The Sensory Animals of Ston Hill

William Ston and his brother looked like polar opposites despite their similarities.

The only obvious difference in looks between the brothers is their lips.

Alan Stone has a mouth that invites kisses.As soon as women saw him, they wanted to throw him the brightest flowers and the most fragrant handkerchiefs, to hold him in their arms, or to be hugged by him, and then put their ears to his lips and listen to him. Speak sweet words.

But no one dared to get so close to William Ston.No matter what character or age a woman is, when she sees William Ston, she will unconsciously become solemn and dare not show frivolity in front of him easily.But if danger comes, the first thing they think of seeking shelter is probably not God, but William Ston.

He hasn't been home for too long.Although Allen had told him in his letter that many changes had taken place in the family, when he rode down the gentle slope that had been traveled thousands of times and saw the wild grass in front of the house turned into a large and well-gardened garden, he was still shocked. was surprised.

He gave a slight tug on the rein and stopped.The white horse under him has accompanied him for many years, and has followed him through life and death. Feeling his mood at this time, he stamped his hooves uneasily on the spot.

The carriage following behind also stopped, and a demure woman's face protruded from the window.The figure in the military uniform was as straight as ever, but the woman looked at his back and vaguely noticed that he was different from usual.

"Major?" she called softly, her voice befitting her appearance: not outstanding, but endearing.

William Ston turned his head when he heard the sound.He doesn't smile often, especially after he formally enlisted in the army, his expression and tone have become more rigid than before.But he is not indifferent.He stretched out a hand and pointed forward, "Go down this hill, and you will be there."

Just got home.

They were stopped by the guards from the palace in front of the castle.Knowing about His Majesty's visit, William waited patiently outside. By the way, he looked at the newly added sculptures on the outer wall of the villa, as well as the stone slab with the words "Kent Hill".

Soon, Alan Ston rushed out from inside and shouted happily: "William!"

William Ston strode forward, and the two brothers hugged each other vigorously before separating, looking at each other eagerly.

William squeezed Allen's thicker shoulders, then looked at the top of his head, his eyes filled with relief and pride: "It's grown taller again!"

"Is your arm all right?" Allen asked him.

"Okay. Where's your wound?" William looked down at his stomach.

"It's almost too good!"

Alan Stone asked him about the situation on the front line.

William said, "Let's talk in the house. We've been driving for a few days and we're tired."

Alan Stone followed him to look at the carriage. First, the maid got out of the carriage with her skirt inconveniently, and then planned to help the lady inside.

Alan Stone ran forward in two or three steps, raised his arms, and asked the person to put all the weight of his body on his forearm, and helped him down.

He had seen the lady several times already, and greeted her familiarly: "Good day, Miss Catherines! I hope the journey has been pleasant!"

The king's bodyguard came back and told them they could go in. "His Majesty is rehearsing a new play in the small theater, so he won't come out to greet the Colonel."

Colonel... The two brothers glanced at each other tacitly, apparently having something to say.

They settled Miss Carlins in the small drawing room first.There were couches, and Miss Kerrings was frail and badly in need of rest after all her travels.The brothers went next door.

As soon as the door closed, William immediately asked, "What's the matter with this transfer order?" His brows were already wrinkled, obviously not satisfied with this promotion.

Alan Stone avoided his gaze, "I recommended you to His Majesty..."

"Nonsense! The front line is still fighting. If the enemy suddenly breaks out in spite of the truce agreement, how can you let General Verrick support it alone?"

"How could it be General Verwick alone? Isn't there the Duke of Orleans and his nephew?"

William Ston's face was extremely severe, "You know what's going on."

Yes, Alan Stone knew.That aristocratic admiral held the title of commander-in-chief, but he didn't understand war, and he didn't dare to go to the battlefield in person. He would just hide behind and use his stupid head to give orders.

Fortunately, General Verwick was also of noble birth, so he could resist his stupid orders a little.However, General Verwick is only a lieutenant general, and the troops he can dispatch are limited.All of his once capable lieutenants had died, and now only William Ston was left to cooperate with him on the battlefield.

"William, there is not only a battlefield of gunfire, but also a battlefield of power. The battlefield of power is not about courage and wisdom. We are not of noble origin. Why stay there! So what if the war is won, so what if it is lost? Even those who are really responsible for this war don't care, why should we risk our lives?"

"Alan!" William Ston was really angry. He couldn't believe that these words came from his brother's mouth. "Have you forgotten the oath you swore on the first day you put on the uniform? For the king— —”

Alan Ston interrupted him, and continued in a mocking tone: "Serve the king? Serve the country?" He was upset, and even sneered loudly, "William, tell me! What is a king? What is a country?"

