"Be honest, or I'll shoot you with one shot!"

In the box on the second floor, the moment the barrel of the gun was stuffed into Held's mouth, the Royal Navy cartographer finally noticed that something was wrong.

"Huh?"

The black cloth that had been in front of Elder was torn off, and it was only then that he realized that Miss Coconut Tree, who had just looked so beautiful in his eyes, was gone, and was replaced by a French bandit with half-short hair.

The coconut tree's eyes widened and asked, "Say! Where is Alexandre Dumas? First of all, I warn you, don't cheat in front of me, or I'll send you to God at once!" ”

Elder woke up like a dream, and I don't know if it was because he was ashamed or angry, not only was he not afraid, but he also scolded.

"Ling...... How do you dare to cheat on my feelings! ”

"Trick your feelings?" The coconut tree was also on fire, and he yelled, "You're playing with my flesh!" ”

"Huh?" Elder was surprised: "So, we are even?" ”

"What the are you logical?!"

Dumas and Tom, who were lying under the bed, heard their quarrel and couldn't stop muttering.

"What's going on? The two had a fight? ”

"I just said, how could anyone take a fancy to Elder, probably trying to blackmail him."

"Why don't I go out and help him, it won't be good if the two of them make a fuss here."

"Don't, you don't pay attention to him, he caused things by himself, let him handle it himself."

Just as Tom was hesitating to go out, there was another knock on the door in the room.

A creak was heard, the door opened, and a voice familiar to Alexandre Dumas sounded in an instant.

"Coconut tree, just clean up the people, so as not to kill people. Anyway, this is also a friend of Mr. Hastings, and we are only here for Mr. Dumas, so don't offend him too much in other respects. ”

The coconut tree gritted his teeth and glared at Elder, if it weren't for the position of section chief, would he sit on this part?

The coconut tree sighed, and then replied with a humiliated face: "Boss, don't worry, I have a measured hand." ”

Vidocq just glanced around the room, and soon his eyes fell on the two chairs that were placed in front of the window.

A playful smile suddenly appeared on his face, and he glanced at the large bed in the room, and then at the two chairs: "I think this seems to be Mr. Hastings's personal lounge, right?" ”

The coconut tree nodded: "That's right, he can enjoy it, he has a bed and furniture, and he can live here directly after tidying up." ”

Vidocq asked Vakur beside him again, "I remember, we investigated before, and Mr. Hastings doesn't seem to have a special relationship with any lady, right?" ”

Varkur also nodded: "Chief, according to your orders, as soon as we arrived in London, I sent my brothers to take turns with him, that kid is almost three o'clock every day, Lancaster Gate, Whitehall Street, Wheatstone Musical Instrument Shop, his itinerary has not changed for several days." Life is so regular, and there are no women in Scotland Yard, he definitely doesn't have time to fall in love. ”

When the coconut tree heard this, he couldn't help but ask: "No, I remember you didn't tell me the other day that Hastings was in a café with a lady......

When Vakur heard this, his heart suddenly rose to his throat, and he hurried to wink at the coconut tree, but it was too late.

Vidocq's sharp and terrifying eyes locked on Vakur at once: "What's going on?" ”

Vakur only felt that his throat was dry, and he swallowed heavily and spat: "Boss, it's not a big deal. It was just an inconspicuous woman, and Mr. Hastings only sat with her in the café for a while. ”

Hearing this, Vidocq directly grabbed Vakur by the collar: "Fuck, why didn't you say this kind of thing earlier?" Didn't I tell you that all the information, no matter how small, had to be told to me? ”

Vakur smiled reluctantly: "Boss, although I said that, but I think about what information I have, it is best to investigate it clearly and tell you, after all, you are usually quite busy, aren't you?" ”

"Have you investigated?"

"This ......," said Vakur tremblingly, "I sent someone to follow that chick for two days, the first day she went to the Russian embassy, and the second day...... The next day they lost their ......."

"You lost it?!"

"No, no, it's not that the chick lost ......"

"Oh, that's fine...... Vidocq's heart was just relaxed, but in an instant, Vakur's words raised his blood pressure again.

"It was the guy we sent to follow the chick who lost ......"

