shadow of britain

Chapter 775 Hastings Worm

London, Covent Garden, Mr. Moore's Café.

Darwin took a small sip of his freshly brewed Jamaican coffee and then slowly exhaled.

In front of him lay a small notebook filled with drawings of all sorts of exotic creatures, some of which he had drawn himself, and others were by Elder. Since the end of his round-the-world scientific expedition, Elder had been busy, while Darwin was clearly even busier.

The author of the "Hayster's Journal" had just returned to London when he received a grand welcome from the Linnean Society, where Darwin first gave three lectures on natural history. But before he could even catch his breath, the Royal Society came knocking. The Duke of Sussex, President of the Royal Society, had always been keen on natural history, and therefore naturally wanted to meet this most renowned young naturalist in Britain at the time.

Although Darwin learned from his correspondence with friends that his "Beagle's Journal" was selling like hotcakes in London, with people of all ages enjoying reading his stories of the circumnavigation, the strange phenomena he encountered, and the species he encountered.

However, even though Darwin had prepared himself mentally before returning to London, he still did not expect his popularity to be at such a high level.

From Princess Victoria, the Crown Princess, and the Duke of Sussex, to illiterate drunkards who could only listen to tavern storytellers, everyone loved his stories. And the question he was asked most often during this time was: Mr. Darwin, when will the "Hayster's Journal" be published as a standalone volume?

The Duke of Sussex even told him privately: "The day the HMS Beagle's logbook is published will be the day you are elected to the Royal Society."

Darwin was touched by everyone's enthusiasm, but also felt a headache coming on.

Because Arthur had discussed the matter of a separate publication with him in their letters long ago, but Darwin, with his rigorous academic attitude, believed that the entire content must be supplemented, deleted, and refined before that could be done.

In short, he didn't want to do anything that would damage his academic reputation.

The "consequence" of high standards and high requirements was that Darwin lost a lot of hair during this period due to working late into the night.

Darwin couldn't help but sigh when he thought of this, but then he remembered the encouragement from his readers and colleagues, so he picked up his coffee and drank it all in one gulp, and then picked up his pen again.

Pain and pleasure coexist—that's the theme of Mr. Charles Darwin's life this past week.

"Is that Mr. Darwin over there?"

"It seems so; his head looks balder than it did a few years ago."

“I remember Uncle Carter saying a few days ago that he was bald because he was bitten by a jaguar, and jaguars are animals that eat hair.”

"Come on, Adam, why do you believe that guy Carter? He never keeps his word."

"I heard from my father that Mr. Darwin can now recognize the ancestors of beetles and parrots at a glance. Allen, do you think that's true?"

"Whether it's true or not, let's try it and see."

Needless to say, the two little devils who were talking were none other than Officer Tom's troublesome adopted sons, Adam Jr. and Aaron Pinkerton.

Or perhaps it's no longer appropriate to call them two little devils, since Adam is thirteen this year and Pinkerton is already fifteen—they're both grown men.

The two young men plotted amongst themselves for a while when Pinkerton suddenly pulled out a metal cigarette case he had taken from his father's drawer.

The cigarette box was opened, revealing neatly arranged the fruits of their morning's labor: four dead insects—a butterfly, a grasshopper, a scarab beetle, and a centipede. The two boys immediately got to work. Adam used a toothpick to attach the butterfly's wings to the grasshopper's back, while Pinkerton twisted the centipede's body into an "S" shape, stuffed it into the scarab beetle's hollowed-out shell, and then gave it long legs and fake eyes.

After fussing around for a while, they put the "Frankenstein's monster," which usually only appears in Frankenstein, back into the tin cigarette case and casually approached Darwin.

"Hello, are you Uncle Darwin?"

Darwin looked up, his gaze falling on the two children's faces. He paused for a moment, then smiled with delight: "Adam? Allen? You two have grown so tall! How's your father doing lately?"

"It couldn't be better, he's a police inspector now."

“He manages a lot of people. Poor old Fagin now shakes like he’s dancing whenever he sees my father.”

Darwin couldn't help but chuckle. He shook his head with a smile, then moved the notebook aside, gesturing for the two kids to sit down.

He waved to the waiter not far away: "Excuse me, two more cups of hot cocoa, please."

Although Darwin had many papers and letters to reply to, he was quite willing to forget about them for the time being and focus his attention on the two young men in front of him.

A few years ago, when he first met the two children, Adam was so thin that he looked like a reed that might fall over in the autumn wind at any moment. Although Allen was in a slightly better condition, he was not much better off than his brother, and he spoke unclearly with a heavy Glasgow accent.

Five years later, Pinkerton is now tall and sturdy, almost as tall as his adoptive father Tom. Although he still has the same stiff, dark Scottish hair and wears a dark gray woolen jacket, he could probably be a handsome young man if he were to groom himself.

Adam was a head shorter than his older brother, with frizzy hair like a clump of straw. Perhaps because he was going through puberty, he had many freckles around his nose, and his entire face moved when he smiled. Today he was wearing an old vest embroidered with red thread, tightly cinched at the waist with a leather belt. It was clear that he cared more about his appearance than his brother. Although his clothes weren't particularly expensive, there wasn't a single wrinkle in them from head to toe.

Adam and Allen exchanged a glance, giving each other a "fire" look. Then Pinkerton coughed and said in a mocking tone, "Uncle Darwin, we found a creature in the cracks of the bricks in the backstreet of the market that we've never seen before."

Adam continued with a serious expression, "We searched through all the insect atlases Dad bought for us, but we couldn't find any trace of it."

"So we would like to ask you... to help us see which family and genus it belongs to, and whether it is some kind of unnamed new species."

