## Chapter 140: The Frankenstein of the Royal Society
“Sir, the fare is one shilling and four pence.”
Arthur fished out a few coins from his wallet and handed them to the cab driver before opening the door and stepping out.
Since his promotion from Inspector to Superintendent, the biggest perk he enjoyed was probably the cheaper fare for the public carriage to Gresham College.
The Red Devil, covering his nose to avoid the pervasive scent of perfume wafting through the air, grumbled, “Didn’t you finish your electrical paper already? Why are you here? It’s better to drown me in Bal’s cesspool than to make me endure this stench, which is even more pungent than the Thames!”
Arthur lit his pipe, extinguished the match under his shoe, and inhaled a puff of smoke before speaking. “Come on, if you can’t handle this much smell, you can just skip General Codrington’s party this weekend. If the old Rothschild family butler isn’t lying, there should be many noblewomen present. For them, who value face, their perfume is naturally expensive. Of course, expensive also means a more concentrated scent.”
Agareus, upon hearing this, gradually started to understand.
“So, you’re here today to find Faraday to teach you some science experiments that you can perform at the party?”
Arthur glanced at him and asked back, “What else? Can I perform the Hastings Force in front of them again? After all, that experiment requires a rope to bind the wrists and a flintlock pistol. The preparation work is also quite stimulating and would scare the ladies.”
The Red Devil, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but chuckle and rub his palms. “Oh! My dear Arthur, you may have underestimated the tolerance of those noble ladies. A considerable portion of them are far worse than you imagine. Perhaps you, a little rascal, are considered clean compared to them.”
Arthur just stared at the devil for a moment and said, “Although I’m not sure what you’re trying to say, I guess Eld might be interested in what you’re going to tell me.”
“What about you?”
Arthur didn’t hide it and nodded. “Actually, I’m almost the same. If you insist on telling it, I’m willing to listen.”
Agareus, hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh and extend his palm to him. “Let’s make a deal, one soul. If you agree, then I’ll start with Lady Hamilton, the mistress of Horatio Nelson, who was a sensation in the British aristocracy.”
Arthur nodded slightly and pondered for a moment before saying, “Maybe I’ll listen at home. After all, this is the lover of the soul of the Royal Navy, Horatio Nelson. I believe Eld would be willing to pay a soul to hear this story.”
After speaking, Arthur looked up at Gresham College in front of him. From the crowd gradually leaving, he could conclude that a science lecture had just ended.
But what intrigued Arthur was that apart from the large number of beautiful ladies and gentlemen who were making every effort to display their gentility at the entrance of Gresham College, there were also a few armed policemen standing guard at the door.
Before Arthur could step forward, the leader of the police force greeted him.
“Mr. Hastings, do you remember me?”
Arthur took a good look at the man. Thankfully, his memory was good enough to avoid an awkward atmosphere.
“I think I’ve seen you. You’re Corporal John from the 10th Royal Infantry Regiment, right? I remember you. You left a rather deep impression on me during that body snatching case.”
The other, upon hearing this, couldn’t help but laugh. “No wonder the newspapers say that no criminal can escape your eyes. You have a good memory.”
Arthur joked, “It’s quite a big deal to mobilize the 10th Royal Infantry Regiment’s guard company to provide security. Is there some big shot visiting the Royal Society today?”
Corporal John laughed and replied, “You’re right on the mark. You’re indeed the detective of Scotland Yard. That’s right. Today, Chancellor Henry Goulburn has come to visit. Sir Peel proposed setting up an annuity for the scientists of the Royal Society. Mr. Goulburn came here today to understand their living standards so that he could establish a suitable distribution standard.”
Arthur, upon hearing this, was both happy and worried. He had long felt that the scientists currently working at the Royal Society were paid too little.
Faraday’s black suit, which he only wore for lectures, was washed white, with several small tears even at the edges of the sleeves. His low living standard was completely out of proportion to his contributions to the fields of physics and chemistry.
Even Faraday, who was well-known and adept in applied fields, was like this, let alone those scientists who specialized in theoretical fields.
In other words, even someone as powerful as Isaac Newton relied mainly on his income as Master of the Royal Mint to make ends meet. Scientific research brought him almost all honorary benefits, not material benefits.
