The Shadow of Great Britain

"Hmm..."

Feng Kromeier relaxed and leaned back in his chair, pinching his chin thoughtfully: "Let me guess, have you perhaps been involved in a bank fraud case?"

"Worse than that!"

Arthur pointed at Schneider and roared: "The fraud was even led by August!"

"Oh?" Feng Kromeier burst into laughter and rubbed his face: "August, I never realized before that you had this kind of talent!"

Schneider looked as miserable as a lost dog, and he braced himself to speak: "Damn it! Since Arthur has already said it, I won't hide it from you either, Mr. Kromeier. Do you know how we discovered the detailed plan of Young Italy?"

"How did you discover it?"

Schneider lit his pipe, took a deep puff, and adjusted his breathing.

"As you know, I've spent several years in Paris, so I've made quite a few friends here. Last year, when I came to Paris for business, a friend from the banking world told me that he had opened an investment bank. This bank was bidding for the mining rights to a large coal mine in the Alsace-Lorraine region. According to him, if they won the bid, the return on investment would exceed tenfold.

However, their current capital turnover has reached a terribly difficult point, so several major investors planned to sell part of their shares to help the bank with its cash flow. Since he and I are old friends, when such a good opportunity arose, he thought of me first. After all, why let others reap the benefits?

I was so swayed by him at the time that I invested all my money, even selling my property in London. But even so, it still wasn't enough to cover their gap. So, when I returned to London, I told Arthur about it and persuaded him to join me in investing. Just like that, the two of us invested nearly seventy thousand francs in that bank..."

"Seventy thousand francs!" Feng Kromeier exclaimed: "That's no small sum."

"It certainly isn't a small sum."

Schneider continued: "But when we returned to Paris this year, we found that apart from the bank's office and a few pretty female clerks, there was nothing left. The funds on the bank's books were nearly depleted, and the money was only enough to pay this year's staff salaries, not a sous more. I asked those beautiful ladies, and they told me that several directors had gone on a trip to India together. Before leaving, they left me a letter containing the remaining shares of the bank they held."

At this, Arthur spat angrily: "Damn them! If they really went to India, I'll immediately write to Lord Bentinck, the Governor of India, asking him to let those Indians set up the funeral pyre again in honor of Shiva, and roast those fraudsters to a crisp like they do widows!"

Hearing this, Feng Kromeier almost burst out laughing, but he quickly covered his mouth with a handkerchief and said: "Sir, to use an old British saying, speaking like that is just not proper."

Arthur waved his hand and cursed.

"To hell with propriety, I've had enough of British propriety!

In Britain, if you get familiar with a woman at a ball or any event during the night, and the next day you see her on the street and acknowledge her, it's improper!

If you approach a beautiful woman at a ball to invite her for a dance, it's improper!

If you get red in the face, argue incessantly, laugh heartily, or frankly say what's on your mind during a conversation, it's improper!

Using your wits, expressing your emotions, sitting with your legs crossed playing cards at the gambling table, being absent-minded in conversation, or speaking a bit too much at dinner, improper! Improper! All improper!

A British lady could cause an uproar in her bedroom without it being improper, but if she entertains a male friend in the same room, she considers her reputation tarnished.

Thanks to this strict notion of propriety, one day the residents of London will be unable to move.

It's precisely because of this propriety that August, when he came to Paris, was like a clueless novice, easily duped by Parisian fraudsters, losing even my life's savings in the process!"

Arthur's impromptu performance left Schneider, who was watching beside him, dumbfounded. He had only known that this former Scotland Yard Assistant Commissioner could play the piano and catch thieves, never expecting him to be so adept at acting.

Fortunately, Feng Kromeier's attention was entirely captured by Arthur, so he didn't notice anything unusual about him.

Feng Kromeier consoled, "Sir..."

Before he could finish, Arthur rudely interrupted: "Mr. Kromeier, all my hopes now rest on you. I used to be a policeman, and under normal circumstances, if we encountered such a case, August and I would be waiting to enter debtor's prison. But God bless, just when we were in despair, a few fools from Italy came to this shell of a bank to conduct deposit business, opening several accounts with us."

"Italians? Deposit business?"

Feng Kromeier was first taken aback, then couldn't suppress his inner delight as he asked: "Are you talking about the partisans of Young Italy?"