As the centre of London's press and publishing industry for centuries, Fleet Street has been a mecca for British journalists.

And today, this holy place has welcomed a new guest - the editor-in-chief of the magazine "British".

The British, which has rapidly risen to the top of the list of popular magazines on the streets of London in recent years, has finally decided to move its headquarters from the two residences of Mr. Disraeli and Mr. Hastings in Lancaster Gate and move into a new track of regularization.

Mr. Disraeli, who is committed to the goal of the Prime Minister, also announced that he will officially step down from the post of editor-in-chief of "British" today, and split the position into two positions: editor-in-chief of fashion literature and editor-in-chief of romance literature.

And the person who took over as editor-in-chief of Fashion Literature was none other than the reluctant Mr. Alexandre Dumas.

Arthur leaned back in the chair of the editorial office, drank tea and read the newspaper, and said comfortingly: "Alexander, where is the manuscript not written?" You still get paid for sitting in an office on Fleet Street, and Benjamin has hired two writing assistants to help you collect information in order to take care of you, even if you don't need a fixed office location, those two assistants do too, right? ”

Dumas sat at the next desk spinning the quill, and the fat man yawned and said impatiently, "It's like a prison here, and even if I stay here, you'll have to rent a bigger house, right?" If nothing else, we're always bigger than Blackwood's editorial office. ”

"There will be one day, but for now, please bear with me for a while." Arthur spoke, "But if you don't like the crampedness of this place, you can also go to Scotland Yard to assist my police secretary in training." ”

"Training?" Dumas held the coffee in his hand, and he frowned, "What are you fooling the Bonaparte kid to do?" ”

"Not a fool, but he proposed." Arthur said: "Louie and I reported that after a week of observation and research in various police districts in London, he found that the quality of the police officers was uneven, especially the execution and discipline needed to be strengthened, so he ......"

Alexandre Dumas shook his head when he heard this: "If you can have a good job, who will be a policeman?" Either a peasant who had just entered the city, or a bankrupt artisan, at the price of fifteen shillings a week, would he still want to hire the Pope's Swiss Guard to come to Scotland Yard? ”

Arthur replied: "The Swiss Guard will definitely not be invited, but Louis has also studied in Switzerland for a few years, and he still has some family roots in training. He told me that he intended to produce a group of absolutely competent officers from Scotland Yard in accordance with the training standards of the French artillery, and that the Criminal Investigation Department would be his first target for training. ”

When Dumas heard this, he almost squirted the coffee in his mouth: "What?! He plans to help Scotland Yard train a squad of French artillery? ”

"That's right, that's why I asked you if you would be interested in helping him." Arthur shook the newspaper in his hand: "Alexander, I remember that you didn't hang the rank of artillery captain in France?" Also worked as an artillery deputy company commander? ”

"I didn't do it!" As soon as Dumas heard this, he suddenly came to his senses, and he snorted and straightened his collar proudly: "Lao Tzu also led people to bombard the Tuileries Palace!" ”

Hearing this, Arthur hurriedly raised his hand to stop it: "This training alone is enough, you don't need to teach them to bombard St. James's Palace." If you're really itchy, you can go to St. Petersburg and teach the sailors there to bombard the Winter Palace. Anyway, sooner or later, it's going to be bombed, who is not bombing. ”

Alexandre Dumas asked, "Do you have an opinion about the Tsar?" ”

Arthur said calmly: "No, it's just because I don't have any friends in Russia for the time being." ”

Hearing this, Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but shake his head and said, "The Britons are really cold, you have no opinion on the Tsar, but I have an opinion." Nicholas I, the cruel tyrant, look what he did to Poland! The hypocrisy of the self-proclaimed protector of Christians in the world by sheltering Greece from the Ottoman Empire has finally torn through his mask of hypocrisy. ”

When Dumas had finished speaking, he noticed that Arthur was not only ignoring him but was still reading the newspaper intently, and he leaned in and asked, "What are you looking at?" ”

Arthur didn't answer, but handed him the newspaper in his hand: "You can see for yourself." ”

Alexandre Dumas took the newspaper and glanced at the ten lines.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expresses its deep condolences for the assassination of the Greek president"

According to public information in Athens, the leader of the great Greek War of Independence, the outstanding diplomat of European renégé, the indomitable fighter for liberalism, the founding father and first president of the Hellenic Republic, Mr. Ioannis Antonios Capodistrias, was attacked in the street by two ultranationalists from the Mani region of Greece on October 9 when he went to the church for Sunday Mass.