On the other hand, this also showed the anxious mentality of the Wellington cabinet. From the enactment of the Beer Act to the diplomatic victory on the high seas, they were now trying to win over the scientists of the Royal Society with money.
The Duke of Wellington may indeed have been a military commander who wasn’t very good at attacking, but this showed why the French marshals couldn’t break through his defenses.
Arthur pondered the reason why Chancellor Goulburn had suddenly visited the Royal Society. Just as he was getting a feel for it, he saw a commotion suddenly erupt in the crowd of people flowing out of the college.
Accompanied by the ladies’ screams and a few shouts of “Catch him,” Arthur saw a young man in a neat suit pushing through the crowd, stumbling and rushing out.
Arthur glanced at him for a moment and almost mistook him for Eld, his old friend, who was similar in build. He thought that maybe Eld had done something he shouldn’t have done during the lecture and angered the gentlemen.
But when the young man got closer, Arthur realized that the fellow was actually wearing a pair of oval-shaped gold-rimmed glasses, and his face was softer than Eld’s.
Could he be a thief?
Arthur thought of this, and his instinct as a Scotland Yard officer forced him to subconsciously extend his foot.
There was a thud as the man fell to the ground. Immediately, four or five Royal Society apprentices, who were familiar with Arthur, rushed over and pinned the man to the ground.
The young man struggled desperately while shouting in fear, “No! Please don’t take me back. I don’t have the guts to stand on the podium of the Royal Society, and I don’t have the guts to stay in that little black room you prepared for me.”
Looking at this scene, Arthur couldn’t help but ask, “What’s going on here?”
The apprentices looked up at Arthur and then exclaimed in surprise, “Mr. Hastings? Oh, thank goodness you’re here! Otherwise, this gentleman would have run away again! He’s stood us up several times. If we let him slip away again, the president and the ladies and gentlemen who will attend the lecture tomorrow will definitely not spare us.”
“Escape?” Arthur thought that the man pinned to the ground might be a criminal, but from what they said, he was not only not a criminal but also a special guest invited by the Royal Society to give a lecture.
He took a look at the man. He had a gentle appearance and was about 20 years old. At such a young age, he had achieved such great accomplishments. Why did the apprentices seem to hate him so much?
The apprentices also saw Arthur’s doubts. They divided into several groups, took the young man back to Gresham College, and one of them apologized to Arthur.
“It’s not entirely Mr. Wheatstone’s fault, you see. Not everyone is as familiar with lectures as Mr. Faraday. Giving a lecture at the Royal Society is a supreme honor, but at the same time, it puts a lot of invisible pressure on the speaker.
Besides, Mr. Wheatstone’s personality can be said to be the most timid I’ve ever seen. We’ve invited him to give lectures several times before, but he always sneaked out before the lecture began.
Just to make sure that Mr. Wheatstone could give a normal lecture, the Duke of Sussex specially amended the rules of the Royal Society’s lectures, requiring the speakers to arrive a day in advance. After arriving, they also have to be locked in a small room specially prepared for them by the Royal Society. We won’t let them out until the lecture is over.
But we didn’t expect that even though we were so well prepared, Mr. Wheatstone could still find the gap in our shift changes and sneak out without anyone noticing. I even suspect that if Mr. Wheatstone hadn’t chosen to study science, he might have been able to take over Jack Sheppard’s mantle as the London thief king from the last century. After all, Sheppard only managed to escape from prison five times in his life, and Mr. Wheatstone is now very close to breaking that record.”
Arthur took a puff of smoke, looked up at Mr. Wheatstone, who was being dragged by the apprentices, his expression terrified and his movements almost out of control, and couldn’t help but be curious. “What field does this gentleman research? Maybe I can ask him for some advice and maybe ease his tension at the same time.”
Arthur was willing to help, and the apprentices were naturally happy to be relieved. “Thank you for your enthusiasm. Mr. Wheatstone comes from a family of instrument makers, and he was originally an instrument maker, so his research naturally falls into the fields of optics and acoustics. If you can calm him down, I believe he will be willing to share everything he knows with you.
After all, you know, timid people are always easy to befriend. Besides, the polyphone that Mr. Wheatstone made is quite interesting.”
Last night after dinner, I wanted to lie down for a while, but I fell asleep. I woke up at four in the morning. This chapter is finished, and I owe another chapter. I should be able to catch up in the morning.
(End of chapter)