Outside the Astley Amphitheater, Tony, who has been serving as a sheriff for a year, scans pedestrians back and forth on the road.

After making sure that everything was okay, Tony took a turn of his feet and walked into the alley on the side of the road.

The red wall of the alley was leaning against a few police officers who were talking, laughing, and smoking, and Tony didn't put up a show with them, nor did he move out of Scotland Yard for bullshit regulations, after all, that's how he came back then.

Tony just took out the pipe in his arms, opened the cigarette box and filled it with some of it, and then snapped his fingers at the few of them and shouted, "Borrow a fire." ”

When several police officers saw the chief coming, they took out the matches in their pockets with a smile and handed them over: "Sir, are you here for fun too?" ”

Tony lit the fire and snorted out a burst of white mist: "Brothers, be serious, there are a lot of big names in the Astrid Theater today, if something happens to us back, we can't eat all of them and walk around." ”

"Sir, the Astrid Theater is so big, we can deploy 500 police officers, it's enough to turn this place upside down. Rest assured, nothing will happen tonight. ”

Tony glared at them when he heard this: "When nothing happens, you can say anything." If something happens, then roll up and leave. I know that with the treatment of Scotland Yard, there is no way to make everyone risk their lives to do things, but this kind of task that does not cost much work, it is better to try to carry it out as seriously as possible.

And if you do the math, the conditions are much stronger now than before. An ordinary patrol officer can get 39 pounds a year just for his rank, and if you add all kinds of odd and bits of allowances, it is not a problem to get 45 pounds a year. Although this money is not a high salary in London, it is also a job to ensure income in drought and flood, and you will have a little bit of a snack. ”

After hearing this, the officers also talked to Tony about other things.

"Sir, I heard that our previous salary was lower than this?"

"Less than £39? Then I might as well find a big family to watch the door, at least people can still take care of food and housing, and it is good anywhere in London, but the rent and clothes and food are a bit expensive. ”

"You two young people have a good time. When I first arrived at Scotland Yard, I was paid just over £30. At that time, there were indeed many people who quit their jobs to become janitors, and they not only took care of food and housing, but also received a salary similar to working in Scotland Yard. ”

"That's right, if Superintendent Hastings hadn't argued with the Ministry of Internal Affairs last year and raised our weekly salary by three shillings, I might have left sooner."

When the two new officers heard this, they couldn't help but be a little curious.

From the very beginning of their service at Scotland Yard, they often heard the name Arthur Hastings. In the mouths of the front-line veteran patrol officers, Superintendent Hastings has simply become a legend, after all, it only took him two years to work from the second rank of patrol officer to the rank of superintendent, and this matter can be spread everywhere as a CD city legend.

In order to give a reasonable explanation for this, all kinds of conspiracy theories have been born in the police officer community.

Some say that Superintendent Hastings was a branch of the Marquis Hastings' family, some say that he was the illegitimate son of Sir Peel, and still others say that he was the little lover of a lady who was too noble to give his respectful name.

But no matter what background the officers arranged for Arthur, his achievements that could not be written on that page were also real, and he also really won a raise for Scotland Yard, so any veteran police officer who mentioned the name Arthur Hastings would give it a thumbs up.

Younger officers prefer to inquire about the Special Operations Unit of Superintendent Hastings, the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Metropolitan Police Department.

Almost everyone knew that the officers who worked there received a special departmental allowance of up to ten pounds a year in addition to their rank salary, and this salary difference alone was enough for the officers to rank the Criminal Investigation Department as the best class in Scotland Yard.

Not to mention, there was a police secretary surnamed Bonaparte in this department a while ago.

It was a great honor for the officers to be able to work with the royal family and relatives in the same organization, and it also made them involuntarily respect the Criminal Investigation Department, which even led to their evaluation of the department being upgraded by one level.

The Criminal Investigation Department is no longer just a high-class person in Scotland Yard, it is simply a nobleman among the police, and some people even privately nickname Arthur, who is in charge of the department, the Grand Duke of Hastings.

The young officers asked cautiously as they looked at the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) abbreviation number hanging from Tony's chest, and their saliva was almost dripping.

"Sir, can you take the liberty of asking, what do you need to prepare if you want to enter the Criminal Investigation Department? I've heard that hiring seems to be quite strict there? Looks like it's going to be an exam, isn't it? ”

"Exams? Well...... That's right, it's time for the exam. ”

Tony scratched his hot cheeks and said, "Originally, Superintendent Hastings wanted to recruit people directly from the University of London, but the treatment of the Criminal Investigation Department in front of college students is still a little insufficient. In addition, business has been good recently, railway companies and shipping companies are recruiting, and those people can get a good salary in the company and do a decent job casually, where are they willing to come to Scotland Yard to fight criminals? ”

"That's right, where can college students stand our kind of work. The criminal is ruthless, but he won't give you a chance to talk about learning, and before you can speak, his little hand is shaking and about to prick your lungs. ”

"Let's learn by ourselves, although it can't be compared to college students, but what we learn is practical! Superintendent Hastings should really give our brothers on the front line a chance, I can recognize all 26 letters, and don't I have to memorize the rest? ”

"So, what exactly is our internal selection exam? Sir, I don't want you to miss the question for us, but we can also determine the range! ”

Speaking of which, a police officer saw that Tony's pipe was extinguished, and hurriedly smiled and took out his matchbox and sent it over: "Sir, you can carry this box of matches first, I have something else here." ”

"Thank you very much."

