The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1344: Chapter 187: Blackie Tells the Story (Part 2)

The Mayor’s wife blushed slightly at Arthur’s compliment. She straightened her back with a bit of pride, though humbly replied, ”You have a good eye. When I bought this dress in Moscow, they mentioned it was indeed shipped in from Paris. However, you say I’m from some high and noble family, which I really can’t claim... I’m from a provincial capital. Of course, a provincial capital can’t compare with St. Petersburg, perhaps only a tad better than Druiysk.”

Sitting beside her mother, the Mayor’s daughter glared resentfully and muttered, ”Mom... that dress was actually...”

The Mayor’s wife quickly nipped her daughter’s leg under the table to prevent her from speaking, scolding quietly, ”Look at you! Look at you! Starting again! All you know all day is being vain and pretentious, looking in the mirror endlessly, always fixing this or applying that, wasting hours every day just picking a dress. That bottle of fine Parisian perfume, today Captain Potemkin visits, you spray some on, tomorrow when the Inspector visits, you spray some more, posturing around thinking they’re all pursuing you, ready to duel for you. And now, today a Colonel from St. Petersburg comes, and all the perfume is wasted, even you have none left, leaving me with none too!”

The Mayor saw his wife busy bickering with their daughter, so he hurriedly took over the conversation, overpowering her chatter, ”Colonel, you mentioned hiring a tutor for your household? Does that mean you are married, with children?”

With this question posed, both wife and daughter ceased their arguing and perked up to listen intently.

Arthur sipped from the Bordeaux wine the Mayor diligently procured from three feet below ground, ”I’m not married, and the tutor isn’t for children but for myself. A German poet, a British scholar, they teach me philosophy and natural philosophy. After all, times have changed, mere subservience and duty don’t earn promotions anymore, especially at social gatherings, you have to show some real talent and learning! The ladies of St. Petersburg like men with medals adorning their chests, but also those who can compose poetry and understand electromagnetism.”

”Electromagnetism?” The Mayor exclaimed, rubbing his forehead in astonishment, ”My heavens, that’s a new term for me, are you talking about thunder and lightning? Can the girls in St. Petersburg understand such profound matters?”

Arthur nodded slightly, ”Not understanding is even better, they have a penchant for incomprehensible things, the more profound the better. To be honest, I’ve only scratched the surface of electromagnetism myself, knowing just enough to list some formulas and spout a few buzzwords. Nonetheless, in St. Petersburg, they’ve hailed me as a great scholar, claiming me as the leader of Russia’s electromagnetism field, the electromagnetic authority Arthur Agaresovich Hestingov. There are quite a few Sixth Ranks in St. Petersburg, so this title is far more useful than a Sixth Rank.”

Hearing this, the Mayor’s wife blushed and flattered, ”You are truly erudite! Electromagnetism, that’s really amazing! I only know thunder scares people, I never thought it could become a science.”

”It’s nothing.”

Arthur waved his hand, ”As you know, my cook is French, and each time I give him leave to return home, I slip him a little money to bring back some local specialties for me. Sometimes it’s French fabric, other times it’s preserved food and wine. Last year, he returned from France, and before even stepping through the door, he shouted, ’Sir, take a look at what I brought you!’ He handed me a cloth-wrapped bundle, and when I opened it, there were several novels and scripts inside. I must say, among all the gifts, these scripts and novels are my favorites. I’ve loved literature since childhood, sometimes even penning my own works...”

The Mayor’s daughter blinked her eyes, listening so intently that even her swan-like neck unconsciously leaned forward a bit, ”You write scripts and novels?”

Arthur wiped his mouth with a napkin, ”Yes, sometimes I publish articles in magazines, and I have many works. Do you read newspapers and magazines? You can often find my articles in ’The Northern Bee’ and ’Moscow Communication Report’. Because of work, as you know, for political considerations, the Third Bureau often has opportunities to travel abroad to monitor those rascals conspiring to overthrow the government. When I travel for work, I also take the opportunity to submit to foreign magazines. Like ’Anthony’, which is a work by the French playwright Alexander Dumas, I helped edit it. We have a good relationship, so he often asks me to review his new pieces. Oh, and Heine from Prussia, initially I wasn’t fond of Heine’s poetry, but the old fellow somehow caught wind of my name and braved the pouring rain to visit me, saying, ’Dear fellow, be merciful and help me review this ”North Sea Collection”.’”

The Inspector interjected, ”Perhaps he knew you worked for the Third Bureau, and he wanted his work published in Russia, so he sought you out.”

Arthur shrugged, ”Who knows? But for me, it’s all in good stride. As I mentioned earlier, when in Rome, do as the Romans do. I never like making things difficult for others, as long as they don’t offend me, I’m willing to be friends with everyone. Even Liszt... well... my ties with Liszt aren’t bad either. You know Liszt, right? The piano king of Paris, the Tsar of European music.”

”You know music as well?”

”Just a smattering.” Arthur replied with a cheerful smile, ”However, I did compose an opera, ’Turandot’, adapted from a work by Goethe.”

”My God!” The Mayor was breaking into a sweat as he listened, ”Are you all-knowing and all-powerful? No wonder you became a Sixth Rank at such a young age.”

”You think that’s all it takes to become a Sixth Rank? Then you are greatly mistaken! Music, literature, science, these are the darlings of the ladies.” Arthur raised examples earnestly, ”But for someone like you, if you encountered such a young man in Druiysk, would your first reaction really be to promote him?”

”Wouldn’t it be?” The long-silent Mayor asked, ”Such a young man should definitely be promoted.”

However, the Mayor, Bakarjin, understood Arthur’s point, ”No, Nikolai Ivanovich, a young man like that is most likely a free spirit, even if he isn’t a Decembrist, he’s probably a Decembrist in reserve. With someone like that, not only shouldn’t you promote him, but you should intensify surveillance!”

Arthur glanced appreciatively at the Mayor, ”Nikolai Ivanovich, you see! If you had the same awareness as the Mayor here, you wouldn’t have been transferred from Slonin to Druiysk, and you’d have become a Sixth Rank like me long ago. Indeed, my study of these subjects isn’t just to charm ladies, but also to facilitate work. This is the painstaking effort I put in to connect with free spirits! As for why I’ve been able to rise through the ranks quickly, on one hand, it’s because my work is done well, and on the other hand...”

Everyone present held their breath, after all, it’s rare for a person in these times to willingly share the secrets to career advancement.

Arthur’s gaze swept across each earnest face, he leisurely raised his wine glass, sharing his experience without reservation, ”I think it’s because I often attend parties and play cards. The Foreign Secretary, the French and British envoys, we often play cards together, once when I was in London, I even played at the Duke of Wellington’s table. And our director at the Third Bureau, Count Bendendorf, I’ve even danced a few waltzes with her, it’s worth mentioning that her German Waltz is particularly exceptional.”