The resurrection is a miracle over death, it is the deepest affirmation of life and the noblest victory.

Arthur Hastings, what does the name mean to Scotland Yard?

It was to the Army as Wellington was to the Army, and Nelson was to the Royal Navy.

He is the soul that exists in this shell.

Doing miracles is in the DNA here.

—Gilbert Keith Chesterton, The Legend of Scotland Yard, The Secret of Sir Arthur Hastings

If you ask where London's oldest and deepest square is, different people may give different answers. But if you ask about London's busiest square, the answer is Trafalgar Square, located in the heart of London.

Completed in 1805, the square is bordered by London's business district to the east, the vibrant Soho district to the north, Whitehall Street to the south, the Palace of Westminster, the seat of parliament, and the majestic Buckingham Palace complex to the southwest.

As the name suggests, Trafalgar Square was inaugurated to commemorate the Royal Navy's decisive victory over Napoleon's fleet – the Battle of Trafalgar.

At the same time, the 53-metre-high pillar in the centre of the square, as well as the bronze statue standing above the pillar, also indicate that this is a memorial to a man of special significance to the Royal Navy - Horatio Nelson, the soul of the Royal Navy, who died in the Battle of Trafalgar.

He fell on the eve of victory in the battle, and at the last moments of the battle, a bullet fired from a French warship, hit the epaulette on his left arm and pierced the lobes and vertebrae of his lungs.

In the light of Nelson's brilliance, St. Martin's Church, located at the northeast corner of the square, looks incomparably small. Although the church was far less important to the people of Britain and the Royal Navy than Nelson, in recent days it has been repeatedly elevated in the minds of the officers of Scotland Yard.

They knew that a coffin in the church contained the shell of a Scotland Yard legend.

Arthur Hastings, a 23-year-old young man with a wide range of hobbies.

I usually like to play the piano, do scientific research, and play a good swordsmanship.

His amiable demeanor, his polite and friendly smile on his face, his hair combed behind his head, an officer's knife that rose and fell with his stride, and his spotless uniform, riding boots and white gloves were his hallmark looks.

Of course, of course, the group will not forget that this young man is also a big man in Scotland Yard at the same time. The headmaster of the London Police School and the director of the Police Intelligence Service, who fought for a collective salary increase for police officers, who presided over the operation to eradicate murder and corpse theft and chase the murderer on the high seas, the parliamentarian Harrison bowed to him, the end of the thief general Fred, and the Waterloo of Napoleon the sword.

and, a police hero who died on June 5, 1832.

Towering, pointed, arched windows let in a soft, solemn light that penetrates the colourful mosaic glass and casts onto the cold marble floor, creating a dappled pattern of light and shadow.

The interior of this Gothic church is vast and deep. Perhaps because of the frequent presence of choir members, even in the quiet atmosphere, you can hear the reverberating low organ music.

The stone walls are carved with Bible stories, which have become deeper and more historical over time, and the black oak coffin parked in the middle of the church makes everything look mournful, heavy and solemn.

The ornate coffin made of black oak is surrounded by a wreath of white carnations and verdant ivy, symbolizing endless mourning and eternal remembrance of the deceased.

Inside the coffin was a crisp uniform, white gloves and a police officer's knife, just as he wore on Good Friday. There was no pain or joy on Arthur's face, and the posture of his arm on the hilt of his sword made him look serene and solemn, as if even if he went to the other side, to the other end, he was still silently fulfilling his duty.

Near the side of the coffin, William Turner was concentrating on his work.

On the easel in front of him is an unfinished portrait, and the charcoal pen roams freely across the canvas like a snake in his hand, adding a touch of color to the face on the canvas with each stroke.

The clear and shiny back, the dark wounds at the corners of his eyes, the subtle folds on his uniform, and the calm face after the ups and downs, all the subtleties tell the bravery of his life.

The candle-lit chandelier hanging from the top of the church swayed gently in the breeze, and its faint light reflected on Turner's focused face and reflected onto the canvas, making the whole scene like a frozen historical picture, full of deep mourning and high admiration for the deceased.

Several of the surrounding spectators all looked solemn and whispered, for fear of disturbing the solemn sense of ritual and the sadness that permeated the air.