Tony took the matchbox, and just opened it to get the fire, but found that there were two shillings pressed in it, and he looked down at the matchbox, and after a while, he finally put it in his pocket.

"I don't know what the exam will take, after all, Superintendent Hastings has been very busy lately, and he has been ranked back in the priority of the exam papers."

When the police officer handing over the match heard this, he couldn't help but be a little disappointed: "This, is this so......?"

Tony shrugged: "But two days ago when I was delivering papers to Superintendent Hastings, I happened to see a copy of Principles of Chemical Philosophy next to his desk, which was the monograph of Mr. Faraday's mentor, Sir Humphrey Davy. It's a very interesting book, and I've been reading it lately, so if you're interested, you might consider buying a copy and reading it, and I'm sure this knowledge will help you in your policing work. ”

"Ah......" The officers couldn't help but frown when they heard this: "Sir, if you don't say that you are the backbone of the Criminal Investigation Department, this insight is indeed wider than that of ordinary police officers." ”

Tony put away his pipe and raised his eyebrows: "Let's get to work after smoking!" Tonight is Superintendent Hastings' one-man show, and if anyone messes up the job, then I don't think they need to worry about the exam. ”

"Understood, sir! Let's go back to duty! ”

Several officers saluted Tony with smiles on their faces, and then trotted out of the alley.

Tony leaned against the red wall and breathed a sigh of relief, and he was about to refill his pipe, when he suddenly saw Tom speeding down the street in front of him.

Tony hurriedly stopped him: "Tom, what are you doing?" ”

Tom turned his head to see Tony smoking, and couldn't help but get angry, he slapped the pipe in Tony's hand, glared and scolded, "Tony, do you still have the heart to smoke?" The front sentry has just checked a big wave, and intercepted almost thirty pounds of black powder, you smoke a little longer, and the two of us will not go to see Arthur later, and go directly to God to do a work report! ”

"Huh?!"

……

In a makeshift sentry hut next to the Astrid Amphitheater.

Ridley King, a progressive young man who had just been promoted to sergeant in charge of the Whitechapel Police Station, rested his feet on his desk and looked up at the fat French man sitting in front of him with his face stained on his face, and the young Jewish man in the top hat and extremely fancy dress.

Disraeli had a smile on his face, and Alexandre Dumas gave him a disdainful look.

However, it was this look that seemed to instantly anger the young police officer who had just made progress for a long time.

Sheriff Ridley suddenly got up and slammed the table, "Say! Where do you come from, where are you going, what are the ingredients of your family, what nationality are your family! What are the social relations, and whether there is an emperor on the ancestors! If there was an emperor, he had never fought the Battle of Waterloo! ”

Alexandre Dumas originally wanted to have a good fight with this little policeman who looked down on people, but unexpectedly, the other party's series of questions smashed on his head and directly smashed him into a daze.

Alexandre Dumas was stunned for a long time, frowned and asked, "How do you know that I am an upright and glorious French citizen?" ”

Ridley was also stunned for a moment when he heard this, and he muttered, "Huh? Got me into a good thing again? Am I recruiting French? If I had been born a few years earlier and joined the Royal Navy, I would have made a fortune by now, right? ”

Disraeli, who has been cautious about electing members of parliament recently, said in his heart that he was unlucky, and he asked in a low voice: "Officer, what do you say?" ”

"Nothing" Ridley coughed and sat back in his chair, he took out a piece of paper and said, "First question, what's your name?" ”

Disraeli thought about it for a while, and finally decided to tell the truth, if he told a lie at this time, Arthur probably didn't know that he and Alexandre Dumas were imprisoned in order to stand up for him, and it would not even be easy to catch them at that time.

"Benjamin Disraeli. Officer, I think there must be some misunderstanding here. ”

Ridley stumbled on the paper: "I can't misunderstand." If you two are also real, you came out with a sack and swayed, I don't know, I think you are from which bakery guys. ”

Ridley finished writing this and asked, "Your father's name." ”

"Huh? This is also to be asked? ”

"Less nonsense, do you want to talk about it?"

Disraeli couldn't help it, and he told the truth: "Isaac Disraeli." ”

"Very good, I haven't heard of it, this should be able to be caught." Ridley nodded slightly, then turned to Dumas, "It's your turn, fatty." ”

Alexandre Dumas snorted with his hands folded: "Alexandre Dumas." ”

"What about your father?"

