"Hmmm......"

Arthur couldn't help but wonder what to say when he heard that Gladstone could actually ask this.

Perhaps because of his education at the University of London, Arthur often attended public lectures given by Mr. Bentham when he was not in college.

Jeremy Bentham was a serious Oxford graduate, and in addition to talking about his field of law, the old naughty boy who had a straight temper and a little eccentric often lashed out at his alma mater mercilessly.

It was from Bentham's mouth that Arthur established a basic impression of Oxford education in this era.

As one of the two oldest universities in England, the University of Oxford retains a strong aristocratic and religious identity, and as all European Christian universities do, Oxford and Cambridge place a strong emphasis on classical education, or more precisely, on classical literature in ancient Greece and Rome. As for the English literature of Britain, it is taken for granted that it is the literature of the poor and is not included in the scope of teaching.

In addition to this, as universities founded by clergy, Oxford and Cambridge still retain many old and sluggish customs. For example, every student who enrolls in the school must sign the Thirty-Nine Articles of Faith, which is an oath of the state religion, or they will not be allowed to enroll.

Although this ritual has become more and more formalized today, it has no longer much significance, but similar dogmas to almost rigid rules, as well as rigid and rigid relationships between superiors and subordinates in the school, have given birth to countless bad practices.

Professors shouted at students, bullied juniors in the senior grades, and the blessing of heavy pressure and relatively affluent family conditions naturally gave birth to the campus atmosphere of alcoholism, prostitution addiction, and violence on the Oxford campus.

In Bentham's mouth, Oxford produced only four kinds of students.

The first is a rebel like him who has always refused to fit in and gritted his teeth to the end, who graduated from Oxford, but is ashamed of it, and what Oxford education has brought them is to give them an infinite spirit of resistance, in addition to some knowledge.

The second is the likes of Lord Byron, who are equally rebellious and equally disgusted with Oxford, but whose long studies at Oxford have imbued them with the bad atmosphere of Oxford. But unlike the average Oxfordian, they do not bother to hide their actions, and use their actions to denounce the hypocrisy of Oxford's educational philosophy. Lord Byron's outrageous series of tidbits and broken hearts are the best illustration of the lifestyle of this nineteenth-century English hippie.

The third is the norm for most Oxford graduates, who ostensibly accept Oxford's ideas, and no one speaks louder than they do when reciting the Thirty-Nine Articles of Faith. But everyone knows that it's just a joke.

In public, these Oxford model students would behave one by one, as if there was no one in the world more glorious and decent than them.

But at nightfall, Oxfordtown's bustling beer halls and thriving prostitution industry already tell us what they think. Perhaps in private, when no one is around, they play a little more fancy than Lord Byron, except that they don't talk about it. And they will eventually bring it to the families involved in all walks of life, as well as to the Oxbridge graduates' councils.

As for the fourth, according to Mr. Bentham, such people may be called the naïve fools in the world, who have been deceived by the aphorisms, the ordinances, and the so-called ancient traditions of Oxford, and who are the most respectful and devout believers, and the most learned and motivated students. They withstood the bad atmosphere of Oxford. They come out of the mud without staining, and the ripples are clear but not demonic.

But at this point, Mr. Bentham regretted that at least when he was a student at Oxford, he had not met this fourth kind of person, who only lived in his imagination.

Perhaps because of Benthham's influence, when Arthur first heard of Gladstone's style, he inevitably wondered if the boy was really as innocent as the rumors had suggested.

But when he thought about it, even the University of London could give birth to a strange breed like Elder, and it didn't seem to be a small chance that Oxford would occasionally attract a psychopath.

Besides, Oxford has already produced an eccentric like the Rev. Newman, and it is not surprising that there is another decent gentleman, Gladstone.

Arthur looked at Gladstone's expression, but for a while, he never read the slightest hint of deception from the other party's micro-expression.

Since the other party really didn't understand, Arthur could only patiently explain to him slowly, after all, the most important task of Scotland Yard today is to serve these pious gentlemen who came to conduct moral persuasion. Although Director Rowan didn't send him out to pick up customers, someone came to the door, and Arthur still didn't mind providing a few high-quality services alone.

Arthur began: "The so-called secret prostitution refers to those related workers who are not in a fixed place and openly solicit customers, including mistresses who have been kept for a long time, and also those ladies who do not make a living from it for a long time, but occasionally make a sale. These ladies are dressed almost indistinguishably from ordinary women, and they are even married with their own jobs, husbands, and children.

Generally speaking, it is extremely difficult to discern whether they are in the business or not, and only the most experienced veterans can read their impromptu hints, whether it is a provocative gesture of lifting their skirts, a suggestive look, or a not-so-direct seductive remark.

In most cases, these ladies have one or more long-term stable clients, and their dealings are small and their relationships are very secretive, so it is very difficult for Scotland Yard to find out their exact number.

We'll have to try our luck with our most seasoned agents on the streets of London, and if we happen to run into a lady who happens to lose a stable client, or if she feels that our agent is a worthy target, then we might be lucky. ”

Gladstone asked, "Does success mean being developed by her?" ”

Arthur hadn't swallowed the tea in his mouth yet, and when he heard this, he almost sprayed it directly on the other party's face, he swallowed the black tea calmly, and pulled out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of his mouth: "Mr. Gladstone, I mean the secret prostitution statistics in Scotland Yard plus one." I don't think the average police officer can afford to spend much money on these things. ”

Gladstone asked, "Then you mean, can the senior officers do?" ”

Arthur stared at Gladstone's serious expression, and he didn't know how to communicate with this stunned young man who didn't seem to be politically enlightened. But for now, at least, he finally understood why the conservative-leaning bigwigs of the Tories supported the young man.

Whether by Western or Eastern standards, this guy's moral concept is pure enough, which will indeed appeal to the clergy.