They saw their friend's lifelike face emerge on the canvas little by little, and suddenly an inexplicable suppressed feeling rose in their chests.

There was no clock hanging in the church, but they felt as if everything was counting down, ticking and ticking echoing in their heads, as if Turner would tear their long-dead friend out of their memory with each pen.

Dickens, who was sitting on the bench, could no longer bear this scene, he stood up and said to his friends beside him, "It's too stuffy here, why don't we go out for a walk?" ”

Alexandre Dumas took a deep breath, stood up and said, "Let's go out and smoke for a while." By the way, Louie, have you inquired about Scotland Yard's award to Arthur? ”

Louis got up and nodded: "Director Rowan has already gone to the Viscount of Melbourne." He told me that the Ministry of the Interior had agreed to the request. Now that the list has been handed over to His Majesty, if he agrees to make an exception for Arthur to hold an investiture on days other than New Year's and birthdays, then all is done. ”

Alexandre Dumas let out a sigh of relief and said, "I hope the king will be able to read the precedents, the records and the historical documents, which were originally set up to break." ”

Dickens said, "Don't worry, don't we still have Benjamin?" He said that even if the situation was not optimistic in the end, he would speak for Arthur in the parliament. Isn't he busy with all these things these days? Rummag through various records and documents to find a partner in the Tories who support Scotland Yard. According to him, it is not uncommon for decorations to be awarded on other days, although they are not uncommon. Henry III often gave people decorations on the battlefield, and at that time there was not even a parliament. Since Benjamin said it was okay, it must be fine, and we have to believe him, because he's a councillor. ”

Dumas took out his pipe and joked in his heart: "Yes! Honourable! This is probably the day when parliamentarians have the highest status in our minds. ”

A few of them were about to walk out of the church and leave it for Turner's paintbrush solo, but before they could go far when they noticed that Tennyson had not followed, Alexandre Dumas could not help asking, "Alfred, aren't you with us?" ”

Tennyson's voice was a little hoarse, and his voice sounded rustle: "No, Alexander, thank you for your kindness, but I don't smoke." I just want to sit here and look at Arthur again, because ...... I'm afraid it will be difficult to have such an opportunity in the future. ”

Hearing this, everyone couldn't help but glance back at the oak coffin again, and then sighed in unison.

They walked out of the church quietly, not because they felt that they had many chances to see their friends again in the future, but because they did not feel that they had the courage to face death like Tennyson.

Dumas had gone out of the door, and had just lit the fire when he saw in the corner outside the church the strange priest from Oxford standing in the shade of a tree talking to a lady in black veil.

Although the priest repeatedly insisted that he was a friend of Arthur's friends, Alexandre Dumas never believed that Arthur would make friends with a priest who graduated from Oriel College, Oxford, and that he would not allow such a quirky guy to officiate at Arthur's funeral if it weren't for Tom and Tony's best assurances.

He was already suspicious of the identity of the priest, and at this moment a strange phenomenon occurred, which further aggravated the suspicion of the French fat man, and he put down his pipe and planned to lean over to listen.

Louis and Dickens noticed his faux pas, and immediately stopped him: "Alexander, what are you going to do?" ”

Alexandre Dumas just glared: "Are you so comfortable putting Arthur's body in the hands of an Oxford priest?" Elder can't do such a thing. ”

With that, he sneakily found a bush to block his strong body, pricked up his ears and began to listen to the conversation between the two sides.

It has to be said that although he only joined the police intelligence bureau temporarily, Dumas, who has always been frank, still learned some skills from this evil agency to spy on others.

Newman pressed one hand to the gospel on his chest and asked kindly, "Ma'am, don't you really go in and look at him?" I remember you said that you have a good relationship with Mr. Hastings, and you know that this may be the last chance. ”

"I ......"

Fiona looked hesitant, tugging at her lace gloves, not even daring to look up at the priest for fear of exposing her impurity in front of the holy priest.

