Today's London is still foggy with a light rain, the wind seeps into the house through the windows, and the cold environment freezes so cold that Arthur, who has just entered the door, can't help but shiver.

Arthur pushed open the door, put away his umbrella, and put it in the umbrella tube by the door, he untied his scarf and exhaled white air and said, "Charles, sit down." ”

Dickens put away his umbrella and looked up at the dark room, and joked: "It's too dark, doesn't Alexander usually light the lights when he's at home?" ”

"It depends on his mood, but he's not home today. At this point, he was either reviewing a dish at a restaurant on a London street corner or watching a play at a small street theatre. ”

Arthur leaned their wet boots against the windowsill and turned on the oil lamp on the dining table.

He looked at the dim light in the room and hesitated for a while, but finally decided to go on a luxury and set the fireplace on fire.

Dickens leaned back on the couch and watched Arthur make tea by the fireplace, and asked, "So Alexander also likes to go to the little theater on the street to see a show?" ”

Arthur took two towels from the bathroom and threw one to Dickens, who wiped his wet hair and asked, "It seems that you also like the little theater on the street?" Does it have any unique charm? ”

"Hmmm......"

Dickens smiled and nodded: "Licensed theaters like the Coburg Theater naturally have their own uniqueness, such as "Macbeth", "Hamlet", "Othello", "King Lear" and other Shakespearean classics are only qualified to be staged in these regular theaters, and the ultimate goal of playwrights all over Europe is to put their works on the stage here."

However, although the small theatre near Riverbank Street was not eligible to stage Shakespeare's plays, due to the 1809 uprising at the Covent Garden Theatre, the Palace Secretary in charge of theatrical productions had to concede to the citizens of London and open the licence for unlicensed small theatres to perform burlesque and some musical stage plays. ”

"Origin uprising?" Arthur put two tea bags into the white porcelain teacup and brewed them with hot water: "Did there be an uprising in London in 1809?" ”

"It's not a real uprising, it's just an ordinary uprising under the guise of an uprising."

Dickens, who was quite an observer of London city life, laughed and said: "You know, the citizens of London are like this, since London was inhabited, the residents of London have always found an opportunity to riot in the streets when they have nothing to do. Although the means of our riots are not as extreme as those of the citizens of Paris, we cannot stand the frequent riots of the citizens of London! ”

Arthur, who had been a police officer at Scotland Yard for almost three years, agreed: "When I was still at university, the professor taught us about the time-honoured tradition of riots in London. The reasons for the riots were varied, ranging from those who wanted to overthrow the king, those who wanted to demolish the Houses of Parliament, and those who wanted to kill the cabinet. When it comes to people's livelihood, there are those who protest against the increase in rice prices and enter the market to grab grain, and there are those who complain that wages are too low so they destroy factory machinery. There are also idle and bored who want to take care of the king's household affairs, who do not like the new queen to protest, and the king and queen divorce also march. Let me guess if the original-priced uprising you're talking about is a protest against the price increase of theater tickets, right? ”

Dickens smiled and took a sip of tea: "Arthur, you are worthy of being a detective, and you really guessed correctly." The Covent Garden Theatre had just been rebuilt after a fire. In order to recover the construction costs, the theatre manager added a new floor of private boxes for the wealthy, and the ticket prices for the other seats also increased.

However, this angered the citizens, and they rioted and stormed the theater, which was filled with trumpets and drums for two months, so that both the theater manager and the palace minister had to give in to the citizens.

Arthur raised his eyebrows and said, "Fortunately, there was no Scotland Yard at that time, otherwise it would be really difficult for us to deal with this kind of thing." After all, our police officers' salaries are not high, but they also have a need to watch dramas. But then again, Covent Garden has gone up in price, so why don't they go to the theater somewhere else? With all due respect, although the dramas there are of excellent quality, it's almost the same to watch two or three films, and it's quite boring to watch too much. ”

Dickens spoke: "It's not that the citizens don't want to go to other places to see plays. But before the ban on small theatres was lifted in 1809, there were only two full-fledged theatres in London with royal warrants, one being the Covent Garden Theatre and the other being the Drury Lane Theatre.

At that time, these two theaters not only performed elegant plays and musicals as they do today, but also operated amazing programs such as lion taming in cages and fighting on horseback, which can only be seen in small theaters today. I've heard some old Londoners say that the theatre was different then than it is now. The theater is divided into four floors, and the third floor and above are reserved for the rich and nobles, and there are always two private rooms for the royal family. In the main hall at the bottom, in addition to selling seat tickets, standing tickets are also sold.

