London, Kensington, in a coffee shop on the corner of Oxford Street.

The drizzle covered the windows of the café with a thin layer of mist, and Arthur stirred the spoon of the white porcelain cup, and with his agitation, the milky milk seeped into the pure black coffee little by little, and the taste was blended with the melted sugar cubes.

On the chair opposite him sat a blonde woman in a pale green pleated dress and a fashionable sunhat with a wide brim as dark as the night.

Needless to say, she was one of the best Miss Fiona Ivan in all of London.

Fiona looked at Arthur stirring his coffee cup unhurriedly, and after a long time, she didn't see him speak, and picked up the teacup with some dissatisfaction and said: "When I saw you before, I could still get two painless compliments, why the longer we have known each other, the less I can get?" Mr. Hastings, what is wrong with me? ”

Hearing this, Arthur put down the spoon, raised his head and smiled, "Fiona, it's not that I don't want to praise your beauty. But after being taught a lesson by you last time, I reflected a lot. I think I have to apologize to you, it was my fault to compliment you on being beautiful, sorry, Fiona. ”

Fiona lifted her visor and asked curiously, "Huh?" What did you figure out? ”

When the Red Devil who was sitting at the next table eating candy cubes heard this, he just laughed twice: "It's started, it's started again, Arthur, you're really getting more and more proficient in this set." ”

Arthur glanced at the Red Devil and replied with a smile, "I think I can describe a butterfly or a flower by the beauty of the appearance, but it is not appropriate to describe a person by the beauty of the appearance. As Joseph Rubert said, beauty can only be observed with the eyes of the heart. And my mind has long been blinded, so I don't think I'm qualified to judge you yet. ”

Agareth propped his head on one hand and muttered as he chewed on a candy cube, "You don't even want to say a word of flattery, Arthur, you're getting lazy." But it's not a big deal, as long as a woman has a crush on you, even if you go to kill someone and set fire, she thinks you must have some reason to be difficult to speak. This chick doesn't hate you yet, you can just cheat, but be careful not to play with it.

What did Plato say about that? The pain of being a woman is that when she has a physical relationship with the man she loves, she naturally sees this relationship as a kind of eternity, but men can be different, and they may only think that it is another interpretation of the way of life. As the book says: between men and women, before the commitment of marriage, it is better to maintain a simple relationship, otherwise, there is really no time to go back.

Oh, it's hard to believe that this passage was actually said by an old bachelor who has been single all his life. ”

Arthur gestured his middle finger at the Red Devil, who was the master of emotion, under the table, but the smile on his face did not diminish for a moment.

Fiona looked at him suspiciously, she hesitated for a moment, her slender eyelashes fluttered: "This passage doesn't seem like you can say it, but if you think about it, there seems to be nothing wrong with you saying it." After all, your hands hold knives from Monday to Saturday and jump on the keys of the theater on Sundays. I have to say, Mr. Hastings, you are indeed the most complex and difficult person I have ever met in my life. ”

Arthur took a sip of coffee: "You've been to my show?" ”

Fiona looked out the window at the traffic and took a sip from her teacup, "It would be nice if you could know a few more tunes." ”

Arthur saw that the atmosphere was almost spread, and immediately continued with the conversation: "Of course I would like to spend more time studying the tunes, but Fiona, you know, I have other things to do lately. ”

As soon as Fiona heard this, she held her cheeks in her hands and sighed, "I knew that I had to go back to work when I went around." Bernie Harrison: yes? Didn't I tell you everything? That idiot has already taken the bait, and it's easy for my girls to arrange a man who is obsessed with lust. Rest assured, in a little while you will be able to go to 57-B Oxford Street and pick up people on time. ”

Arthur took out his pocket watch, and his fingertips must have lifted the lid of the watch: "Hmm...... This is just the right time, and by the time Mr. Harrison arrives, my fellow reporters should be coming soon. ”

Pink nails pounded on the tabletop, and Fiona put one hand to her lips and winked at Arthur: "So while this is the time, should we talk about the price?" I took a day off today to arrange things for you, and you brought a reporter with me, and although Harrison deserved that rotten man, my little sister was innocent. Leaving my part aside, Mr. Hastings, you must give the poor and helpless young girl a little mental remedy, right? ”

When Arthur heard this, he pursed his lips and put down his teacup with a smile: "Fiona, I thought that with the friendship between the two of us, this kind of little work should be revealed." Besides, didn't I have advanced you a sum of six hundred pounds? And it's all cashier's notes from the Bank of England, and you can redeem more than 4,000 grams of gold at any time, if you want. ”

Fiona teased her blonde hair hanging down her sideburns and bargained, "Mr. Hastings, I didn't expect you to be as generous as before, but you can't be bloodless." It's not as expensive as calling my little sister, but you'll have to pay something to call the girl. In case you didn't know, the sisters in the East End think of you as the sun hanging high above London. You don't want to ruin your image in our hearts, do you? ”

Arthur looked at the candy in the cup and calmly replied, "Really? It's the first time I've seen the sun in London since I came to London five years ago. ”

Seeing that the bargain could not be made, Fiona's eyebrows were pulled to the corners of her eyes, she leaned on the table in frustration, waved her hand and said, "Okay, okay, who made you ......"

