The Shadow of Great Britain-Chapter 516 - 272: Timely Rain Hastings (4K2)

"Mr. Faraday, please wait a moment."

Several Home Office civil servants hurriedly approached, their faces covered in sweat. It was the first time Arthur had ever seen government officials from a superior department display such discomposure.

When Arthur used to visit the Home Office, those guys always acted haughty and never looked directly at the personnel from Scotland Yard. freeweɓnøvel.com

If it hadn’t been for the worsening safety conditions in London, which kept highlighting the importance of Scotland Yard, it was uncertain whether Arthur could have met these officials without having to apply for an appointment in advance.

The civil servants rushed to intercept Mr. Faraday, their faces filled with smiles. The leading civil servant even took out an envelope stuffed with a cheque from his breast pocket, using possibly the most humble tone he had ever used in his life as he pleaded.

"Mr. Faraday, I swear on my honor before God that the Minister has no intention whatsoever of belittling scientific researchers. Everyone knows that the scientists of the Royal Society play a crucial role in Britain, although the Linnaean Society, the Geological Society, and the Astronomical Society are also important. However, in our view, the Royal Society still shines the brightest among the myriad scientific associations in Britain. How could Viscount Melbourne ever underestimate the researchers at the Royal Society? You must have misunderstood his intentions."

The other civil servants also flattered Mr. Faraday incessantly.

"Exactly, first there were Robert Boyle, Isaac Newton, then Henry Cavendish, John Dalton and your mentor, Sir Humphry Davy. Now, the Royal Society is having its moment with you. The scientists of the Royal Society have contributed the concept of chemical elements, the discovery of gravity, calculated the mass of the Earth, proposed the atomic theory, and initiated the era of studying chemistry through electrolysis. And you have added the theory of electromagnetic induction to this already towering skyscraper."

"My God! Mr. Faraday, you are creating a century!"

"The Cabinet has always valued the development of science and would never ignore those researchers who have made significant contributions to the world yet continue to live in poverty. Besides, in my view, if Britain could only grant a scientific subsidy to one person, I think it must be you."

"Mr. Faraday, I won’t keep hiding it, I too am one of your ardent followers. If anyone has insulted you, I am willing to duel in your place, but Viscount Melbourne is definitely not such a person. You will see, if you pay a little attention, that he is a gentleman who is approachable and observes social etiquette."

However, no matter how eloquently the civil servants tried to patch things up, Mr. Faraday was not buying it.

Mr. Faraday raised his palm to signal them to stop: "Regarding the matter of the scientific subsidy, I have already left a note for His Lordship. If he thinks he can summon and dismiss researchers at his whim, then under such circumstances, please excuse me from this subsidy. I won’t sell my precious time and the dignity of being an ordinary person for such a paltry amount."

With that said, Mr. Faraday walked straight through the midst of the civil servants, ignoring their attempts to retain him and never looking back.

Upon witnessing this incident, the audience of the scientific lecture could not help but exclaim in surprise. Everyone was clueless about what had happened and why the usually good-tempered Mr. Faraday had publicly lost his temper.

Among the crowd, a few gentlemen exchanged smiles when they saw this and quickly pulled out notebooks and pens from their coat pockets, and started chasing in the direction Mr. Faraday had gone.

The disheartened civil servants just caught sight of these gentlemen when they suddenly slapped their foreheads in shock.

"I recognize those guys, they are reporters from The Morning Chronicle and The Illustrated News!"

"Damn it! This unprincipled bunch will definitely spill everything."

"We need to come up with something. Viscount Melbourne’s case hasn’t broken out yet, and if Faraday’s issue is added now, he’ll be covered in knives."

"Is the Home Secretary going to be replaced because of this?"

"This little issue won’t make the Prime Minister reshuffle the Cabinet. But if His Lordship is in a bad mood, we certainly won’t escape a reprimand for mishandling things. He has only been in the Home Secretary position for a year, and we have a long time to deal with him yet."

"Those sons of bitches, the journalists, are really like flies, they come buzzing whenever you fart. They like it so gross, why don’t they go and guzzle a couple of gallons of Thames River water! It’s not like it’s limited supply!"

"Stop cursing, let’s think of a way to deal with them instead. Faraday seems resolute now; we can only start by dealing with the reporters. Do you have any ideas?"

"Ideas? Of course. Reporters, after all, want money, and their professional integrity isn’t necessarily better than that of prostitutes. Fortunately, we just met a few minor reporters today, not Thomas Barnes from The Times."

"Is Barnes any different from the minor reporters?"

"Of course, Barnes is the editor-in-chief and he’s from The Times, so he’s not short of money now; instead, he’s already setting up a moral framework!"

As the civil servants continued their coarse conversation, suddenly, they heard a voice near their ears—a voice so calm that it carried not a single ripple of emotion.