"Thank you, Mr. Newman, but ...... But I still didn't go in, and I just stood here and looked at it from afar. ”

Newman asked softly, "Are you worried that you won't be able to withstand the shocking feelings?" If that's the case, I can understand you, because that night, I used to experience something like this. But, then again, if you don't go at this time, you'll definitely regret it in the future. You'll lose a good memory, and even though your soul is gone, you'll be able to at least look at your body now. ”

Hearing this, Fiona raised her head to look at Newman, but under the kind gaze of the other party, her head was buried lower and lower, as if she was about to bury herself in the earth.

She was silent for a long time before she trembled and said, "Sir, I am a prostitute. ”

This sentence seemed to have hollowed out all the strength in her body, Fiona could no longer hold back her tears and grievances, she hid her face and cried: "Although I usually go to church, but ...... But today is different. I know, I shouldn't have come to this place, I've sinned, I'm here to defile sin. ”

Newman's eyes widened in surprise at first, but after a while, his gaze softened again.

"Ma'am, being a prostitute is a sin, but more importantly, you have recognized your sin and are ready to repent of it. The prostitutes of the Bible range from the great harlot of Babylon to Mary Magdalene.

The great harlot of Babylon rode on a scarlet beast with seven heads and ten horns, dressed in purple and scarlet, and with a golden cup in her hand, full of immorality, and she drank the blood of the saints and witnesses of Jesus.

Mary Magdalene, who was also a prostitute, repented when she heard that Jesus was sitting at the Pharisees' table, bathed and changed her clothes, and listened to the teachings. She was possessed by seven demons, but was healed by the gospel of my Lord, and since then she has taken several other women to become the most faithful believers of my Lord and has supported Jesus and his disciples with her own strength.

When Jesus was brought to judgment, the disciples all left him and fled. When Jesus was crucified, the conditions were extremely harsh, but she followed Jesus to the foot of the cross to see Him suffer, die, and be buried. After Jesus' death, she went into the mortuary to cleanse her with oil, only to find Jesus dead and resurrected. She was a prostitute, the most humble of the believers, but she was the most divine.

Ma'am, you don't have to feel inferior because of this, if you have any sins, you can confess to me. No one in this world is a perfect and righteous person. Repentance does not mean that your sins can be written off, but it does mean that you are willing to admit your mistakes and have the courage to bear the consequences. And this is enough for the merciful Lord. ”

When Fiona heard this, tears flowed uncontrollably on her face.

Carefully depicting a make-up may take overnight.

But to destroy it, it only takes a few dozen seconds.

"I ...... I confess to you, as long as you can let me in and see him. ”

……

Louis, who was hiding behind the bushes, saw this and sighed, "It's Miss Fiona." I could have seen that something was wrong with her mind, and she would probably be sad to know the news. ”

Alexandre Dumas breathed a sigh of relief in his chest: "I must say that I still hate priests. But if he could make some people feel better here, I wouldn't take the initiative to get rid of him. ”

Dickens pressed Dumas on the shoulder and said, "You ought to be nice to your wife, I think Miss Rabe loves you very much." By the way, and your son. Alexander, I have to say, you are a lucky fat man. ”

Alexandre Dumas wanted to refute a few words, but when he saw the eyes of Louis and Dickens beside him, he finally suppressed his emotions and took a deep breath and said, "Don't just talk about me, you two are the same." ”

The three of them shoved and shoved back from behind the bushes to the pavement, and just wanted to return to the church, only to find that at some point, there were already several more well-dressed armed attendants.

The swaggering attendants were startled when they saw three disheveled fellows suddenly come out, and they opened their mouths and asked, "What are you doing?" ”

Alexandre Dumas was already in a bad mood, and when he was forced to ask at this time, he almost replied to the French scolding.

But Louis stopped him, and the Bonaparte family member politely replied: "Sir, there is our friend lying in the church, and we want to go back and meet him." ”

When the attendants heard this, the fierceness eased slightly, and they took off their hats and apologized, "Sorry, gentlemen, we may have acted too rudely. Officer Hastings, we can feel your grief. However, if you wish to go in, I beg you to wait a little longer, for His Majesty the King and the Duke of Wellington are currently inside. ”

……

William IV and the Duke of Wellington stood in the prayer hall of the church, looking at the exquisite religious art on the surrounding walls, and finally fixed their eyes on the coffin placed in the center of the hall.