Darwin, with a smile, took the tin cigarette case. He exclaimed in delight, "You actually know terms like 'which family and which genus'? You know Linnaeus's classification? This is truly gratifying. Perhaps Tom should send you to university to study natural history in the future." As soon as Darwin finished speaking, he opened the tin case.

However, after just one glance, the scholar's smile froze.

Darwin glanced at Adam and Pinkerton, then gently closed his cigarette case and said, "Did it bark when you caught it?"

"It made a sound!" Adam answered instantly, then glanced back at Pinkerton: "Uh, it made a... 'hissing' sound."

“And it even tried to bite me.” Pinkerton immediately added, “It used its… uh… I mean its front legs, its mouth is on its legs.”

Darwin nodded thoughtfully: "In that case..."

Adam and Pinkton asked in unison, "What kind of creature is it?"

“Then it’s a fraud.” Darwin paused, raised his eyebrows, and shook his head. “You two brats, trying to fool me.”

The wind chimes in the café tinkled softly, and Elder's voice came from the doorway: "Arthur, are you sure your uncle's name is really David Erasmus Hastings?"

Arthur took off his gloves and stepped inside: "It should be that name, unless he lied to me. But my uncle has been buried for seven or eight years, so even if he lied to me, I have no way to verify it with him."

"Damn it!" Elder muttered, "Why didn't you think to ask about it when you were lying in your coffin back then... Now look what's happened, you'll never have the chance..."

"Elder".

"what happened?"

"Go home and teach your grandma how to play with eggs."

"That's a good phrase. Is it a popular saying in the East District lately? I heard some scoundrels running around on the street saying it the other day."

These two prominent alumni of the University of London were exploring the essence of English literature when they turned around and saw Darwin and two young men sitting next to him.

When Elder saw Adam and Pinkton, he immediately burst into laughter and walked over: "Hey, aren't these my lads? Alan, you're getting on in years, are you planning to come to the University of London and become our alumnus, or are you planning to follow in your father's footsteps and jump into that big dye vat of Scotland Yard?"

Pinkerton saw Elder, and the street-smart young man, barely suppressing the urge to roll his eyes, said, "My dad said he'd break my legs if I ever tried to become a cop. As for University College London... he thinks it's a good option, but..."

Before Pinkerton could finish speaking, Elder's attitude immediately warmed up upon hearing that Pinkerton might study at the University of London: "I told you, Tom is sensible. The University of London's educational standards are second to none, and Arthur is currently the Dean of Studies. Next year, after you graduate from high school, it will be the best time for you to enroll. Listen to me, study Classics. When you casually recite a few lines of Shelley and Byron's poetry, won't the girls be swooning over you?"

At this point, as if he had just realized something, he turned to Darwin and asked, "Charles, what were you discussing with them just now? You couldn't have been advising them to go rummage through the wormholes in Cambridge, could you?"

Darwin retorted irritably, "Eld, do you think I'm like you? I don't make empty promises or verbal pledges. You think studying classical literature will make girls chase after you? You're not ashamed to say that."

Arthur took off his hat and sat down next to Darwin: "There are girls, of course, in my imagination."

Elder glared at him and said, "Arthur! How can you side with him? What benefits did Cambridge give you?"

Arthur ignored Elder, after all, he could understand the guy. He had been cooped up on the ship for five years and was eager to release his longing for Oxford, Cambridge, and the girls.

He's finally back in London; he deserves some time to go for a walk and get some fresh air.

Arthur asked, "Weren't you just discussing college admissions advice?"

“Of course not.” Darwin chuckled and opened the metal cigarette case, placing it in front of Arthur. “These two brats insisted on telling me they’d discovered a new species. It’s a strange insect with mouths on its front legs, a body curled up in an S-shape, and that makes a hissing sound. They were in such a hurry that they gave themselves away as soon as they opened their mouths.”

Adam began, “Mr. Darwin said the scientific name for this insect is ‘liar.’”

Elder chuckled and patted Adam on the shoulder: "You guys were too careless. But if you really did discover a new species, then according to academic convention, the discoverer has the right to name it."

Adam and Pinkerton exclaimed in unison, "Really?"

“Of course.” Elder pretended to take out a handkerchief and wipe his hands. “On this round-the-world voyage, we discovered many previously unknown species. Charles alone collected a whole box of insect specimens, as well as many reptiles, mammals, and plants. Of course, fossils were also indispensable. And it wasn’t just Charles; I also made many contributions. There was an oval, brownish-red night-flying beetle that I first discovered in Uruguay. At the time, I heard that Arthur had been shot under the Tower of London, and I was heartbroken for a long time because of it, so I was even planning to name this insect Hastings beetle in his honor.”

Upon hearing this, Arthur was moved, but he felt an even stronger urge to advise Elder against doing something unnecessary: ​​"Eld, while I appreciate your kindness, you should keep the honor of naming the insect for yourself. In particular, I don't want to see it in the insect atlas."

Elder was rather displeased; he had thought Arthur would be grateful to him: "Why?"

"What do you think? Because I don't want to be remembered as an insect. Would you like to name a capuchin monkey after yourself?"

Elder stroked his chin thoughtfully for a while, then confessed, "If Charles hadn't written that sentence in the Beagle's logbook: 'The keen eyes and cautious movements of the capuchin monkeys made me realize for the first time that the boundary between humans and animals might not be as clear as we thought,' I probably would have been quite happy. But, Arthur, what do you have to worry about with insects? The boundary between humans and insects is much clearer than the boundary between humans and capuchin monkeys."

At this point, Elder seemed to remember something and suddenly said, "However... the boundary between you and the Hastings family seems rather blurry."

(End of this chapter)