SGB Chapter 283

## Chapter 283: A Cornered Beast Fights Back (4K4)

“Hmm…”

Arthur couldn’t help but feel a little speechless when he heard Gladstone’s question. ▲𝐺𝑜𝑜𝑔𝑙𝑒搜索𝑠𝑡𝑜520.𝑐𝑜𝑚▲

Perhaps it was because he had received his education at the University of London. During his university years, Arthur often attended public lectures given by Mr. Bentham whenever he had free time.

Jeremy Bentham, a bona fide graduate of Oxford University, would not only discuss his specialized field of law in his lectures, but this eccentric old man with a fiery temper would also frequently unleash scathing criticisms of his alma mater without any mercy.

It was through Bentham that Arthur had formed his basic impression of Oxford education in this era.

As one of the oldest universities in Britain, Oxford University retained a strong aristocratic and religious character. Like all European church universities, Oxford and Cambridge placed great emphasis on classical literature education, or more precisely, they highly valued the study of ancient Greek and Roman classics. As for the native English literature of Britain, it was naturally considered the literature of the poor and excluded from their curriculum.

In addition, as universities founded by clergymen, Oxford and Cambridge retained many ancient and stagnant customs. For example, every student upon entering had to sign the Thirty-Nine Articles, a declaration of faith in the Church of England, otherwise they would not be allowed to enroll.

Although this tradition, which had become increasingly formal over time, had lost much of its significance, similar dogmatic and rigid rules, along with the stiff and inflexible hierarchy within the university, fostered countless negative trends.

Professors would boss students around, seniors bullied juniors, and under the weight of pressure and relatively affluent family backgrounds, Oxford’s campus naturally fostered a culture of rampant alcohol abuse, rampant prostitution, and rampant violence.

In Bentham’s words, Oxford produced four types of students.

The first type was the rebellious element like him, who stubbornly refused to conform and persevered to the end. Such individuals, although graduates of Oxford, were ashamed of it. Oxford education, besides imparting knowledge, instilled in them an endless spirit of resistance.

The second type was like Lord Byron, who possessed a rebellious spirit and equally despised Oxford, but their long years of study at Oxford still left them tainted by Oxford’s vices. However, unlike the typical Oxford student, they did not disdain to conceal their behavior and used their actions to denounce the hypocrisy of Oxford’s educational principles. Lord Byron’s series of outrageous scandals during his lifetime, along with the countless broken hearts of women, were the best testament to this 19th-century British hippie lifestyle.

The third type was the norm for most Oxford graduates. They seemingly accepted Oxford’s principles on the surface, and when reciting the Thirty-Nine Articles, no one was louder than them. But everyone knew it was just a charade.

In public, these model students of Oxford would all act with an air of righteousness, as if no one in the world was more upright and honorable than them.

But every time night fell, the noisy pubs and flourishing prostitution industry in Oxford town spoke volumes about their true thoughts. Perhaps in private, when no one was around, they played even more flamboyantly than Lord Byron, only they wouldn’t mention it. And they would eventually bring this habit into the various industries their families were involved in, as well as the Parliament where Oxford and Cambridge graduates were abundant.

As for the fourth type, according to Mr. Bentham, these individuals could be considered the most naive fools in the world. They were truly fooled by Oxford’s various maxims, regulations, and so-called ancient traditions. They were the most respectful and devout believers, as well as the most studious and ambitious students. They had withstood the test of Oxford’s corrupt atmosphere. They rose from the mud unstained, and washed clean by the clear ripples, yet remained unpolluted.

However, when it came to this, Mr. Bentham regretfully said that he had never encountered this fourth type during his time at Oxford. Such individuals only existed in his imagination.

Perhaps influenced by Bentham, when Arthur first heard about Gladstone’s character, he couldn’t help but wonder if the lad was truly as flawless as rumored.

