The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1363: Chapter 195: The Comedy Writer with Hemorrhoids and a Belly Full of Complaints

The characters I create are based on synthesis, not imagination. However, I fear that the more I synthesize, the truer my creations become, and this will eventually get me into trouble.

——Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol

”Mr. Gogol, is it?”

The firewood in the fireplace crackled and popped. Arthur reclined in a rocking chair upholstered with red velvet, observing with keen interest the young Russian man in front of him who was running around for a professorship.

Even without mentioning his hemorrhoids, Gogol was quite an interesting fellow.

How should I describe his appearance and attire?

His hair, reaching down to his jaw, was shiny like silk, and the stubborn little mustache on his lips accentuated his aquiline nose even more.

A colorful satin waistcoat, a large copper chain from the shirt pocket to the belt buckle, clearly a fashionable tailcoat of the latest style from St. Petersburg, along with a trunk hidden behind him on the carpet filled with colorful spare coats and vests.

With just one glance, Arthur could easily deduce that this was a fashion aficionado, much like Mr. Disraeli from London.

Moreover, he also noticed Gogol as a severe potential sufferer of early human chest and back concealment syndrome.

So, what are chest and back concealment syndromes?

In simple terms, these two conditions often appear in fitness enthusiasts. People suffering from back concealment syndrome tend to open their arms unconsciously while walking, allowing the front of their coats to expose the lining, as if their chest and back muscles were so developed they might burst out of their shirts.

Generally speaking, an eccentric like Mr. Gogol is always eye-catching wherever he goes, unmistakably extraordinary.

In this lifetime, he would either achieve some earth-shattering success or be seen as a madman by others.

But merely based on superficial observation, Arthur could not conclude that this gentleman was indeed the realist master of 19th-century Russian literature, idol of Lu Xun, who wrote famous works like ”The Government Inspector”, ”Dead Souls”, ”The Nose”, and ”Diary of a Madman”, Mr. Gogol.

After all, from what Arthur had observed so far, this gentleman’s behavior and demeanor were so comical, almost like the characters in Gogol’s works.

And if Arthur couldn’t be sure he was that Gogol, he would hesitate to befriend him and leverage him to enter the Russian literary circle, establishing British espionage social relations in Russian literary circles.

Just as if Mr. Disraeli never became Prime Minister in the future, Arthur wouldn’t want to openly admit to having a grand friendship with such an odd fellow as Benjamin Disraeli.

Of course, Mr. Eld Carter was not included in Arthur’s friendship assessment system, mainly because Arthur believed what existed between them was not friendship but a caretaker relationship.

Arthur crossed his legs, with a notebook on his lap and a quill in hand, interrogating in a tone: ”I’m sorry, sir; due to my job, I need to conduct a routine inquiry with you. I hope this won’t cause you unnecessary psychological stress. First question, where is your workplace?”

It was clear Gogol was nervous; his face was pale, his expression pained. He fiddled with his hat, rubbed his gloves, and looked at Arthur with a somewhat distrustful gaze.

Seeing this, Arthur asked concernedly, ”Are your symptoms acting up again? If you need, I can recommend an excellent German doctor for you. That doctor has no other expertise in his life but is particularly dedicated to treating hemorrhoids and incontinence, even the Austrian Prime Minister Metternich specifically invited him to Vienna for treatment.”

Gogol covered his cheek and inhaled softly: ”Well... is what you said true? What are that doctor’s fees like? Does he live in St. Petersburg?”

Arthur recalled Heine’s fee structure and shook his head slightly: ”Normally, he charges quite a lot, but when it comes to treating hemorrhoids, he doesn’t charge a single kopeck because it’s his hobby. However, he doesn’t live in St. Petersburg but resides in Paris. Though, I can’t rule out he might plan to move to St. Petersburg in the future, provided His Majesty the Tsar allows it, especially if His Majesty also needs treatment for hemorrhoids.”

”You seem to be making fun of me.” Gogol sighed and answered the question honestly: ”Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol-Yanovsky, Empire Eighth Rank Civil Servant, a history teacher at the Patriotic Women’s College in St. Petersburg.”

”You are a teacher at the women’s college?” Arthur casually lied, trying to get closer to Gogol: ”I have a distant cousin studying at the women’s college.”

”Is that so? Then it’s possible your cousin and my two sisters are classmates.” Gogol said: ”My two younger sisters also study at this college, one in the third grade, the other in the second grade.”

Arthur smiled as he put away his pen: ”Both sisters at the women’s college? Then it seems your family is quite well-off; after all, the tuition there is not cheap.”

”My family... is indeed not poor, but it’s also not very wealthy. My ancestors were nobility from Little Russia, with some Polish blood. My father used to work in the postal department in Poltava and was an Eighth Rank Civil Servant. After retirement, he returned to the countryside as a landlord, considered a prominent figure locally. However, such a family couldn’t afford to send both of my sisters to study at the women’s college in St. Petersburg. When I started teaching at the women’s college, I made a request to the school: my annual salary of 1,200 rubles could all be allocated to the school, on the condition that my two sisters could study there for free.”