"The king is just a man, a man made of blood and flesh like us—you don't believe in the nonsense of 'divine authority', then tell me, such a man has neither outstanding achievements nor superiority. An ordinary person with the excellent qualities of an ordinary person, why should we all serve him?"

"What is the country? Is it the king himself? Or those big nobles who occupy a large area of ​​land and do nothing, or the blood-sucking church?"

William has always known that his younger brother is politically radical, but this is the first time he has seen him express his dissatisfaction with the royal power and the system so angrily.

"It is not His Majesty's fault that our country is lagging behind on the European continent. Enlightenment ideas arrived to us too late. Our country still needs time to grow, and our young king also needs time to experience—"

"Young? Our 'Your Majesty' is two years older than you, but he doesn't even have a sense of responsibility like you, a mid-level officer! He doesn't care about this war at all!...William, the idea of ​​an enlightened monarch won't work anymore , we cannot pin the fate of the entire country on one person!"

"Then do you expect our country to suffer as France did? You expect us to suffer as France did, with civil wars and government after government, from one reign of terror to the next, on a week's wages for the average citizen Couldn't afford a single loaf of bread, and large numbers of people died of starvation?"

Alan Ston was at a loss for words, and he thought of those gray crowds again.

He sat down dejectedly, and said dejectedly: "William, I don't know anymore... I stopped my soldiers from shooting, let them use bayonets to intimidate, and drove the crowd away by formation. But the refugees cursed me for attacking the unarmed A villain with a knife, and those in the government think that I am not bold enough...William, I really don't know if everything we do is meaningful when we don't know where the road ahead...A person in times In the face of fate and fate, how much can it play..."

William Stone was also silent.The greatest confusion in the world is not knowing how to reach the destination, but not knowing where the destination is at all.This is a special moment. Countries on the European continent are undergoing revolutions, restorations, and repetitions... No one knows what the end result will be, and whether it will be the best.Whether it is the fate of the country or the fate of individuals, they are all shrouded in the fog of the times.

The two brothers were quiet for a while, and Alan Ston took out his pipe from his pocket, ready to take a few puffs of cigarettes to relieve his boredom.It was something he had learned in the capital, where upper-class men smoked.

William took the pipe from his hand and put it on the table, "Tobacco can't help people sober, it's a luxurious vice of foolish people." He pressed Alan's shoulder heavily again, "You will become a good general."

Alan Stone looked up at his brother, "You really think so?"

William Ston nodded.

Alan Ston couldn't help but smile, his eyes glowed again, "Brother, I decided to take the graduation exam at the end of this semester."

William Ston was very surprised: "So anxious?" He graduated from this military academy and knew how difficult the graduation exam was.

Noble students can graduate without passing their exams, but they can't.These civilian students need to pass extremely rigorous examinations to graduate, and then they can get the title of junior officer.

Only a few dozen people in their school dare to apply for the exam every year, and at most half of them pass in the end, and it is usually five or six years after entering the school.

William Stone took the exam after studying in school for four years, while Alan Stone has only studied for three years so far.

However, Alan Stone's situation is special. Although he is a civilian, he has been recommended by the Earl of Arundel and already has the title of officer. Perhaps he does not need to take the exam.But he took a deep breath in his heart: "I don't want others to think that my military rank was obtained by others."

"How sure are you?"

Alan Stone clenched his fists, "It must be passed."

Obviously he put a lot of pressure on himself, but William didn't dampen his enthusiasm. Instead, he praised him for his ambition and asked him to ask himself what he didn't understand.

The maid knocked on the door and brought hot tea and snacks.After she left, William asked Allen: "Is she a servant brought by the Earl?"

Alan Stone snorted angrily, "He changed our house inside and out."

William Ston opened his mouth as if to speak, but closed it without saying anything.

Alan Stone thought to himself, maybe he wanted to ask Grace.

"Is mother taking a nap?"

"Yes, Mom always naps at this time."

"How many days has your Majesty been here?"

"...a week."

William Ston asked a few more innocuous questions, and then said to Alan Ston: "I want to ask you to tell my mother one thing. If I tell my mother about this, I'm afraid it will make my mother angry." , what you say may be much better."

When Alan Stone went to the Border Province, William had asked him to mention Miss Catherines in front of his mother.But after returning home, too many things happened, and Alan Stone forgot about it.

He hurriedly said: "I will tell my mother, brother, you don't have to worry too much, Miss Kailins has such a good temperament, and mother will like her."

William was full of thoughts, and was taken aback when he heard this, "Oh, no..." He lowered his eyes slightly, feeling ashamed in front of his younger brother, after all, Alan was the only witness of that evil night.

With shame in his heart, he looked at the ground, "It's not about Miss Kerings, it's... about Grace."

The author says:

The time is now set to early 1829, almost 1830.