But then again, even the University of London could produce oddities like Elder, so it wasn’t exactly improbable for Oxford to occasionally recruit a neurotic individual.

Besides, Oxford had already nurtured a weirdo like Father Newman, so having another upright gentleman like Gladstone was hardly surprising.

Arthur scrutinized Gladstone’s expression, but after a while, he couldn’t read any deception in the other’s micro-expressions.

Since the other party genuinely didn’t understand, Arthur could only patiently explain it to him step by step. After all, Scotland Yard’s most important task today was to serve these devout gentlemen who had come to offer moral guidance. Although Commissioner Rowan hadn’t assigned him to greet guests, someone had come knocking, and Arthur wasn’t averse to providing a few high-quality services on his own.

Arthur began, “So-called clandestine prostitutes refer to those who don’t work in fixed locations and don’t solicit clients openly. This includes women who are long-term kept mistresses, as well as those who don’t make a living from this but occasionally do a deal. These ladies’ clothing and appearance are almost indistinguishable from ordinary women. They even have husbands, jobs, and children.

Generally, it’s extremely difficult to identify if they’re engaged in this line of work. Only the most experienced veterans can understand their impromptu hints. It might be a flirtatious gesture, a suggestive look, or even not-so-direct seductive words.

In most cases, these ladies have one or several long-term, stable clients. Their transactions are small, and their relationships are kept extremely discreet. So, for Scotland Yard, it’s very difficult to figure out their exact numbers.

We can only send our most seasoned detectives to patrol the streets of London and rely on luck. If we happen to encounter a lady who has just lost a stable client, or if she feels that our detectives are worth developing a relationship with, then we might get lucky.”

Gladstone asked, “Does ‘get lucky’ mean being developed by her?”

Arthur, still chewing on the tea he had just taken a sip of, nearly sprayed the other in the face when he heard this. He calmly swallowed the tea, took out his handkerchief to wipe the corner of his mouth, “Mr. Gladstone, I mean Scotland Yard’s clandestine prostitute statistics increase by one. I don’t think ordinary police officers can afford to do these things.”

Gladstone asked again, “So you mean senior officers can?”

Arthur stared at Gladstone’s serious expression, unsure how to communicate with this politically clueless young man. But at least for now, he understood why the Tory bigwigs with conservative tendencies supported this young man.

Whether by Western standards or Eastern standards, this guy’s moral compass was pure enough. It would definitely appeal to the clergymen.

Arthur shifted gears and said, “Alright, Mr. Gladstone, if you really want to get to the root of the matter, I’ll be blunt. In terms of spending, senior officers’ salaries are indeed enough to cover this expense. High enough rewards are also the reason why the number of prostitutes remains high.

Think about it, nowadays in London, most female workers earn around 25-30 pounds a year. However, according to Scotland Yard’s statistics, a common streetwalker’s charge typically reaches one shilling. Therefore, even those who have to give a cut of 40-50% to the brothel can still earn 80-100 pounds a year. And those who are in better condition can even double that.

You should know what the normal income level is in London. A respected, mature craftsman can only earn 100 pounds, while a senior railway employee earns 60-80 pounds a year. As a Scotland Yard inspector, my annual salary is 150 pounds. Under such financial temptations, coupled with the immoral inducements of certain individuals, they have a first time, then a second, and eventually become increasingly uncontrollable.

I hear you’ve been doing moral counseling for a long time, so you might also know from their mouths that once you enter this line of work, there’s no turning back. From Scotland Yard’s interrogation results of a total of 3103 prostitutes arrested in the past, 1773 were completely uneducated, 1237 could recognize twenty-six letters and had some basic reading and writing skills, 89 had received private tutoring, and only 8 had completed a female grammar school.

So, the vast majority of them can only become textile workers or maids. But you may not know that factory owners and household employers are extremely concerned about their employees’ past experiences. So, once they find out that the employee has had this kind of experience, they won’t be able to get any job. I think this might be the reason why your moral counseling has always failed.”

