The Shadow of Great Britain

Chapter 1769: Chapter 87: Hastings Worm_2

Adam was a head shorter than his big brother, his hair fluffy like a tufty grass. Perhaps due to puberty, freckles dotted around his nose, and when he smiled, his whole cheek would move along. Today, he was wearing an old vest embroidered with red thread, cinched tightly at the waist with a belt. It was clear that he paid more attention to his appearance compared to his brother. While his clothes weren’t exactly high-end, they didn’t have a single crease from head to toe.

Adam and Allen exchanged a glance, giving each other a ”fire away” look, then Pinkerton coughed, speaking self-righteously, ”Uncle Darwin, we discovered a creature in the brick crevice behind the market that we’ve never seen before.”

Adam continued with a solemn expression, ”We’ve checked every page of the insect atlas Dad bought us, and couldn’t find any trace of it.”

”So we thought perhaps you could... help us figure out what genus and family it belongs to, whether it’s an unnamed new species.”

Darwin, hearing this, took the iron tobacco box with a smile of delight, ”You actually know words like ’genus and family’? You are aware of Linnaeus classification? It’s truly reassuring to me, perhaps Tom should consider sending you to university to study natural history in the future.”

Once Darwin finished, he opened the iron box.

But with just a glance, the smile on the face of this great scholar froze.

Darwin looked at Adam and Pinkerton, gently closed the tobacco box and said, ”Did it make a sound when you caught it?”

”It did!” Adam immediately answered, glancing back at Pinkerton: ”Uh, it made a... ’sizzling’ sound.”

”It also tried to bite me,” Pinkerton hurriedly added, ”It used its... uh... likely its front legs, its mouth is on its legs.”

Darwin nodded thoughtfully, ”If that’s the case...”

Adam and Pinkerton asked in unison, ”What type of creature is it?”

”That’s just a fraud.” Darwin paused, raised an eyebrow and shook his head, ”You two little rascals, trying to fool me.”

With a clear tinkle, the café’s bell chimed, and Eld’s voice came from the door: ”Arthur, are you sure your uncle’s name was really David Erasmus Hastings?”

Arthur took off his gloves and walked in: ”It should be called that, unless he fooled me. But my uncle has been buried for seven or eight years, even if he lied to me, I wouldn’t be able to verify it with him.”

”Damn!” Eld muttered, ”When you were lying in the coffin back then, why didn’t you think to ask him along the way... Now it’s over, there’s no chance anymore...”

”Eld.”

”What?”

”Go home and teach your grandma to play with eggs.”

”That’s a good one. Is it a popular saying in the East District recently? Just a few days ago I heard a few little brats whispering about it on the streets.”

These two famous alumni from the University of London were exploring the essence of English literature, but when they turned around, they saw Darwin and the two young guys sitting beside him.

Upon seeing Adam and Pinkerton, Eld burst into laughter and walked over, ”Oh, aren’t these my little fellows? Allen, you’re getting to that age. Planning to join us at the University of London as an alum, or follow your dad’s footsteps into the big melting pot of Scotland Yard?”

Pinkerton, seeing Eld, struggled to suppress the urge to roll his eyes, speaking: ”My dad said if I dared become a cop, he’d break my legs. As for the University of London... he thinks it’s a good choice, but...”

Eld didn’t wait for Pinkerton to finish. Upon hearing Pinkerton might go to the University of London to study, his attitude immediately warmed: ”I’ve been saying, Tom knows what’s sensible. The education level at the University of London is top-notch, and Arthur is happening to be the Dean of Academic Affairs now. Next year, after you graduate high school, it’ll be the best time for enrollment. Trust me, study classical literature, and recite a few poems by Shelley and Byron–the girls will be following you around.”

At this point, he seemed to realize something, and turned to Darwin, asking, ”Charles, what were you plotting with the two of them earlier? Surely not advising them to dig around in Cambridge’s pile of insects?”

Darwin, hearing this, retorted with annoyance, ”Eld, you think I’m like you? I don’t make empty promises of verbal checks, nor claim that studying classical literature will have girls chasing after you. It’s shameless what you’ve said.”

Arthur took off his hat and sat down closely next to Darwin, ”There are indeed girls, but only in fantasies.”

Having heard this, Eld widened his eyes and said, ”Arthur! How can you be on his side? What kind of advantage did Cambridge give you?”

Arthur ignored Eld, as he could understand this guy. After being pent up on the ship for five years, his yearning for Oxford, Cambridge, and for the ladies was eagerly waiting to be released.

He barely returned to London, and ought to be given some time to stroll and unwind.

Arthur spoke, ”Weren’t you discussing enrollment suggestions just now?”

”Certainly not.” Darwin, half-crying, half-laughing, placed the opened iron tobacco box in front of Arthur: ”These two young imps insisted on telling me they’ve discovered a new species. It’s a peculiar bug with a mouth on its front legs, its body curled in S shape, that makes a sizzling sound. They got too eager so they immediately exposed themselves once speaking.”

Adam spoke, ”Mr. Darwin said this bug’s scientific name is called ’Fraudster’.”

Eld chuckled, patting Adam on the shoulder, ”You guys didn’t do it thoroughly enough. But if you truly discovered a new species, according to academic conventions, the discoverer does have naming rights.”

Adam and Pinkerton responded in unison, ”Really?”

”Of course.” Eld theatrically took out a handkerchief to wipe his hands, ”On our globe-trotting voyage, we discovered many previously unknown species. Charles gathered a large box of insect specimens, and besides, there were many reptiles, mammals and plants, and of course, fossils were indispensable. Not only Charles, but I made many contributions too. There’s a kind of oval, brown night-flying beetle I first discovered in Uruguay. At the time, hearing Arthur was shot under the Tower of London, I felt sad for quite a while, and considered naming this insect as ’Hastings Worm’ in his memory.”

Upon hearing this, apart from feeling moved, Arthur mostly stirred with an urge to advise Eld not to be redundant: ”Eld, though I appreciate your kindness, the honor of naming the insect you should keep for yourself. Especially, I don’t want to see it appear in an insect atlas.”

Eld being a bit displeased assumed Arthur would be grateful, ”Why?”

”What do you think? Because I don’t want to be remembered as an insect. Are you willing to have your name given to a squirrel monkey?”

Holding his chin in contemplation for a moment, Eld candidly remarked, ”Without Charles writing in the Beagle Voyage Diary: ’The squirrel monkey’s keen gaze and cautious movements made me first realize that the boundary between humans and animals might not be as distinct as we assumed.’ If not for these words, I would have gladly accepted it. But, Arthur, why the worry about insects? The boundary between humans and insects is far more distinct than that between humans and squirrel monkeys.”

At this point, Eld seemed to recall something, and suddenly commented, ”However... your boundary with the Hastings family seems rather blurred.”