"Rubbish!" Vidocq suddenly felt a bad feeling in his heart: "That chick is definitely not a good stubble, you found out by her!" Wait, you just said that she went to the Russian embassy, could it be that she is an old hairyman? ”

Vakur hurriedly went back and said, "Chief, you are really wise! Our follow-up investigation found out that the chick did seem to work at the embassy. ”

Hearing this, Vidocq raised his hand angrily and gave Vakur a slap: "That is, our people fell into the hands of the Russians? Do you know how Mr. Talleyrand would have reacted if he had known about it? He's going to kill us! ”

Vakul also panicked when he heard this, and he tried his best to clear up the relationship: "Mr. Vidocq, the man I lost is just a local ruffian I hired, and even if the Russians arrest him, they won't be able to get anything out of his mouth." I'm sure we'll be fine. ”

Vidocq looked at Vakur's face, and after a long time, he finally suppressed the anger in his stomach, and he shook his hand impatiently and said, "Forget it, finish this order first." The latter is something to be considered later. ”

Agares, who had been lying on the windowsill watching the play, heard this, and just covered his mouth and snickered: "Oh, our Miss Fiona is really a capable woman, if Arthur, the little bastard, knew that Fiona not only hid her hand from someone privately, but also did not report it, then I am afraid that it would not be Elder who was tied to the bed today." ”

Elder listened to these Frenchmen, I don't know if it was because of the reason why the two feet were off the ground, after the passion ebbed, the smart IQ occupied the high ground again.

"Wait, you're going to do something to Alexander? Are you the newly sent French killers? ”

When Vidocq heard this, he just smiled kindly: "This gentleman, don't say so ugly. We were simply asked to invite Monsieur Dumas back to Paris. ”

Elder grinned, "Back to Paris? You're pretty cheap for him, I thought you were going to take him back to the plantation. But you're out of luck today, Alexander isn't in the theater. ”

"Really?" Vidocq glanced at the two chairs in the window and slowly leaned over to look under the bed, "Not necessarily. ”

His eyes met Alexandre Dumas's face.

For a moment, the air fell into a dead silence, and after the two looked at each other, Dumas only turned slowly and expressionlessly, supporting his head with one hand, leaving only the broad back to Vidocq.

But this kind of hiding the ears and stealing the bell is obviously useless.

It wasn't long before he and Tom and Elder were tied up and thrown to the ground.

"Held, look what the you've done! Forget about the girl who soaked in a man, and put Lao Tzu in together! ”

"Why don't you talk about you! Who brought the flies today? Oh God! Look what I've done! I actually rubbed the ass of a Frenchman, and it was a man's! Tom, why don't you just give me a shot later, I'm already ashamed enough today, and if I die at the hands of a Frenchman, then my life will be utterly humiliating. Please don't let me tarnish the honor of the Royal Navy. ”

"Mr. Carter, didn't you notice that I was tied up here too?"

"Yes! Why are you tied up here, your gun? ”

"Mr. Vidocq just bet I didn't have a bullet in my gun."

"The result?"

"He was right."

"Then why don't you bring bullets, are the guns in Scotland Yard usually used by you as burning sticks?"

Tom only felt a little aggrieved: "Mr. Carter, you don't know. Scotland Yard is no better than the Royal Navy, our gun regulations are too strict, Arthur has now been transferred out of his position of real power, and ammunition and other things are kept independently by each police district. If he wants to get some bullets, he will definitely have to get a document from Director Rowan, but as you know, there has been a bit of unhappiness between the two of them recently, and the approval of the document should not be so smooth. ”

Vidocq sat in his chair and leaned over at the three living treasures, his pipe in his hand, his skirt lifted and his legs cocked, and he had time to talk to them while Vakur went to call the carriage.

"Oh, it turns out that Mr. Hastings' life has not been very good lately, so it's no wonder. In general, he had no need to pay attention to a Frenchman who had lost his protection order. It seems that he, like me, also wants to take this opportunity to make a comeback? ”

When Elder heard this, he just got angry and said: "You Frenchman knows a fart, Arthur is sticking a knife in the ribs for a friend, our graduate of the University of London, and now there are people above!" ”

"Someone's up there? Does anyone need to play a little song here part-time? ”

Vidocq pinched the chin that had just shaved off the stubble this morning, and looked condescendingly from the window to the theater stage, and in the midst of thunderous applause, Mendelssohn raised his white gloves and smiled and bowed to greet the audience, and in the dark shadow of the curtain behind him, Arthur, who was dressed in a dark evening gown and as tall as a sword, brushed back his broken hair in front of his forehead, the back of his shiny black hair contrasted sharply with his white gloves, and his eyes with a pale red glow flickered brightly, and he was about to appear.