As the youngest graduate of the Royal Academy of Arts and a painter of European renown, it was impossible for William Turner not to recognize the two of them, and he was about to stand up and salute, when he saw William IV raise his hand slightly and signal him to sit down.

Turner understood what he meant, and it was clear that His Majesty did not wish to disturb his work, and was happy to see a portrait of Officer Hastings.

William IV stood by the coffin, looking at Arthur's face, and after a glance at the police knife that had given him to Arthur, the old sailor king, who was in his sixties, couldn't help but shake his head.

"Such a young man is in his prime. When I was his age, I followed Nelson in the West Indies of North America, and it was the happiest time of my life. I gave him this sword in the first place to motivate him to do it well, after all, there was only one young man who could fight with Foil Napoleon in London. ”

Speaking of which, William IV found another wound in the corner of Arthur's eye: "That was left in Liverpool?" ”

The Duke of Wellington on the side put his hand on his saber and pursed his lips slightly.

"Yes, Your Majesty. He had two wounds, one in the corner of the eye and one in the chest, one for London and one for Liverpool. Of course, you can also say that both wounds were left for Britain. This young man is very persuasive and knows how to respect other people's opinions. I told him that no matter what happens, a good police commander must be worthy of the honor that you and this country have bestowed upon him. And then, he did. ”

When William IV heard this, he couldn't help but sigh and said: "Wellington, I have lost an excellent pillar of the country, although he does not deserve such high praise now, but if he can live, he will be in the future." And, even though he wasn't very old and didn't have the same contours of his features, I always felt as if it were Nelson lying there when he was lying there. ”

The Duke of Wellington bowed slightly: "In a sense, he does have some similarities with Lord Nelson in temperament, they are both easy to get along with, and a few words can bring two estranged people closer." And not like me, there is no affinity. ”

William IV shook his head and said, "No, Wellington, he is also very much like you, or rather, fellows like you all have something in common." Alas! Damn the Ministry of Internal Affairs, they should have reported the situation to me, did they think that I would abandon a loyal courtier for some inconsequential courtesy? Wellington, I have to commend you, if it weren't for the fact that you told me the truth about the night, I would not have known how heroic this young man Arthur Hastings was. Rowan was right, this was a great man of Scotland Yard, he definitely deserved the knight's reward, and if it weren't for the messy rules, I thought he should be given a few more medals. ”

Wellington looked at Arthur in the coffin and replied softly, "Your Majesty, I understand your feelings and agree with your views. However, in the current situation, the junior knighthood is already the limit. Officer Hastings gave his life for the stability of the country, and the best way we can honor this young man's memory is to not let his efforts go to waste. If the turmoil of public opinion is caused again for the sake of these false names, then the blood of this young man will be shed in vain. ”

When William IV heard this, he inhaled and exhaled and inhaled, and after a few breaths, he exhaled the depression in his chest: "You are right, Wellington. I'm not the little sailor that no one cares about anymore, I'm the king of this country, and I have to think about the big picture, damn it! But, in any case, for this young man, the rank of Junior Sir is far from enough. ”

Hearing this, Wellington stared at Arthur's police uniform, and suddenly said, "In that case, are you considering awarding Scotland Yard the title of 'Royal'?" In my opinion, this should be the best solution at the moment, and most importantly, such a reward is acceptable to the public. ”

William IV's eyes lit up, and he couldn't help but turn his head to look at the Duke of Wellington: "That's right, I want to give them the title of 'royal'!" ”

The Duke of Wellington nodded slightly and asked, "When and where, I will send someone to prepare and draft the specific plan." ”

William IV glanced at Arthur's calm face and the imperial court sword, and couldn't help but recall the appearance of the Whigs in his mind.

In an instant, anger filled his chest, and if the Prime Minister, Earl Grey, was here, he would have been too eager to punch him in the face.

The sailor king waved his cloak angrily and said in a deep voice, "I have decided, at Officer Hastings' funeral!" If the Whigs felt that the time and place we had chosen was not good, they could have launched a general resignation of the Cabinet as they had done before! ”

(End of chapter)