Gladstone frowned at these words, as if he had figured something out, and as if he was in some kind of pain. He sighed and said, “Oh… I can’t think of any reason to refute you. Mr. Hastings, I have to admit that perhaps I had some preconceived notions about Scotland Yard before. Now that you’ve said this, maybe what I heard before was just a minority.”

Arthur detected something amiss from Gladstone’s words, “What did you hear before?”

Father Newman, who was sitting beside him, heard this and explained, “William told me that when he was visiting the streets of London, someone complained to him that ‘if a prostitute argues with the police, she’s doomed.’ And it seems there were quite a few women of the night who shared this view. And when I was sitting in the confessional, I also heard similar statements. If they don’t bribe the police or the magistrate, they’ll be taken away for investigation.”

Arthur, upon hearing this, immediately figured out Gladstone’s activity area. He had thought that Gladstone was only hanging around Fiona’s territory, but now it seemed like this idle lad had been frequenting the Holborn and Leicester Square areas quite a bit.

Given that this young gentleman was very likely to be elected to Parliament in the near future, Arthur could only carefully consider his words and then cautiously said, “I don’t deny that such phenomena exist within Scotland Yard. Extorting brothels, forcing streetwalkers to bribe, or coercing them to provide free services, such cases happen from time to time. So, Scotland Yard will purge and prosecute some officers who are found to have violated regulations every now and then.

But I have to emphasize that what you heard may not be entirely true. Although their business practices are legally defined as very ambiguous, we can’t directly rule that such behavior is a violation. But according to the Vagrancy Act, officers have the duty and must regulate their soliciting and enticing behavior. And many of them are not just engaged in the business of selling their bodies, but also involve a considerable amount of robbery, theft, and violent assault, even murder of clients.

And when we prosecute these ladies and their collaborators, it’s mostly on these charges. So, you understand, Scotland Yard’s relationship with these ladies has always been very bad.”

The Red Devil, sitting on the windowsill, couldn’t help but laugh at these words. He swished his tail and asked, “Oh, my dear Arthur, aren’t you ashamed to say this? In all of London, no, in all of Britain, is there anyone who collaborates with these ladies more than you? And I see you have a pretty good relationship with them. At least you didn’t solicit bribes from them or demand free services, did you? You paid, a total of six hundred pounds!”

Arthur glanced at the sarcastic Red Devil, calmly smiled and said, “So, Mr. Gladstone, is there anything else you want to know?”

Gladstone had originally intended to give Scotland Yard a good scolding today, but this rookie was baffled by Scotland Yard’s detailed statistics and Arthur’s half-truths.

He fell silent for a moment, shook his head and said, “No, Mr. Hastings, I think what you said was very good. It’s always a pleasure to hear such practical and logical arguments. It always makes me think back to what you said to me the last time we met. You advised me to stop the anti-Robert Peel movement because it was of no benefit to the Oxford clergymen. At the time, I thought you were just defending your patron, Peel. But looking back now, perhaps you were right.

The Whig agenda is more terrifying than the Tory agenda. Their contempt for faith is beyond everyone’s imagination. They are rejecting God, and they are also rejecting the moral constraints they have made with God. As you said, ordinary police officers don’t have much spare money to spend on indulging in mistresses. How much sin must flow from how many people to support this infernal hotbed? Arthur, I have seen it, I have seen it with my unseeing eyes. They want to be above God.”

As Newman finished speaking, he pushed open the office door and left with Gladstone, leaving Arthur, who looked calm, sitting behind his desk.

He propped his chin on his hand, squinting at where Newman had left, muttering, “It doesn’t sound right. What are the clergymen trying to do?”

Agareus, hearing this, simply unscrewed the sugar jar on Arthur’s desk, picked up a cube of sugar and put it in his mouth, “Even a cornered beast will fight back, let alone God’s servants.”

(End of chapter)