When the show starts, the audience is joking with their friends or shouting hello to their friends in the box upstairs, and there is a lot of noise and noise everywhere. That's why everyone said that only actors who had been trained in Covent Garden and Drewry Lane Theatre at that time could really be called a corner in London. ”

Arthur nodded lightly and said, "Sounds quite lively." In this way, the ticket price should not be expensive at that time, right? ”

Dickens replied with a smile: "It's really not expensive, even ordinary people can go to a play occasionally." I've heard them say that in the winter, when the theatre opens, the citizens of all parts of London, who go to work in the afternoon and evening, spend four pennies every time they buy a ticket in the main hall and watch a beautiful show. If the guests are willing to pay an extra two or three pence, they can buy a large glass of ale and a fish and chips in the theater's bar. If you get a dozen pennies, you can buy a few meat dishes, like gobbling up bread or something. ”

When Arthur heard this, he only felt strange, he stared at Dickens for a long time, and suddenly pinched his chin and said, "Charles." ”

"What's wrong?"

"Are you talking about London? How do I feel like it's Lu Zhen? ”

Dickens was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed: "Arthur really can't hide anything from you." ”

"What? You have a new pen name, called Zhou Shuren? ”

"Arthur, what are you kidding me again?"

Dickens laughed and said, "But you're right, Gobbling up the cake is indeed from Luton in Bedfordshire. The flour is mixed with water and oil and rolled into a roll, with salted ham and bacon sandwiched on one end and applesauce on the other. But while the gobbling cakes are good, I still prefer the other products in the bar, such as the beef loin pudding fried with beef and beef kidneys and a layer of gravy, or Cornwall's famous meat pies. ”

Arthur took a sip of tea, rubbed his stomach and said, "When you say that, I'm really a little hungry." Then again, did the citizens who watched the theater in the main hall often eat these things you said? ”

Dickens shook his head and said, "How is that possible?" Most of the guests in the main hall are working hard in the dock or factory, and they are probably not so generous. Only those in tuxedos would paced into the bar room, asking for wine and food, and slowly sitting and drinking while watching the play. And even if hard-working bachelors have money, most of them are reluctant to spend it on food. Arthur, you should also know that most of the prostitutes will buy special season tickets to go in and out of the theater in order to make a business. At that time, there were only two formal theatres in London, so there was always no shortage of clients when they went to that place. Whether it's in the lobby or in the bar, they can do business. ”

When Arthur heard this, he couldn't help but raise his finger and tap on the table: "I thought this phenomenon was only a few years ago, but has it been decades?" Charles, if you hadn't told me, I would have almost let the Bishop of Exeter get over. ”

Dickens asked, "What did he do to you?" ”

Arthur said helplessly: "It's nothing more than accusing Scotland Yard of doing things badly." He said that the original intention of establishing Scotland Yard was to eradicate all kinds of evil phenomena in society, but more than two years have passed, and there are 80,000 prostitutes lying on the answer sheet handed over by Scotland Yard. ”

Dickens was curious: "I wanted to ask you about this before, is the situation in London really so bad now?" Are the prostitutes in London the 80,000 that the bishop says, or the 8,000 according to the Scotland Yard report? ”

Arthur didn't want to lie to his friend, he just waved his hand and said, "Neither." ”

Dickens asked, "You mean the bishop is exaggerated, and Scotland Yard is underreported?" ”

Dickens had just said this, when suddenly the door was pushed open, and Alexandre Dumas walked in with a water-soaked puff head.

Dumas noticed the lights in the room and turned his head to look: "Yo! Isn't this Charles? You're not here to deliver my manuscript, are you? ”

Dickens took out the manuscript from his bag and put it on the table: "Of course, the manuscript must be handed in, but I am now discussing with Arthur the question of the number of prostitutes. ”

Dumas laughed and put down his umbrella and said, "Do you still need to ask?" What the hell is wrong with you, and you want to believe the statistics of Scotland Yard. ”

Dickens was puzzled: "Alexander, why do you say that?" ”

Arthur took a sip of tea and said, "That's because Alexander has suffered a loss in statistics. He had told me before that when he was in Paris, Mr. Leonard, president of the Paris Statistical Society, was his friend. Every time the guy gave an example, he always liked to make fun of Alexander's mistress and the number of illegitimate children.

At that time, Alexander had already made a name for himself in Paris because he had written a play. Once, when the statistical society held its annual meeting, he invited Alexander to give a lecture. As a result, Alexander only said one sentence in his speech, and he couldn't get Mr. Leonar off the stage. ”

"What did Alexander say?"

