Chapter 400: Bound Prometheus

Ding-Ding-Dang-Dang.

The pleasant doorbell rang, and a young man in a white shirt and black vest opened the door of the apartment. His face was covered with some vigorous freckles, and his short brown hair was tied back. His awkward movements made people know at a glance that he should still be a middle school student.

He stared at Mrs. Shelley's eyes for a long time, and then he straightened his chest and blushed and said: "Good afternoon, ma'am, are you...are you here to visit my sister again today?"

Mrs. Shelley smiled and nodded, and finally she introduced Arthur: "Mr. Hastings, this is Elizabeth's younger brother, Mr. Edward Moulton-Barrett, Jr."

Arthur took off his gloves and shook the other's hand in a friendly manner: "Nice to meet you, Edward."

"Mr. Hastings?"

Edward was stunned when he heard the name, and then he suddenly realized: "Are you the author of "The Hastings Detective Collection"? The famous detective from Scotland Yard? ”

Before Arthur could reply, the young man clenched his fists excitedly: "Great! My sister will be very happy to see you! Mrs. Shelley, you really kept your promise. You brought this gentleman to us just as promised!"

After speaking, he turned his head and shouted into the house: "Sean, Emily! There are guests at home. Go make some tea and snacks!"

Then, Arthur saw seven or eight little heads popping out of several rooms in the inner house. Among them were teenagers, children of eight or nine years old, and even a naughty kid lying on the ground with half of his butt exposed, crying and shouting for his brother to come and get justice.

"Edward, come and take care of Winston, he's snatching my toys again!"

"Oh my God!" Following Arthur closely, Ada couldn't help but cover her mouth and exclaimed: "How many children are there in their family?"

Mrs. Shelley explained: "The Barrett family has a total of twelve brothers and sisters. Elizabeth is the oldest, and Edward is the oldest among the men. Since Mrs. Barrett passed away, the family has become like this. Although Mr. Barrett is well educated and a successful businessman, it is definitely not a good idea to let him manage the family."

As he spoke, two servants, a man and a woman, walked out of the dining room and took the guests to the reception room with a smile.

The reception room is spacious and bright. As soon as you step in here, you will be greeted by a balcony facing the garden and French floor-to-ceiling windows with carved decorations on both sides. The walls are decorated with wallpaper woven with brocade and silk, and complex plaster moldings and panels can be seen in some corners.

Next to the fireplace are cabinets with various tea sets, built-in bookshelves, and display cabinets with porcelain and silverware.

Just after sitting down on the walnut chair wrapped in cotton cloth, you can see the family's artistic taste by looking up.

The five murals on the wall are all full of classical mythology.

Prometheus was bound to the Caucasus Mountains by Zeus for stealing fire from the sky.

Sisyphus was punished to push a huge rock to the top of the mountain because he kidnapped the god of death and made the world dead.

Ikaros wanted to fly to the sun, but his wax wings melted by the sun and he fell into the sea.

Kronos, the second generation of the gods, overthrew the brutal rule of his father, the god Uranus, but was overthrown by his son Zeus and was finally imprisoned in hell.

And Atlas, the god of the sky, was punished to support the sky with his head and hands at the westernmost part of the world because he failed to resist Zeus.

Agares adjusted his glasses, put his hands behind his back, paced, and examined the paintings on the wall one by one.

Seeing this, Arthur took the opportunity to ask Mrs. Shelley while she was chatting with Ada: "What are you looking at? Aren't they all old-fashioned myths?"

"Old-fashioned myths?"

The Red Devil smiled softly: "If you only understand these paintings in this way, it would be too vulgar. The so-called myths are nothing more than exaggerated historical truths. And the so-called historical truths are just the prelude to future stories."

At this point, the Red Devil suddenly leaned over and smiled widely: "Arthur, if you must choose, do you want to be tied to the Caucasus Mountains and push rocks? Go up the mountain, fall into the sea, be imprisoned in hell, or use your head and shoulders to support the damn sky? "

Arthur poured a cup of tea: "I don't choose any of them. If I have to choose, I would rather lie on the ground and let the sky fall and crush everyone to death."

The Red Devil did not continue to ask, but patted his shoulder heavily: "My dear Arthur, you, it's better to be as great as you said."

Arthur did not express anything to the Red Devil's words. As an old friend, he was tired of solving similar riddles.

He just calmly picked up the teacup and drank a sip of tea, listening to the whispered conversation between Mrs. Shelley and Ada.

I don't know since when, he began to slowly get used to such a life, like a shadow, he was clearly there, but it seemed not there.

Although the protagonists in the oil paintings all have a heroic experience, Arthur actually doesn't like to live in the sun like them.

We are a group of rats in the gutter. What is the gutter? It is a place that cannot see the light.

——Article 1, paragraph 1 of the Metropolitan Police Intelligence Directorate Internal Training Manual.

However, from an outsider's perspective, they certainly couldn't figure out that Mr. Hastings was all about sewer rats.

Both Ada and Mrs. Shelley thought that the young police officer was fascinated by the painting "Prometheus Bound".

Seeing that he was looking so fascinated, Ada thought of Arthur's recent experience of being widely attacked by public opinion circles, and thought that he was being moved by the situation.

She asked softly: "Do you feel trapped too?"

Arthur looked at her puzzled expression and just laughed: "This is not a bondage, but a kind of destiny. A pair of devil's big hands pushed me here. However, I can't blame him entirely, some At this time, it’s my own fault.”

Ada didn't quite understand what Arthur said. She usually didn't care about politics, but she still knew more or less about parliamentary reform.

"If you find those jobs annoying, why not quit them? You can play the piano, you can write "Hastings", you have many skills to support yourself, why choose one that makes you happy? What about the unhappy ones?"