As soon as Fiona had said this, she heard Arthur's voice.

"I didn't say I wouldn't promise you."

"You promised?"

Fiona bounced off the table in surprise, perhaps because she was up too violently, and her chest shook.

Seeing this, Arthur only frowned slightly, shook his head lightly and said, "It's okay to stuff something less, I remember the first time I saw it, it was obviously not so big." You dangling around always reminds me of a few Frenchmen. ”

Fiona's face was flushed with fever, and she tapped the table with her knuckles and said, "What do you mean to be less stuffed!" That's how I was supposed to be capital! The next time you met, it was my corset that was tied too tightly! ”

"Wait, what's going on with the French?" As soon as she said this, Fiona was suddenly stunned again, she was suspicious at first, and then she said angrily: "Arthur Hastings! Did you go to Chelsea's bitch, Eugenie, to take care of their business? ”

Arthur said calmly: "Are you so finely divided? French girls, Russian girls, do you still have the Mediterranean style of Iberia and the Apennines? ”

Fiona glared, "It's not as easy to do as you think, Mr. Hastings, though I can't interfere in your private life, after all, you're a young and strong young man, and I can understand that you would do such a thing." But I must stress that Eugenie's girls are not clean, beware of getting sick! If you really want to play, come to me and I can arrange the best for you. We also have girls who speak French. ”

Arthur shook his head when he heard this: "Forget it, French girl, you may not know, I hear the girl speak French now, there is a psychological shadow." ”

Fiona was relieved to hear this, and she drank her tea while not forgetting to talk to herself about the goodwill of her opponent.

"That's right, it seems that you have already learned the services of Eugenie and her family, and although she claims to be a high-end customer, it is not an exaggeration to say that they are actually committing fraud. As soon as her girl took off her corset, the fat on her waist could pile up for two or three miles, and we didn't have that problem here.

Come to think of it, if it weren't for the fact that we were all real here, and the girls knew how to chat, how could I have caught Bernie Harrison's stupid donkey for you so easily? Well...... No, Bernie Harrison is stupid, but he still has a good eye for girls. He hadn't even looked at Eugenie's money-losing goods! ”

At this point, Fiona suddenly changed her words, "Mr. Hastings, you think it might be otherwise. I don't talk about this single order, but I don't charge money, but ......"

Arthur sensed something wrong in her words: "You want to do something?" ”

"Oh, dear, how can you talk so hurtfully." Fiona put her hands on her chest and pretended to be pitiful: "Look, I'm just a petite and weak girl, what can I do?" ”

Speaking of this, Fiona didn't forget to reach out and take out a ticket from her chest, put it on the table and slowly pushed it towards Arthur: "I just ask if you can make it easier for me." Do you think it would be okay to remove the fixed security posts on the south side of Chelsea Borough? It won't take too long, just give me three or two days. ”

When Arthur heard this, he just took a bite of the fried browned bagel: "Fiona, you're going to kill someone." ”

Fiona put one hand to her mouth and pretended to be surprised: "Mr. Hastings, look at what you said, isn't it normal for a girl in our business to cause human life?" ”

Arthur shook his head and said, "I can't care about how many more lives you have, because the hospital is in charge." But if a few lives are missing, that's the remit of Scotland Yard. So your request was denied, Fiona, I'm sorry, but I can't promise you. ”

Fiona got up furiously and said, "Hastings! You're still protecting that bitch! Do you have a leg with her? When she supported the old lady to do things, did the old lady refuse once? How many times has Eugenie climbed into your bed, and she deserves to on the head of the old lady! ”

At this point, she was still angry, and Fiona jerked her skirt to reveal a flintlock pistol tied to her calf: "Fuck, my mother is going to shoot her fat powder can head tonight!" ”

Seeing this, Agareth on the side laughed and rolled on the ground: "Arthur, I told you to pay attention, are you going to get away with it now?" ”

Arthur didn't care about this, he just pinched his chin and nodded at Fiona's calf: "I can't see it, it's quite white." ”

Fiona's face flushed when he said it, and the anger she had just raised suppressed half of it: "Less flamboyant, I'm going to fuck that bitch from Eugenie now, do you agree?" ”

Arthur neither agreed nor directly denied it, but instead said, "Fiona, I can't protect you for such a felony as murder." Even if I were lucky enough to save you, you would have to be exiled to South Africa or Australia. If you leave, the money in the fencing competition will only be earned by other people. ”

"Fencing competitions? Dish? Fiona was stunned for a moment, then sat back in her seat: "What the hell is going on?" ”

