the next day,
Friday.
The salon in Fleet Street indeed dominated the front pages of the major newspapers.
Each newspaper has a different focus;
"The Times" previewed "The Hound of the Baskervilles", which was an official announcement of Sherlock Holmes' return.
This blockbuster news and the interview with Doyle accounted for almost 90% of the article, while Lu, the mysterious author of "No Survival", was squeezed into a very peripheral corner;
In contrast, the "Manchester Guardian" praised Lu so much that it was something in the sky and nothing on the earth, and Doyle became a foil.
The two newspapers often quarreled, but most of them were about political differences.
This time, it involves the field of literature, which is quite rare, and it inevitably arouses the curiosity of London citizens.
Even the gentlemen in the Palace of Westminster and Whitehall would ask the coachman to wait for a while at work, buy a newspaper with political leanings opposite to their own party, and join in the fun.
Among these politicians, one is very special. As a Conservative MP, he is accepted by The Times, The Daily Telegraph and the Manchester Guardian, regardless of his leanings.
The newspaper deliveryman knocked on the office door,
"Mr. Churchill, the paper has been delivered."
Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill,
It's a very long name.
But his career history and resume are longer;
Politician, author, historian, speaker, journalist, and the 61st and 63rd British Prime Minister.
Of course, Churchill is still just a small member of Parliament at this moment. Although he has occupied a place in the Palace of Westminster, he is only in the back row.
He opened the door a crack for the newspaper deliveryman,
"give it to me."
The voice was deeper than usual, as if he was covering something up.
The newspaper deliveryman subconsciously glanced inside the door and found that there was indeed another gentleman sitting there. He quickly looked away.
"Your newspaper, sir."
Three newspapers were passed through the door.
Churchill waved his hand,
"Go ahead."
The newspaperman hurried away quickly.
Churchill closed the door, returned to his desk, lined up three newspapers, focused on three things, and squinted to read the front page.
The person opposite him said: "Winston, every time I see you reading the newspaper like this, I feel magical."
This man's name is John Wodehouse, 1st Earl of Kimberley,
At the same time, he is also a leader of the Liberal Party.
Churchill didn't even look up.
"Dear Sir, are you still there? I thought you were gone. If nothing happens, please go out as soon as possible. I'm afraid that my comrades will misunderstand me, and I won't be able to argue with you when the time comes."
Misunderstanding is a hammer!
Churchill was now an outlier among the Conservative Party.
Wodehouse sarcastically said: "You are quite eloquent. Look at your current office. It is so small. Are you being squeezed out?"
As he spoke, he didn't forget to look around and make a "tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk, tsk" sound.
Indeed, this office is very shabby. After setting up a desk, the distance from the desk to the door is only a little more than three meters. The only decoration is a pot of ornamental plants that are about to die and a pot of already dead ornamental plants. plant.
It didn't matter to Churchill;
"It doesn't matter. Anyway, the congressmen here are like ants. How many of them don't even have their own territory."
On the surface, he is talking about offices, because the vast majority of MPs do not have a fixed office location in the Palace of Westminster.
But in fact, this is undoubtedly a pun.
Wodehouse smiled;
"Are you interested in expanding your territory?"
This is also a pun.
Churchill didn't want to answer this question, so he stood up and made himself some black tea.
At this time, he was not the pot-bellied image in the photos of later generations, because he had just returned from the Yingbo battlefield. He had a well-proportioned figure, a straight waist, and the high-spiritedness of a young and successful man, making him look quite handsome.
Wodehouse did not expect Churchill to answer directly.
He changed the topic: "Have you finished reading? What do you think?"
As he spoke, he nodded in the direction of the newspaper.
Churchill said: "Well, it's quite interesting, especially the attitude of the "Daily Telegraph", which is rare and unbiased. No, it can't be said that, the "Daily Telegraph" compared Dr. Doyle and Lu, which is a bit I prefer the former."
Wodehouse couldn't help but be astonished.
"Do you favor the former? The former you are talking about is Dr. Doyle, right?"
He even thought he heard wrongly.
Churchill explained: "Don't get it wrong. I am talking about the current Dr. Doyle. It is difficult for him to innovate anymore. "No Survival" is completely the opposite. The nursery rhyme prophecy and the island murder are both groundbreaking. .”
Wodehouse nodded,
He felt the same way about this.
He said: "So you think Holmes' return this time will be full of resistance?"
Churchill laughed,
"How is that possible? That's Sherlock Holmes! Everyone in Britain loves Sherlock Holmes!"
Wodehouse was speechless for a while.
Churchill happily took a sip of black tea and said, "Actually, what really interests me is a character in "No One Survived", Philip Lombard."
Wodehouse asked: "The soldier?"
Churchill nodded,
"That's right. I always feel that the description of him in the book is weird. It doesn't seem like he has been on the Anglo-Boer battlefield, but like he has served in areas such as East Africa and India. If my guess is right, Lu Ba Cheng It’s about changing his background.”
Wodehouse's eyes narrowed;
Churchill was a hero who returned from the Anglo-Boer War. His judgment should be correct.
As for the reason why Lu changed the background of the characters in the book, you can know it by thinking about which newspaper "No Survival" was serialized.
But the problem is...
Will there be liberals among the Chinese who have pigtails and are still engaged in feudalism?
This conclusion is outrageous no matter how you think about it.
Churchill touched his nose lightly and said, "I specifically inquired about some specific plots in the salon. This Lu may not be as simple as imagined."
Wodehouse shook his head;
"You are unfounded."
Churchill did not answer the question, but continued: "I also heard some interesting news from a noble lady. Lu has a very special view on the rise of the United States, and believes that germs are also an important factor."
Germs?
For the second time today, Wodehouse thought he had heard wrong.
He said nothing, waiting for the other party to explain.
Sure enough, Churchill followed the topic just now and said: "He believed that when Europeans set foot on the American continent, they not only brought science with them, but also brought smallpox, mumps, measles, cholera, gonorrhea and yellow fever. These germs killed The original 'landowners' on the American continent completed a thorough land reform."
This idea is quite novel.
Wodehouse pondered for a moment and said: "It seems reasonable, but in fact it is ridiculous. There is no need for the British Empire to kill because it can colonize."
Churchill shook his head,
"Colonization? Then do you think our colonization of Japan was a success or a failure? Is our colonization of North America a success or a failure? To take a step back, if colonization is really effective, our army will still fight in South Africa. A bad fight?"
He has clearly realized that the control of the empire cannot last forever.
Wodehouse thought otherwise;
"I think you are a little irrational because of your experience as a prisoner. This Lu is certainly a magical Chinese boy, but China... hum..."
When it comes to China, Wodehouse shakes his head.
Churchill held a different view, believing that Britain could not colonize China for a long time.
But he was too lazy to refute and said: "I reserve my opinion. In fact, I am quite interested in Lu himself. Maybe I should meet him if I have the chance."
