 tons of ammunition and bombed the 'French terrorist' at the Tuileries Palace in Paris, and thus doubled his value and had to touch the curly-haired fat man in England - Alexandre Dumas.

And Charles Darwin, the Pope of Science who studied theology at Cambridge University for a few years, but instead looked at Lamarckism and thought that the creationism of the priests was a fart.

At most, there is a tabloid reporter who will be hailed as the 'living Shakespeare' in the future, but he will never be able to enter the eyes of Mr. Elder Carter, the first person in British literary criticism, Charles Dickens.

It is true that you don't need to pay as much attention to socializing with these people as you would in high society, unless they plan to put on a skirt on a few whims.

Just when Arthur thought he could escape, his gaze fell on the line below.

- A well-behaved young unmarried woman cannot go out without an escort, and a decent lady should not look around looking for acquaintances or stop in a crowded street to chat.

- If a young woman does see her gentlemanly friend on the street and feels that she cannot turn a blind eye, she should reach out.

- And when a gentleman discovers a female friend, he cannot take the initiative to go up and greet him, but must wait for the lady to recognize him, and then take off his hat with the hand farthest from the lady as a gift.

- Note: If the lady extends her hand, it is considered an invitation, and the gentleman needs to turn to walk with the lady at this time, rather than stop there, so as not to embarrass both parties. Careful attention must also be taken not to be too warm and loud, but to be discussed within the confines of etiquette, and to speak as briefly as possible so as not to cause unnecessary misunderstandings and irreparable damage to the reputations of both parties.

- A gentleman should not smoke in front of a lady, and a lady should not go up to a conversation with a gentleman while they smoke, for this may cause the other person to snuff out a good cigar, both of which are inappropriate signs.

When Arthur saw this, he couldn't help but take out his pipe and look at it, muttering, "Fortunately, I smoke it cheaper." ”

And as his gaze continued to wander, he finally began to understand why the old housekeeper of the Rothschilds had strongly recommended that he hire a few experienced servants when he came to visit him that day.

- If the reader of this book moves to a new home, especially to an upper-class neighborhood, remember that the servants who sent you will visit around and leave business cards in the neighbor's mailbox.

- The person who receives the business card will usually return the business card or visit the mansion directly within a week, which will help to enhance your reputation in the place where you live and your influence in the social circle.

- If it is a lady who is moving to a new house, or if the adult male of the family is unable to visit the new neighbor normally, the lady should travel in a horse-drawn carriage with your manservant carrying the business card, which he will pass on to the master.

- A married woman who has changed her surname should bring a business card with her name on it, two business cards with her husband's name on it, and if there are unmarried daughters or tenants living in the house, they should also hand over their business cards.

- Note: The name of the unmarried daughter should be written below the mother's business card.

Arthur looked at these dense regulations, and only felt goosebumps all over his body.

If he wants to reasonably integrate into the upper social circle, and use it to expand his intelligence sources and influence, this matter seems to be far more difficult than he imagined.

He closed the book and rubbed his swollen eyes.

Agareth sat on the seat opposite him and crossed Erlang's legs: "What? Finished reading it so soon? ”

Arthur shook his head quite frankly: "I'm not as good at reading and memorizing as you think, especially these things related to tedious etiquette, it's not easy for me to read." ”

The Red Devil snapped his fingers when he heard this, and suddenly there was a thorny rattan in his hand, and looking at him, it seemed that he had used this thing as a whip.

Dissatisfied, the Red Devil tapped on the cover of the London Social Guide and urged, "Arthur, this is not going to work. If you can't handle the Codrington banquet, how can you squeeze into the Olmark Club banquet in the future? In addition to these, you also need to learn to dance, such as the German waltz, the Viennese waltz, the French square dance and the salon dance, the British Regency dance, the Scottish roll dance, and ......

Oh, and by the way, you'd better learn the traditional male dances of Britain, the Roman Sword Dance and the Morris Dance, which are perfect for a master of swordsmanship like you. ”

Arthur said helplessly: "Learn slowly." Anyway, this is the first time for me, didn't the old housekeeper of the Rothschilds say that Mrs. Codrington was a member of the 'Blue Sox Society'?

The Blue Sox Society has always been tolerant of young scientists, and has given them some privileges, after all, I can even appear at a banquet in blue socks, and there should be no problem with a little negligence in etiquette.

Besides, won't Elder be there tonight too? Although that kid has always been out of tune, he is also the noble young master of the Carter family, and he must remember these basic social etiquette clearly. If I'm unsure, I'll just ask him. ”

When the Red Devil heard this, he couldn't help but cover his mouth and smile evilly: "Arthur, are you sure? ”

Arthur had some expectations for Elder Ade, but when the Red Devil asked this, he instantly lost his heart.

He has always liked to rely on his own knowledge and strength to do things, and this is the first time he has relied on the strength of others, and this time the object is actually Elder, which makes Arthur feel empty no matter how he thinks about it.

He covered his forehead and gritted his teeth, "There is a saying in the East, 'I am born to be useful', and the Western Bible also records that 'when God closes this door, he will definitely open another door for you', Elder can't be an exception beyond the Eastern and Western systems, right?" ”

The Red Devil didn't answer, he just spun around in place, and in an instant he saw him change into a black dress with elaborate details.

He straightened the red bow around his neck and said to Arthur.

"In accordance with social etiquette and your intimacy with Codrington, I recommend that you arrive at Codrington's mansion between half-past three and four o'clock in the afternoon.

My price is quite fair, one dance for one soul, and the social etiquette speed is a little more expensive, and I will help you get ten souls. If your balance is insufficient, I can also accept credit, but interest must be calculated. ”

With that, the Red Devil rolled up his sleeve, glanced at his watch, and said with a smile, "Don't worry, Arthur. Now, you still have two and a half hours to think about. ”

Arthur looked at Agareth and couldn't help but shake his head: "Agareth, if you continue to maintain this appetite, it won't be long before I can afford to support you." ”

The Red Devil clasped his fists on his chest and pretended to compliment: "Oh! My dear Arthur, don't underestimate yourself. As long as you can be ruthless, you little villain is invincible. ”

"Invincible?"

Arthur shook his head, and he raised his hand to the factory looming outside the car window, and on the dirt floor outside the factory, there was a group of workers playing football with smiles and mud on their faces, which was the destination of Arthur's trip.

He came here to count the guns, ammunition and other weapons that had been deposited here by the Greenwich Police District during the workers' riots a few days ago.

The Red Devil glanced out, "Isn't it a group of workers in the Woolwich Arsenal who are playing football and entertaining?" What are you pointing at them? ”

Arthur shrugged helplessly: "According to my understanding and memory, I am not invincible, but the team formed by the workers of the Woolwich Arsenal, their 'Arsenal' is invincible. ”

(End of chapter)