Arthur didn't know how to explain this problem to Ada. He thought about it and replied half-jokingly: "Madam, I am not as powerful as you think. The reason why I have those skills is because I have gone to Current location. It’s easy to go up the mountain, with some hardship at best, but if you want to get down before the sun sets, you have to choose free fall.”

Mrs. Shelley couldn't help but worry when she heard this. Her early years with Shelley made her understand many dirty things in politics.

She asked softly: "Are things already this bad?"

Arthur did not comment on this, but replied in a confused manner: "Madam, no one in this world will seize power in order to abolish power. Power is not a means, but an end."

As soon as Arthur finished speaking, he heard heavy footsteps on the stairs.

The footsteps were obviously much slower than the sound of Edward rushing upstairs just now, and they sounded cautious.

Not long after, Arthur saw a wisp of white dress outside the door of the living room. It was a slender and frail girl being held in Edward's arms.

Being paralyzed in bed for a long time made her skin look unhealthy pale, and her dark brown hair was styled into an elegant bun at the back of her head.

Compared with the intricately decorated skirts that other ladies often wear, her skirt looks extremely simple. It has neither wide skirts nor scattered small decorations. It is just a comfortable and loose dress with long sleeves and high collar.

Although her mobility was limited, Elizabeth still smiled and nodded gently to the guests as a courtesy.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mrs. Shelley. I like the book "Prometheus Unbound" you gave me last time. It is Mr. Shelley's version of Aeschylus's original work "Prometheus Bound". Hughes" written from another perspective. I can hardly tell which one I like better. I keep both books by my bedside and read them again every night before going to bed. "

Mrs. Shelley was relieved when she heard this. She stood up with a smile and said: "Elizabeth, it is really gratifying to see you so obsessed with literature. When I saw you at the Quaker Church, your condition was It’s so worrying, I’m afraid you’re going to do something stupid.”

Edward hugged his sister and gently placed her on the sofa chair, and then said: "It's all thanks to you recommending "The British" to us. The story on it is simply too interesting. "Blackwood" Although poetry is elegant, reading it too much will always make you depressed. But "The Englishman" is different. It contains many stories about fields, cities, villages and foreign countries. Each one is very interesting to read. It makes people feel unsatisfied.”

Having said this, Edward did not forget to ask Arthur: "Mr. Hastings, I have always wanted to ask you why "The Hastings Detective Collection" has not been updated recently. I am still waiting to see the perfume murderer. What’s the outcome of the case?”

Arthur heard this and replied with a smile: "To be honest, Edward, not only you, but also I have been waiting for the outcome of this case."

"Ah?" Edward said in surprise: "You mean, you haven't figured out the next plot yet? You don't know how to arrange the death of the perfume merchant?"

"Hmm..." Arthur recalled the image of Bernie Harrison when he was alive, nodded slightly and said: "That's right."

Seeing her brother chasing after her, Elizabeth quickly stopped him softly: "Edward, this is so rude."

When Edward heard his sister say this, he was not immediately discouraged, but turned to chase Arthur again and asked.

"Mr. Hastings, that...you...actually my sister has also written a lot of literary things. You may not know that she started writing poetry when she was four years old. We both received the same tutor when we were young. Education, but she learned much better than me. When she was thirteen, she wrote a four-volume epic "The Battle of Marathon". My father was very proud of it and even paid someone to print fifty copies. Give it away. You happen to be here now, why don’t I go get that book for you?”

"Edward!"

Elizabeth endured it for a long time, but when she heard that her brother was planning to show her humble work to the famous author of "The Englishman", she immediately interrupted her brother with a blushing face and shame.

Edward saw the anger in his sister's bright eyes, and could only smile and touch the back of his head and stepped aside: "Okay... maybe there will be a chance next time. I'll go see if the snacks are ready, you guys can chat slowly."

Edward's figure had just disappeared in the living room when he heard Ada say in surprise: "So this is how the relationship between brothers and sisters is? If possible, I also want a brother, he seems to care about you."

Elizabeth breathed a sigh of relief, she stared at Ada, who was as bright as a rose, and her mood, which had just been relieved, suddenly rippled again: "Edward is indeed a kind-hearted person. When I was in good health, we brothers and sisters often went riding and picnicking in the manor. It's great to be born in the same year as him. A family is indeed a blessing. Don't you have such brothers and sisters? "

Ada blinked her eyes: "I heard from my mother that I originally had a half-sister, but she died at the age of five. I also have a cousin, she is also called Elizabeth like you. I have met her several times, but we are not familiar with each other. "

"Don't you often interact with relatives? "

Ada shook her head as if she didn't care: "I actually still want to interact with them, but every time I meet them, my mother looks very sad, as if she has recalled many unbearable memories. So, since I found this, I rarely let my mother take me to meet relatives. "

When Mrs. Shelley heard this, it seemed as if she heard herself.

She held Ada's hand and said, "Ada, you don't have to do this. I believe that your mother must think that it is more important for you to live happily than to recall the past. Memories are things of the past after all. Since they are in the past, let them go. They are all things of our generation and have nothing to do with your generation."

Ada felt the kindness of Mrs. Shelley, but she just felt uncomfortable all over.

The rebellious lady told the truth: "Madam, if it was someone else, it would be fine. But my cousin Elizabeth Medora Lee is the daughter of my aunt Augusta Lee."

As soon as Ada finished speaking, Arthur, who was drinking tea, was choked and coughed repeatedly.

According to the gossip from Elder, Augusta Lee was not only a brother and sister with Byron, but also a pair of lovers who were inseparable. And the reason why Byron married Ada's mother, Lady Milbank, was to cover up the incest scandal.

And Byron went to Greece because the scandal was finally exposed, making him unable to stay in Britain. From this perspective, it does make sense for Ada not to go see her cousin.