Arthur leaned back in his chair: "Didn't you say before that I should go to your boxing ring in the East End?" I looked back and thought about it, boxing is not my specialty, but when it comes to fencing, I still have a certain chance of winning. So some time ago I discussed it with the young master of the Rothschild family, and planned to ask him to arrange a sword fighting match between me and Mr. François Bertrand. ”

"François Bertrand? That foil Napoleon? ”

As soon as Fiona heard this, she was suddenly thrown out of the clouds with all her anger: "Oh! My dear, why didn't you say it earlier? Honey, you're not angry, are you? ”

Arthur looked up and thought, "Maybe it's a little bit." ”

Hearing this, Fiona leaned over to Arthur's side and squeezed his shoulders quite sensibly: "Honey, it was my fault just now. I'm not going to bother with Eugenie, where is that bitch's life and death going to catch up with your game. Don't worry, I'll bring all my sisters to cheer you on on the day of the game. ”

Arthur shook his finger slightly: "It's none of my business whether you find trouble with Eugenie or not, as long as you don't cause trouble, you can do anything." You should know that the Criminal Investigation Department at Scotland Yard is under my control. And I'm just like you, people don't like to go to work, so try not to get me in trouble. ”

"Of course, my dear, I'll listen to you."

As soon as Fiona finished speaking, the wind chimes in the café rang, and Sergeant Jones led a small officer to push the door in.

Seeing this, Fiona winked at Arthur, and said goodbye.

She picked up her handbag, smiled and nodded at Jones and the little officer, and left the café.

Seeing this, the little officer was stunned for a moment, and then asked in a low voice, "Sir, is that Mr. Hastings something?" ”

When Jones heard this, he glared back at him angrily, lowered his voice, and said, "Bastard! Superintendent Hastings is single now! It was Miss Fiona, the talker of Cambrigi's little brother. In the future, if Superintendent Hastings hands over the Whitechapel district to you, you'll have to pat her on the back! To the Criminal Investigation Department and Superintendent Hastings, she may be even more important than we are. ”

The little officer nodded thoughtfully, but before he could think clearly, he was brought to Arthur by Jones.

With a smile on his face, Jones introduced Arthur: "Sir, this is Ridley King, a progressive young man from the Whitechapel Police Department. You may not know it, but the arrest ...... Well, our police secretary, Mr. Louis Bonaparte, succeeded in his actions thanks to his indomitable courage. This kid's courage and execution are the strongest in Whitechapel Police District, so I don't think it would be wrong for him to take the lead in this mission. ”

Ridley stood up and saluted, "Sir, Ridley King salutes you. ”

Arthur looked at him, smiled and nodded, "Ledley, come on, sit down and have a drink." It's time to move in a moment, you warm up first. Jones mentioned you to me before that you are a very capable young police officer. But you also know that Scotland Yard always has to have some basis for promoting people, and it would be better if there was media coverage to back it up.

On the occasion of the Regency Crescent, you made a meritorious service, but after all, it was only a personal action, and it would be almost enough to give you a special commendation according to the rules of Scotland Yard. But this time, Sheriff Jones urged me that you lead the officers of Scotland Yard in a unified sweep of the crime dens on Oxford Street.

I have also contacted the reporters of the major newspapers, and Director Rowan also attaches great importance to this action, saying that he must use this action to reverse the negative influence of Scotland Yard in public opinion in recent times. Since there are reporters watching, you must remember to behave decently and civilly in the process of enforcing the law, do you understand? ”

Ridley took the coffee from Arthur's hand and drank it down: "Sir, please rest assured! You'll never find a better fit than me! ”

Arthur nodded slightly, he stood up and put on his hat, and Jones hurriedly took the uniform jacket from the coat rack and put it on him.

Arthur lifted the battle of civilization and touched the brim of his hat, and he pointed to several black cloth umbrellas that appeared outside the café: "The reporter has arrived." Well, Ledley, it's up to you now. ”

……

At 57-B Oxford Street, Harrison was lying on a white sheet, with a beautiful woman in his arms and a wine bottle in his hand, looking out the window at the drizzle with a depressed expression.

The blonde woman rested on Harrison's chest: "Honey, why are you so melancholy? ”

Harrison replied with some irritation, "It's nothing, it's just something unclean." Those bitches raised them are just staring at me. ”

As soon as he had said this, he suddenly heard a heavy footstep outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, I heard an enthusiastic introduction: "Gentlemen, ladies, please keep your eyes on here." ”

Harrison frowned, "Fuck, what's going on out there?" ”

"I don't know, maybe it's a house viewing."

The two of them were muttering, when suddenly, they heard a bang, and the door was kicked open.

Ridley King, with his magnetic voice, did his best to make a sound that could reach two streets.

"Oh! O my God! Look, everyone, who is this? It turned out to be a member of the House of Commons, Mr. Bernie Harrison! ”

(End of chapter)