Vidocq watched Arthur step by step onto the center of the stage, flicking his tuxedo and sitting on the bench in front of the piano, the French legend of crime and police ordered at this moment: "Sorry, Mr. Hastings. Now, all hands are ready to evacuate. ”

At the same time, almost at the same moment, in another box not far from Vidocq's box, Mrs. Levin snuggled into the arms of Austrian Prime Minister Metternich, and the gray-haired Mr. Metternich made Mrs. Levin laugh so much that she could not stand up with a straight back.

However, in addition to contacting their feelings, the two still tested each other without saying a word.

Metternich mentioned it casually: "Dorothea, the next time you go back to St. Petersburg to visit your family, you must remember to say hello to His Majesty the Tsar for me." I have heard that he is different from his brother, and that the current Tsar pays special attention to these details, and if he does not keep in touch with him often, the relationship will soon become estranged. ”

Mrs. Levine just winked playfully, "Hello?" Of course. However, I do not intend to go back at this time, for I have heard that His Majesty is very angry about the independence of Belgium, and that he must teach them a stern lesson. Beloved, you know, the anger of the Tsar was a very serious matter in the Russian court. At this time, it is better not to touch his moldy head. ”

"Ah......" Metternich smiled, "So, if you can bring him back good news, you must be able to soothe his anger, right?" ”

"Good news?" Mrs. Levine pretended to know nothing: "You mean that Austria intends to side with us?" But if you do this, you will probably upset the British, right? ”

When Metternich heard this, he just took Madame Leven's arm: "My dear, I will do anything for your sake." ”

Although Mrs. Levine knew that nine out of ten sentences from the man in front of her were lies, at this moment, she did not mind making a scene.

"Clemens, you've always been so naïve. But that's why I love you so much. ”

The two foxes chatted here, while the Viscount of Palmerston and Mrs. Cooper, in the next box, were much more down-to-earth.

They took a break with their wine glasses in hand, just as they were about to enjoy an outstanding piece from Arthur.

Mrs. Cowper tidied up her messy clothes a little, raised her glass to meet Palmerston, and asked with a smile: "Henry, I saw Mr. Metternich enter the next room earlier, don't you, the new Foreign Secretary, go and say hello to the Austrian Prime Minister?" ”

When Viscount Palmerston heard this, he only stretched out his hand and embraced Madame Cooper into his arms, and he puffed out his chest proudly, and said, "My dear, it seems to me that Metternich ought to come and visit me if he is interested." If he thinks that he can accomplish anything with Austria, then I will teach him a hard lesson at the London Conference on behalf of Great Britain. ”

When Mrs. Cooper heard this, she suddenly became a little worried: "But ...... Henry, are you going to be too tough by doing this? As you can see, the prevailing view of both the Tories and the Whigs is that they want peace. ”

When Palmerston heard this, he only smiled and comforted: "Honey, hope for peace because they are not sure they can win. Moreover, the Duke of Wellington had already sent me a note yesterday asking me not to make the slightest concession to Austria, where Metternich had just touched his nose two days before. This old fellow still can't figure out his position, and I want him to understand that without the support of Great Britain, he, the Prime Minister of the Austrian Empire, is nothing. ”

In the Coburg Theater, everyone had evil intentions, and just as everyone was thinking about how to make the most profit, God seemed to hear their call, and the lights in the whole hall suddenly dimmed.

Darkness came like a tidal wave, and the conspiracy was all covered up.

The audience screamed one after another, and just as they were about to complain about why the theater was so careless about the lighting problems, the piano suddenly sounded.

"Oh God! Is this some completely new form of performance? ”

The stage was dimly lit, and the audience could barely see anything, and all they could see was a pair of hands dancing on the keys.

"Maybe that's a better way to focus on the music itself?"

"I've heard for a long time that this 'Bell' is difficult, so this is intended to show the technical achievements of that new pianist, Mr. Hastings?"