Arthur turned to say, "Well, Mr. Gladstone, if you really want to get back to the roots. I'll be blunt, in terms of cost alone, the salaries of senior police officers are indeed enough to cover this expense. Enough high returns, which is one of the reasons why the number of prostitutes remains high.

Think about it, most women in London today earn around £25-30 a year, but according to Scotland Yard, the price of an average warbler who has fallen into the dust can usually reach 1 shilling. Thus, even those who are going to be pumped by a brothel for four to fifty percent can earn 80-100 pounds a year, and those who are better off can even double this amount.

You should also know what the normal income level is in London at the moment, where a well-respected and established mechanic can only earn £100, and an officer of a railway company earns between £60 and £80 a year. And as Superintendent of Police at Scotland Yard, my annual duty earns £150. Under the temptation of such wealth, and after the immoral inducement of some related people, they will have a second time if they have the first time, and they will become more and more out of control in the future.

I've heard that you've been admonishing them for a long time, so you probably know from them that once you've done it, there's no going back. According to the interrogation of a total of 3,103 prostitutes arrested in Scotland Yard, 1,773 were completely uneducated, 1,237 were able to read and write the 26th alphabet, 89 had been tutored by tutors, and only 8 had attended a full women's grammar school.

As a result, the vast majority of them have to work as weavers or domestic workers. But what you may not know is that factory owners and domestic employers are very interested in their employees' past experiences, so if they find out that their employees have had such experiences, they are unlikely to get any jobs. I think that's probably why you've been failing in moral persuasion. ”

When Gladstone heard this, he couldn't help frowning, as if he had figured out something, but also as if he was in some pain, he sighed and said, "Alas...... I can't think of any reason to refute you. Mr. Hastings, I have to admit that perhaps my impression of Scotland Yard was a bit preconceived. Now that you've said that, maybe I've heard of only a few phenomena before. ”

Arthur tasted something wrong from Gladstone's words: "What did you hear before?" ”

When the reverend Newman heard this, he explained to him: "William told me before that when he visited the streets of London, someone complained to him that 'if a prostitute quarrels with the police, she will surely die', and there seem to be quite a few women who hold this statement. And when I sat in the confessional room, I heard something similar about how if they didn't pay bribes to the police or the sheriff, they would be taken away for investigation. ”

When Arthur heard this, he immediately figured out Gladstone's activity area, and he thought that Gladstone was at most wandering around Fiona's territory, but now it seems that this kid must have drifted to Hollywell Street and Leicester Square when he was idle.

Given that the young gentleman in front of him was likely to be elected to the council soon, Arthur could only think carefully for a moment, and then cautiously said: "I do not deny that there is such a phenomenon in Scotland Yard, where it happens from time to time to extort brothels, force street girls to pay bribes, or force them to provide free services. As a result, every once in a while, Scotland Yard dismisses and prosecutes officers who are found to have committed violations.

But I also have to stress that not all of what you hear is true. Although the boundaries of their conduct of business are very vague and we cannot directly pronounce a violation of such conduct, under the Vagrancy Act, police officers are obliged and must control their soliciting and seduction of pedestrians. And many of them are not only in the business of selling their bodies, but also a considerable part of robbery, theft, violent assault and even killing of prostitutes.

And when we prosecute these women and their collaborators, most of them are prosecuted for these crimes. That's why, you know, Scotland Yard has always had a bad relationship with these ladies. ”

The Red Devil, who was sitting on the windowsill, laughed when he heard this, and he wagged his tail and asked, "Oh, my dear Arthur, aren't you ashamed to say this?" All London, nay, all Britain, is there anyone who works more closely with these ladies than you? And I think your relationship is pretty good, at least you didn't ask them for bribes, and you didn't ask them for free services, did you? You've given money, six hundred pounds! ”

Arthur glanced at the yin and yang red devil, and said with a calm smile, "So now, Mr. Gladstone, is there anything else you want to know?" ”

Gladstone had wanted to condemn Scotland Yard today, but the fledgling young man was dazzled by the detailed statistics of Scotland Yard and Arthur's half-truths.

He was silent for a moment, shook his head, and said, "No, Mr. Hastings, I think what you said is very good. Maybe I'll have problems in the future, but it's gone. ”

He stood up and prepared to go out, but Newman saw that he was leaving, and stood up with him.

But before he could get out, Newman glanced back at Arthur, and looked like he was about to speak, as if there was something difficult to say.

Arthur saw the doubts in his heart and asked softly, "Mr. Newman, are you in trouble?" ”

Newman's hand was on the doorknob, he hesitated for a moment, and then suddenly smiled: "Arthur, you said it very well. It is always gratifying to hear such a practical and logical assertion. It reminds me of the last time I met you, the words you said to me. You advised me to stop the anti-Robert Peel movement, because that would do the clergy of Oxford no good. At the time I thought you were just protecting your guide, Peel, but looking back now, maybe you were right.

The Whigs' claims were even more terrible than those of the Tories, and their contempt for faith was greater than anyone could have imagined. They are rejecting God and rejecting the moral constraints they have made with Him. As you said, the average police officer doesn't have much money to spend on the warbler. How many sins must flow from how many people to be able to feed this hotbed of hell? Arthur, I have seen it, I have seen it with my dull eyes, and they want to be above God. ”

Newman's words fell, and he pushed open the office door and walked out with Gladstone, leaving Arthur with a calm face behind his desk.

He propped his chin in one hand and squinted at where Newman had left, muttering, "Doesn't sound right, do the priests want to do something?" ”

When Agareth heard this, he just gently unscrewed the sugar jar on Arthur's table, picked up a sugar cube and put it in his mouth: "The trapped beast still has to fight, let alone a servant of God?" ”

(End of chapter)