Arthur began, "He said: All statistics are false, including those about me. ”

Alexandre Dumas casually took out a bottle of wine from the wine cabinet and poured a glass: "Am I wrong?" Aren't statistics all based on demand? Leoner knew that making fun of my private life would get the audience to applaud, so he liked to exaggerate the number of mistresses and illegitimate children I had. According to him, I guess half the women of Paris can have a relationship with me.

As for the Bishops of Scotland Yard and Exeter, one of you wants to evade responsibility, and the other wants to fool the many believers who come to the church, so of course what you say is not credible.

Charles, instead of trusting them, you should wait for Elder to consult him directly when he comes back from the sea. After all, Elder may not know much about other aspects, but he is still very concerned about caring for the Warbler. Oh, and by the way, you have to note that Elder may also have a larger stat than the real one, as his stats can occasionally be inadvertently expanded to Paris and men. ”

Arthur shrugged his shoulders and said, "Alexander, you just said that you couldn't have a relationship with half a lady in Paris, and now you are starting to believe in Elder's abilities again?" Although the Scotland Yard figure is indeed on the small side, even the number of people we actually identified is 8,600. ”

Dickens took a deep breath when he heard this: "Arthur, do you think that if it is counted as 30,000 people, it is in line with the actual situation?" ”

Arthur thought for a moment: "I think it may be about the same, most of the 8,600 people identified by the Scottish site have been in this profession for a long time. But some ladies do not do this business for a long time, but because of short-term financial difficulties, they get involved in this business for a period of time. And once their economy improves, then they will directly leave the business. These people come and go, and some are more hidden mistresses and concubines, which is the fundamental reason why Scotland Yard has difficulty recognizing the whole picture. As I said earlier, there are always a few organized warblers, and most of them fly solo. ”

When Dickens heard this, he suddenly said, "That...... Arthur, I have a request, I don't know if you'd like to hear it? ”

"How?" Arthur remembered Dickens's habit of visiting the slums of London and asked, "Do you want to do a documentary interview with them?" ”

"No, it's not an interview."

Dickens shook his head and said, "I'm not a journalist now, and although I still maintain the habit of visiting the field, it's no longer my duty to write news." I was thinking, do something for these ladies. You see, I've made some money now, and my life is a little bit better than before. Just as you helped me before, I want to help others now.

For example, a sum of money will be set up to help them acquire job skills and provide temporary shelter so that they can have a chance to get out of the business. Truth be told, I started working on it when I saw that news report before, and I gave it a name, Casa Urania. Would you like to work with me on behalf of Scotland Yard? ”

When the Red Devil on the side heard this, he couldn't help but whistle: "Urania, the muse in charge of astronomy and astrology, that's a pretty girl." Arthur, this young man of yours is really getting more and more literary. ”

When Dumas heard this, he couldn't help but joke with Dickens: "Charles, isn't it?" Tell me, did you come up with this name? It can't be the beautiful young lady I saw with you last time, right? ”

"Huh?" Dickens was shocked: "When did you see it?" ”

"Come on, Charles." Dumas raised his elbow and poked Dickens: "Come and tell you all what the name of that young lady is, and how far you and her have developed." ”

Dickens smiled shyly: "Actually, it's nothing, we're just ordinary friends." Her name is Maria, and you may not know about her, but you and Arthur may have heard of her father. His father was Mr. Bidnell of the City of the City, and he had dealings with both the Bank of Barings and the Bank of Rothschild. ”

Dumas couldn't help but inhale and teased: "The banker's daughter? Charles, you're aiming for a lot! ”

"No, it's not. Alexander, don't say that. Dickens blushed and said, "Of course, I can't deny that I do have a trace of a nobler idea of her than friendship, but I don't know what she thinks now." It's hard to say whether this will work out. ”

Alexandre Dumas didn't care and said, "Charles, what do you care so much about?" If you like it, magnify your courage a little, and if you are cringe, you can't please a girl like this. ”

Dumas had just finished speaking, when suddenly there was a sharp knock at the door.

A ashamed Dickens hurriedly got up and opened the door in order to get out of this place of right and wrong.

But unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the door, he saw a rain-covered Disraeli rushing in like a leopard out of a cage.

Disraeli rushed in front of Arthur and asked abruptly, "Arthur, is it true that Gladstone is going to Scotland Yard to work as a psychological consultant?" ”

Arthur took a sip of tea, gently put down the teacup, smiled and raised his eyebrows and asked, "What?" This proud gentleman also has an idea for helping these ladies who have accidentally stumbled? ”

(End of chapter)