Chapter 1081: Chapter 89: Royalists and Young Italy
Mr. Dubris’s ho was very different from the judge’s residence Arthur had seen before.
Whether in London or Paris, the residences of judges typically shone with an old-world luxury, so much so that the residences themselves could qualify as antiques.
Everywhere were crystal chandeliers carved into leaf shapes, Damascus fabrics, silk produced in southern China, Ottoman and Persian-style carpets, gilded furniture, and everything attended by servants dressed in old-style livery.
Although the tableware they used might not shine as the furniture did, and indeed most people’s tableware appeared sowhat unsightly, to those in the know, this was also a sign of status. Only the long-established family silverware could exude such a dark luster.
At the center of the dining table was a large glass bowl used for holding fruit, surrounded by exquisite porcelain from Sussex. The dishes, ticulously prepared by the chef, might not suit the guests’ palates, but the presentation was certainly delicate.
But in the Dubris ho, no such arrangent was apparent. The walls and ceiling of the master bedroom were whitewashed with li, a bed for sleeping, a crude wardrobe, a walnut desk, and a single armchair.
The bookshelf in the room seed to have not been cleaned for a long ti, covered in dust. However, it was stuffed with neatly arranged docunts, including diaries, court docunts, and food purchase receipts, among others.
The reception room outside the bedroom was even more ager; apart from a table and a few small wooden stools only seen in schools, there was nothing else.
Although a location like Foa Street did not offer outstanding houses, Dubris’s room would not have looked so shabby if looked at a few years ago.
Back then, his wife was still alive, and the frugal Mrs. Dubris always kept the place in good order.
After his wife’s death, Mr. Dubris chose not to remarry, so now he lived there alone with a servant who had been with him for many years.
Perhaps this was the greatest reason that, after a lifeti of conscientiousness, Mr. Dubris finally decided to muster the adventurous spirit and throw a vengeful punch at the world.
Arthur had to exert a lot of effort to convince this neurotic court prosecutor of his diplomat identity.
As for Louis, he did not reveal himself in front of Dubris. On the contrary, this young man who prided himself as the new leader of the Bonaparte Party was doing his best to conceal himself. He neither particularly liked nor disliked the Royalists, but he was very eager to understand what was in the minds of this group.
After recounting his experiences to Arthur and Louis, Dubris let out a long sigh and drank up the warm coffee in his cup.
These days, he had kept these words in his heart. Although for intelligence officers like Arthur, keeping secrets alone was rely basic professionalism, for an honest man who had never engaged in intelligence work, burying such dangerous secrets within was extrely difficult every single mont.
Dubris finished his coffee, remained silent for a while, and then spoke: “You say you are a British diplomat and have so connection with the Royalists, so can I assu you’re here to bribe to work for the British?”
Arthur did not speak but first took out a cigar box and offered it to Dubris, indicating that he could take one.
Dubris didn’t smoke, but he stared at the cigar box for a long mont, eventually taking one.
Louis skillfully struck a match, first lighting his own cigar and taking a puff, then extending the lit cigar to Arthur and Dubris, letting them borrow the fla.
Arthur exhaled a long plu of smoke: “Mr. Dubris, why do you think a British diplomat must work for Britain?”
Dubris was choked by the cigar smoke, coughing continuously, with tears streaming: “Cough cough cough… Could it be… you are a spy left in Britain by another country?”
“A spy?” Arthur smoked with narrowed eyes: “Not for the mont, but if necessary, I could be.”
“What do you an by that?” Dubris could not quite grasp Arthur’s words: “Neither serving your holand nor the enemy nation? Are you simply idling away in the British Foreign Office?”
Arthur shook his head and said: “You are an upright judge, so you likely cannot understand soone like . However, I am not complicated; in fact, I am so simple that one could see right through . I can be the most loyal diplomat of the British Governnt, or a spy that the French Governnt has sent to the British Foreign Office. Ultimately, I neither serve my holand nor the enemy nation; I serve myself.”
Dubris was sowhat repelled by Arthur’s speech: “What you said makes you sound like a bit of a bastard.”
Arthur did not deny this; he rely responded lightly: “I agree with your view. However, I must add that I have always acted fairly. I once sacrificed myself heroically for the British Governnt, so I owe them nothing. On the contrary, they owe a life. Moreover, I said that I owe the governnt nothing, but I didn’t say I owe Britain nothing. After all, I have lived there for many years, and even the most heartless person would feel so attachnt to their holand.”
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