Mr. Capodistrias was shot several times in the chest and died in the afternoon of the same day.

The two attackers were arrested on the spot by the Greek authorities, who, according to credible sources, were assassinated by the recent arrest and detention by the Greek authorities of the Mani chieftain Petros Mavrommichaels for refusing to renounce regional autonomy and pay taxes, which caused extreme resentment among the local community, which led to the tragedy.

After the incident, the Foreign Secretary, Viscount Palmerston, immediately expressed his condolences to the Greek ambassador and severely condemned the murderer, and Viscount Palmerston claimed that at this difficult time, the entire British public will be with the Greek people who are fighting for freedom.

At present, the Greek government has declared a temporary state of emergency throughout the country. In times of emergency, all military and political affairs will be taken over by the Supreme Council of Greece, composed of the Commander-in-Chief of the Army, General Koroctlonis, the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, General Miaolis, and the Leader of the Greek Parliament, Mr. Colettis.

Arthur's knuckles tapped on the table, and his mouth couldn't stop muttering, "What a typical ancient Greek tragedy, isn't it?" Alexander. Let us observe a minute of silence in memory of such an outstanding statesman as Mr. Capodistrias. ”

Alexandre Dumas put down the newspaper and said, "So, is Scotland Yard going to lower the flag at half-mast in mourning?" ”

Arthur lamented, "I wouldn't mind doing it if I had the power." But alas, I didn't. ”

Dumas certainly wasn't fooled by Arthur, and as an energetic nineteenth-century republican politician, he knew everything about the situation in Europe, or at least he was very attentive.

As for Greece, which has been the focus of the past few years, Alexandre Dumas has his own research.

He pointed to the list of the three ruling councils of Greece in the newspaper and said: "The commander-in-chief of the army, Koroctlonis, is a pro-Russian leader who wears a pair of pants with the assassinated Greek president, and the weapons and training of the Greek army are basically provided by the Russians.

The Commander-in-Chief of the Navy, Miaolis, was also very interesting, and I remember that British aspirants like Byron and Shelley were mostly responsible for guarding Mysolongion when they went to Greece to assist in the war, and the supplies there were transported by Miaolis for several years.

When the Royal Navy's bomb maniac, General Thomas Corcorran, was sent by Britain to fight in Greece, Miaollis was in charge of helping him. What the hell is he, Arthur, can you tell me? ”

When Arthur heard this, he just raised his hand and pointed to Coletteis, who was at the end of the three-person committee: "Then before that, why don't we talk about Mr. Collettis?" Alexander, like you, was a great republican, a Frenchman in spirit, with a deep love for the land of France. Even if France itself is not a republic now, it cannot change Monsieur Coletteis's fanatical tendencies. ”

There was silence in the office for a moment, and then Dumas and Arthur smiled at each other.

Alexandre Dumas laughed and shook his head, "Alas...... Arthur, maybe you're right: there is no one in politics, only ideas. There are no emotions, only interests. Politically, you can't say it's killing someone, that's just removing an obstacle. Mr. Capodistrias was cleared because he served only the interests of the Russians. ”

Arthur flipped through the manuscript at hand and praised, "You are right, just like what is written in The Count of Monte Cristo." When a person has a considerable amount of property, luxury becomes necessary. When a person has a fairly superior position, his ideals will become brighter. ”

"So you guys really did this?"

"Given the lack of information at hand, I also think it could be a French accident."

"Okay, then let's compromise and treat him as if he was a Greek venting his frustration."

"That's right, the assessment given in The Times is objective enough to meet the expectations of many parties."

As soon as Arthur's words were spoken, the door to the editorial office suddenly opened.

The faces that appeared outside the door stunned Arthur and Alexandre Dumas.

"Alfred, why are you here?"

Tennyson took off his hat, his expression looking a little tired, but he still managed to squeeze out a smile: "Didn't Mr. Disraeli tell you?" Mr. Dumas was the editor-in-chief of fashion literature, and I was in charge of romantic literature. ”

Alexandre Dumas was stunned: "Let you be the editor?" What the hell is Benjamin doing? Doesn't he know you're still in Cambridge? ”

"I'm ......," Tennyson paused, "I dropped out." ”

"Dropped out?" Arthur raised an eyebrow and said, "Did something happen to you?" ”

"That's right, if there's any difficulty, just say it." Alexandre Dumas put his arm around Arthur's shoulders, beat his chest with his hand, and said, "See, we can help you get the stakes right, if you can't do it, we'll remove the obstacles." ”

Arthur glanced at him, lit his pipe and took a puff of his cigarette: "Alexander, it's just a school, I don't think I can do it to that extent." ”

Tennyson hung his hat and coat on the coat rack: "It's nothing, you two don't have to worry about me." I just couldn't afford Cambridge tuition because my father died. ”

"This ...... Your father is gone? ”

"Alfred, I'm sorry to hear that."