"Alexandre Dumas."

Ridley put down his pen when he heard this, and he pondered: "Your father's name is Alexandre Dumas too?" Fatty, you're not lying to me, are you? ”

Alexandre Dumas said disdainfully: "Is it strange that father and son have the same name?" You still have a bunch of charles in the UK, what's all the fuss about? ”

Ridley thought about it for a while, but finally decided to try him twice: "And what's your grandfather's name?" ”

"Alexandre Antoine David de la Payetri."

"Huh?" Ridley was stunned when he heard this: "So long? ”

Alexandre Dumas stroked his curly hair back: "Noble, my grandfather is a marquis. ”

"Marquis...... Oh......"

Ridley glanced at the paper in his hand, pondered, and said, "But...... Right? Is there something going on between you and your father's surname Dumas, and your grandfather's surname Payetri? Your father was an illegitimate child? ”

Alexandre Dumas glared and said, "Can you handle it?" Why do you ask so much? ”

Ridley shook his head when he heard this and pouted, "I'm not just curious, and I didn't mean to expose your scars." Let me ask one last question. ”

"What's the problem?"

Ridley looked a little embarrassed, and he smiled shyly, "What's that...... How is that last name, Dumas, spelled? Of course, I'm not uneducated, I just want to test you. ”

As soon as Ridley finished speaking, he heard the sound of the door opening behind him.

He turned his head to see that it was the two big celebrities under Superintendent Hastings, and he quickly stood up and said hello to the two of them: "Why are you two here?" ”

Ridley greets both of them, but Tom and Tony don't reply.

The two of them were directly stunned by the nine pistols on the desk and the sack full of black powder and projectiles leaning against the table.

Disraeli and Alexandre Dumas immediately relaxed when they saw their acquaintance coming.

Disraeli smiled and winked at them, "Tom, Tony? ”

Tom's eyes widened at the horrific pile, and he asked, "Are you two crazy?" Even if it's for self-defense, isn't it too much to bring so much? ”

Tony also took a deep breath: "This firepower is almost catching up with a police station, Mr. Dumas, are you planning to wipe out our patrol?" Listen to my advice, how many years has Napoleon been dead, you should have extinguished the idea of attacking Britain earlier. ”

When Dumas heard this, he hurriedly used his ability to make up stories, and he coughed and said, "Tony, this gun and ammunition are not for me. ”

Tony slapped him on the forehead: "Of course, Mr. Dumas, if you prepared these for yourself, we won't arrest you." ”

Tom retorted, "No, we still have to arrest it." Suicide is a blasphemous felony, and if Mr. Dumas succeeds, the priest will not give him a funeral. But if he doesn't succeed in committing suicide, then we'll have to hang him on the gallows another day. ”

Ridley added, "But it's good to hang the gallows, so that the priest will be willing to give you a funeral, and the dead will be buried in peace, and buried in the earth, and they are the most skilled in doing this." ”

Alexandre Dumas glared angrily: "If you say that, if you hang me, do I have to thank you?" ”

Ridley said solemnly: "You're welcome. If you go to heaven because of this, just help me to say a few nice words to God. But if you go to hell, don't be blind to Satan. ”

When Tony heard this, he hurriedly stepped forward to block Ridley's side, and glared at Alexandre Dumas and Disraeli: "What the hell are you two doing with these things?" Scotland Yard has long announced that gun control will be in place near the Astrid Theatre for Halloween, and it's impossible for you two to be unaware of this as friends of Superintendent Hastings...... Or was Superintendent Hastings the one who told you to do that? ”

Hearing this, Disraeli hurriedly took Tony's words: "Tony, I really can't hide anything from you." That's right, Arthur told us to bring these things. ”

Alexandre Dumas also replied: "That's right. I heard Arthur say a while ago that Monsieur Louis Bonaparte was training a squad of French artillery for Scotland Yard. But when it comes to French artillery, who knows more than me? The training of French artillery must not only be carried out according to strict French standards, but even the guns and ammunition must be of French origin. ”

At this point, Dumas leaned down and scooped out a handful of black gunpowder from the bag, allowing it to slip between his fingers: "Look at it! This black powder is all rubbed by my hands. Do you know why the artillery of France is more powerful than that of other countries? This is all because our black powder is all made secretly, and this craft is all ancestral. ”

Tom was stunned for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "Mr. Dumas, are you serious?" ”

Tony heard Tom's question and quickly turned around and glared at him, "Tom! ”

Before he could send a code to Tom, Ridley over there had already learned the same action that Superintendent Jones, who had become the voice of the Tauer Hamlets police district, had done.

Ridley clasped his hands into fists in the direction of the Astley Amphitheater and asked, "Ahh Didn't I make the same mistake as Zeus slashed Mount Olympus and Thor, the god of thunder, blew up Valhalla? I don't know yet, but it turns out that the two of you are our Scotland Yard Grand Duke, Superintendent Hastings, friends! ”

(End of chapter)