The audience was guessing one by one, but they were no longer complaining, and with the notes of the storm, the last bit of dissatisfaction in their hearts quickly disappeared.

In the midst of the music, they could occasionally hear the sound of solid, heavy footsteps.

Wow, wow, wow!

It sounds like someone walking up the stairs or someone ringing a bell, but others think it might be a novelty accompaniment.

The white gloves held the officer's knife, and the new black top hat was matched, and in the darkness, only a pair of faint and almost imperceptible red rays could be seen on the stairs gradually climbing with the sound of footsteps.

Arthur's body blocked the path of Vidocq and his party, and the two groups had a tacit understanding of not saying a word, because everyone knew that it was not good to make a big deal about it.

On stage, Mendelssohn played the score of The Bells, and although he had heard Monsieur Moscheles boast about its difficulty many times, and it was a bit difficult to get started for the first time, the young musician who was determined to become the greatest pianist since Bach was not stumped by it.

Butterfly-like notes came out one after another, and the orchestral instruments were accompanied by the clanging sound from the second floor.

The moonlight shone down the window on Mendelssohn's ten fingers, and the rousing tune, sweat fell down Mendelssohn's cheeks, dripped across his neck and into his chest, wetting the frills of his white shirt like flowers.

In the darkness, the arc of the sword flashed.

The red glow is dotted, dancing like the phosphophosphor glimmer of a church cemetery.

The clash between classical French swordsmanship and the Apennine Fioré stream began at this moment.

There was a thud, like the sound of a back falling to the floor and rolling down the stairs.

There was a muffled grunt, like a fist hitting the chest.

On the stage, the throbbing fingertips fell into madness, as if the piano was shaking with it, and the earth was shaking.

Suddenly, the sound of the piano froze to a halt, accompanied by a cry of extreme pain, and a terrified cry rang out in the silent hall: "Surrender!! ”

The staff who had been standing on the ladder with candles and waiting for the lights to be re-lit immediately lit the chandeliers one by one, and in the hall, the light returned to the earth.

Everyone's eyes were focused on the area where the sound had just come from, it was two moving 'ladies' who seemed to be emotionally moved by Mr. Hastings's moving performance, and they were on their knees hiding their faces and weeping, and the one lying next to them was even more powerful, he actually passed out foaming at the mouth.

"Oh! O my God! ”

The gentlemen and ladies present all exclaimed, they were only amazed by the piano skills just now, but now they were shocked by this shocking scene.

There may have been disdain for Arthur Hastings' nickname 'Paganini of the piano', but now, no one questions it.

In the shocked gaze of the gentlemen and ladies, Arthur, who had already taken advantage of the chaos to switch places with Mendelssohn, slowly raised his hand, and the tuxedo on his chest rose and fell violently, panting repeatedly, obviously he was also tired in order to make these three 'ladies' restrained.

After adjusting his breathing, Arthur finally had time to brush up his messy tuxedo, press one hand on his chest, and bow slightly to greet the audience: "A song adapted from Mr. Paganini's "Bell", to all the guests present, and I wish Mr. Paganini all the best for the upcoming concert in France." ”

As soon as the words fell, the audience immediately erupted in a burst of thunderous applause.

Arthur smiled and raised his hand to the audience, and Mendelssohn, who was standing in the audience, also whispered excitedly: "Arthur, seeing you like this, did you win?" ”

Arthur didn't say much, he just walked off the stage after the curtain call, quietly pulled off his tuxedo, and showed Mendelssohn a few tears in his shirt: "Mr. Vidocq can fight better than I expected, but it's a pity that he is too old." ”

Just as Arthur was about to exchange a few words with Mendelssohn, he suddenly noticed a beautiful figure on the spiral staircase leading from the first floor to the second floor, it was Madame Levine in a hurry, and the two Russian military attachés waiting by her side, from their expressions, it seemed that they had learned some bad news.

On the second floor, Viscount Palmerston and Mrs. Cooper seemed to be pleased with Arthur's song, and they deliberately pushed open the window and smiled and applauded Arthur.

When Arthur saw this, he only felt as if something was wrong.

While he was still pondering, the Red Devil suddenly grinned and put his arm on his shoulder: "Yo! Arthur, it seems that the operation team you sent to the Russian embassy is working very well, and I seem to see that they are already on their way to you. ”

(End of chapter)