Tennyson found a chair and sat down: "It's nothing, God always summons people, but this time it happened to be my father." However, Cambridge is certainly not as reasonable as God, and if you don't have money, you should drop out, and that's the rule. ”

When Dumas heard this, he took out his wallet directly from his arms: "How much does Cambridge tuition cost?" Just ask, I can lend you the tuition first, and you don't have to pay it back in a hurry. ”

Seeing this, Tennyson hurriedly signaled Alexandre Dumas not to be impulsive: "Alexander, thank you for your kindness, but it's really unnecessary, I've already dropped out of school." There is no turning back from the bow, and besides, it is too expensive to pay one or two hundred pounds a year for a second- or third-class diploma in Cambridge. ”

"One or two hundred pounds?" Alexandre Dumas's hands trembled when he heard this: "Is the Cambridge diploma made of gold?" Why do you have to pay so much money to go to school? If you finish your studies, you will have enough money to buy two houses in London. ”

Speaking of this, Alexandre Dumas suddenly came back to his senses: "In this case, Charles's little bald man's family is quite rich?" ”

Arthur glanced at him, "What do you think?" I told you a long time ago that I was the only one of us who was the real mud leg. ”

Tennyson looked very open-minded, and he smiled, "Arthur, you can't say that, and now I am. After all, education at Cambridge is actually quite boring. When William dropped out of school at the beginning of the year, I thought about whether I should quit with him. Now my father's death has given me an official reason to quit school. So, if you retreat, you will retreat. ”

Alexandre Dumas wondered, "That friend of yours, Monsieur Thackeray's father, has also died?" ”

Arthur looked at Alexandre Dumas: "Alexander, you're quite good at talking. ”

Tennyson shook his head and said, "William's father died relatively early, but his father was a senior employee of the East India Company at the time, and William was an only son, so he was able to inherit a lot of family property. It's just that William has a good personality, but he is a little withdrawn, so he can't handle the relationship with his classmates well, and he was stimulated by Mr. Carter before, and he was unsuccessful in submitting articles to the magazine several times. So at the beginning of this year, he dropped out of school and went to the Weimar Republic in Germany, intending to find Mr. Goethe to study poetry and art. ”

When Dumas heard this, he couldn't help but exclaim: "Goethe? This is really capricious! ”

Arthur echoed: "I think it's mainly because of the money. But I think he should have something to gain from this trip, after all, even Bernard, who has always looked down on Mr. Goethe, can only disparage Mr. Goethe to a 'rhyming minion'. This shows that even his opponents cannot deny the beauty of Mr. Goethe's poetry. ”

Speaking of this, Arthur suddenly asked, "But then again, I remember that Cambridge doesn't have a place for work-study students?" Sir Isaac Newton graduated as a working student. If you can become a work-study student, you should be able to get a discount on the tuition fee, so Alexander and I can put together and help you put together the rest of the share and living expenses. ”

When Tennyson heard this, he hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Arthur, I really appreciate your kind help. But the status of a work-study student is not so easy to get. There are a lot of work-study students in natural philosophy, and I don't have such a word as work-study in classical literature. After all, only in mathematics, physics, and chemistry do things need apprentices to help professors. ”

The more Dumas listened, the more confused he became: "What about work-study students?" Can Cambridge students still be divided into three, six, nine and so on? ”

"That's right."

Tennyson nodded: "To be precise, the students of Cambridge and Oxford are divided into three levels, and the best ones are noble students, such as Lord Byron, who can successfully graduate without any exams."

Secondly, I and Charles are self-financed students, Charles, who is a mainstream student who studies theology, and can become a sitting pastor in an Anglican church when he comes out, with a good salary and a very high social status.

The worst of all are work-study students like Sir Isaac Newton. Although they will have discounts on tuition, they are responsible for a lot of chores, such as cleaning the campus, serving tea and water to the professors, and running errands for the aristocratic students.

I remember that there was a legend on campus that Sir Isaac Newton had earned his tuition by fooling aristocratic students into doing business with him. In the 17th century, Cambridge was not quite the same as it is now, the campus and the town of Cambridge were almost completely connected, the ground was full of mud and garbage, the river was dirty, beggars, merchants, vagrants, prostitutes, farmers, everything in the town, so there were business opportunities everywhere. ”

Tennyson couldn't help but joke when he said this, and he comforted himself: "Perhaps Sir Newton was too obsessed with business, so he graduated with a second-class degree from Cambridge." Thinking about it this way, it didn't seem like a big deal for me to drop out of Cambridge. ”

"A second-class degree?" Alexandre Dumas looked back at Arthur: "What degree did you get at the University of London?" ”

Arthur raised his hat, and he didn't talk about himself, but instead asked, "What do you think of the three-year academic gold medal?" ”

When Alexandre Dumas heard this, he asked, "What about Elder?" ”

Arthur took a sip of tea: "It's also first-class." ”

"Huh?!" Alexandre Dumas exclaimed, "How did he get the first rank?" ”

"I don't know." Arthur shrugged his shoulders: "But the professors in the Department of Classics all say that the tea sent by Elder is first-class." ”

Speaking of this, Arthur suddenly had a flash of inspiration in his mind, he pondered for a while, and suddenly said: "Alfred, although it is very inappropriate to say this, I don't think it is necessary to study classical literature at Cambridge. And you're moving to London in the future, so why not find a school that is affordable and doesn't delay your work? ”

"You ......" Tennyson was also stunned: "You mean your alma mater." ”

Alexandre Dumas said in disgust, "Come on, Arthur, what can the Department of Classics at the University of London teach?" ”

Arthur didn't refute it, he just said: "Maybe it used to be mainly an animal research institution, but when Alfred came, wouldn't it be different?" Besides, Cambridge and Oxford charge one or two hundred pounds a year, and the tuition fees of the four major London law houses can reach three hundred pounds a year, while the annual tuition fees of the University of London are only thirteen pounds and six shillings. ”

"But ......," Tennyson was a little puzzled, "but I heard that the University of London does not have a royal charter?" ”

Arthur took a sip of tea and said, "Don't worry, it will be there soon." ”

Tennyson was stunned and said, "How do you know?" ”

Arthur put down the teacup, leaned forward and asked seriously, "Alfred, do you know who is responsible for issuing the royal charter?" ”

Tennyson thought for a moment: "Yes...... It should be the Chief Justice, right? ”

Arthur nodded, "That's right, but the Chancellor is now our school board chairman." So you know, it's not us who are worried about the Royal Charter, it's Oxford and Cambridge right now. If they continue to incite the Board of Education to vote against the granting of a Royal Charter to the University of London, then by the time their Royal Charter expires, they would do well to pray that Lord Bruham has been ousted, or we will see. ”

When Tennyson heard this, he immediately smiled: "This ...... If so, maybe I should really consider going to the University of London......"

Seeing that he was interested, Arthur took out a piece of paper directly from the drawer and wrote a note and handed it to him: "Alfred, take this and give it to Principal Horner when you go to register, and he will definitely arrange for you to skip a grade at your discretion for the sake of you having studied in Cambridge for a while." ”

"Arthur, I ......" The gloom in Tennyson's heart was swept away, "I really don't know how to thank you." ”

Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but whistle: "I'll just say, Alfred, now the obstacle has been removed." ”

Just as the three of them were talking and laughing, the door of the editorial office was knocked open again.

Disraeli, who walked three times and staggered, staggered into the office, covering his head and complaining, "Damn, I shouldn't have drunk so much yesterday, and when I got up this morning, I felt like the whole world was going around, and it didn't get better until now." ”

Seeing this, Alexandre Dumas couldn't help but laugh and said, "It seems that our future prime minister has already tasted politics." Benjamin, how does it taste? ”

"How's it taste?" Disraeli glared, "It's hot, it's a little sweet at first taste, but then I just feel a little burning in my throat." ”

Alexandre Dumas laughed and said, "Then I think this politics may be twenty-eight degrees." ”

"Pretty much." Disraeli still felt a little palpitating when he thought about it: "Oh God! You haven't seen that scene last night, and the feeling of being targeted by several ladies is too unnerving. If you please this and are afraid of offending that, no one dares to snub me, otherwise they will be able to press me to death on the table with a flattering effort. Anyway, Arthur, what are you calling me here for today? ”

When Arthur heard this, he just took out the file bag that was put aside and threw it over: "What else can you do?" Of course, it will help you pave the way to the prime minister. ”

In the afternoon, a new all-subscription group was created, and interested book friends can directly click on the link below in this chapter to jump to join.

(End of chapter)