The Fox of France

Chapter 255: An Apology

The two individuals had been waiting in the side room for nearly an hour, and President Edward was growing increasingly anxious. If the representatives of the Anglican Church and the French hadn't come to an agreement, their conversation should have concluded quickly. However, they had been talking for over an hour. It appeared as if they were haggling, negotiating their terms. The fact that they were haggling implied that there was room for discussion.

Thankfully, there was no one else around, so President Edward quietly expressed his concerns to Dr. James.

Dr. James understood that President Edward was seeking an advantage for their side by sharing his worries. After some thought, he responded, "President, I believe there's one thing the Anglican Church can't change."

"Go on..."

"They can't genuinely change their stance," James replied.

"Exactly!" President Edward exclaimed, slapping his thigh. "You're absolutely right. No matter how much they exchange interests, the Anglican Church and the French will always be adversaries. The Anglican Church cannot genuinely side with the French, and the French cannot truly trust the Anglican Church. In fact, the benefits the Anglican Church can offer in exchange are quite limited. Moreover, in a situation like this, I think, given our current scale, we shouldn't be the real target of the French. They've gained such an advantage, whether through precise calculation or sheer luck, this advantage shouldn't be used against small organizations like us. So, who is the real target of the French?"

Both men fell silent, but they had answers in their hearts. For France, England was far from a friendly nation, and the feeling was mutual. Whenever there was an opportunity to weaken the opponent, both countries would eagerly seize it. If this entire situation had been orchestrated by the French from start to finish, they had gone through great efforts, and their conspiracy couldn't have been solely aimed at their small organization.

Of course, it didn't mean they were safe. It was like the target of a wagon wheel was never a presumptuous dung beetle, and that didn't mean the wheel wouldn't crush the beetle right in its path. Well, it was called, "Destroy you, what's it got to do with you?"

So, for the English Medical Association, the most crucial thing was not to be right in the wheel's path. However, the trouble was that they seemed to be right in front of the wheel now.

The wheel was already rolling and coming fast, and there was no time to hide. Their only hope was to make the wheel willingly change its course. To do that, they had to show their value, to make the wheel see them as allies. In other words, in the struggle between England and France, they had to become de facto turncoats to ensure their own survival.

However, neither of them felt much guilt about it. Or rather, they quickly convinced themselves, "France's strength has already proven the correctness of France's path. We're not betraying England, but pushing the stubborn English onto the right path."

At this moment, the door to the side room was gently knocked on. Then, the waiter who had just received President Edward's money gently pushed the door open.

"Mr. Marbeuf requests the presence of both of you," the waiter replied.

The two followed the waiter out and entered Mr. Marbeuf's drawing-room.

Mr. Marbeuf welcomed their arrival graciously, taking the initiative to greet them and leading them to the sofa. They all sat down together, and he politely asked, "Can I get you both something to drink? Tea or coffee?"

"Tea will be just fine," President Edward said.

"Well, as expected, I've never met anyone in England who would choose coffee between these two," Mr. Marbeuf chuckled. "Actually, if you had chosen coffee, I don't have any good coffee here."

President Edward and his companions joined in the laughter. However, Mr. Marbeuf's laughter was genuine, while theirs seemed forced.

"In the midst of your busy schedules, you suddenly came here," Mr. Marbeuf said, "Is there something I can assist you with, gentlemen?"

"It's like this," Edward considered his words and then said, "You must be aware of the recent controversy caused by Miss Bonaparte's travelogue."

Mr. Marbeuf remained silent, nodding to indicate his awareness of the matter.

"You see, initially, we, especially Dr. James here, said some impolite and excessive things to her without knowing Miss Bonaparte's identity," Edward continued.

Dr. James hurriedly added, "So, we hope to convey our apologies to Miss Bonaparte through you, respected Mr. Marbeuf."

"Oh, there's no need to worry too much," Mr. Marbeuf replied. "You don't know Miss Bonaparte, but even though she's a lady, she has a broad mind. She won't hold these trivial matters against you. You've probably read her travelogue; she mentioned saying some excessive things at the time and admitted that her own excessive words may have led to misunderstandings. So, you see, Miss Bonaparte doesn't blame you..."

"No, no, no," James quickly interjected. "It was my fault in this matter, not Miss Bonaparte's. She didn't say anything wrong. Any kind-hearted person, when confronted with the appalling conditions in the hospital, would naturally get emotional. It was my own stubbornness and arrogance that prevented me from heeding Miss Bonaparte's sound advice. Looking back, I'm truly ashamed..."

"Mr. Marbeuf, President Edward continued, "The mistake wasn't just Dr. James's, but the entire English Medical Association, including myself. We were so proud and stuck in our old ways that if it weren't for the recent article in 'The Lancet,' we might still be unaware of our mistakes. To minimize the harm we've done to countless patients... my goodness... if only we had listened to Miss Bonaparte's advice from the start, if only we weren't so proud, how many lives could we have saved?"

At this point, President Edward couldn't hold back his tears of remorse, and his voice became choked with emotion.

"Mr. Marbeuf," he said, "I'd like to publish an open letter through your newspaper, publicly apologizing to Miss Bonaparte and expressing our regret. Additionally, we've noticed that French medicine is far ahead of the rest of the world. If we don't want to be left behind as barbarians, we must seize this opportunity to learn from France. You have significant influence within France, and I wonder if you could help us establish contact with French medical institutions. We're planning to send some doctors to learn from their French counterparts. We'd also like to invite French experts to come to England to deliver lectures and serve as advisors for our association, guiding us in improving our hospitals and training our personnel."

Mr. Marbeuf smiled and replied, "President Edward, the pursuit of scientific truth is never too late. I see your passion for science, and I admire it wholeheartedly. Your open letter can be accommodated, and I believe Miss Bonaparte will see it. As for sending your doctors to study new medical practices and hiring French experts..."

"This matter is very important and concerns the well-being of numerous patients," Edward said fervently. "If you have any connections, Mr. Marbeuf, please help us. We're grateful people..."

"Well, President Edward, you should know that the media with the closest ties to the medical and academic community in France is not us but 'The Lancet' magazine," Mr. Marbeuf explained. "They have many avenues for such arrangements. However, 'The Lancet' is quite scholarly, and not many can fully understand it, which limits its circulation. They can't support the magazine's expenses through sales alone, and they are also reluctant to commercialize it too much—scholars are usually a bit idealistic, you know."

"That's entirely appropriate," Edward exclaimed. "That's how scholars devoted to their craft should be, and it's truly admirable. Mr. Marbeuf, please continue."

"Well, you may or may not know that 'The Lancet' magazine sustains itself solely through the generous contributions of experts who love science and are dedicated to public welfare. It's precisely because of this that they maintain close relationships with those experts. If you want to arrange for English doctors to study new medical practices and the like, it's much easier to do so through them than through us. After all, they are the experts, aren't they?"

"Thank you so much," President Edward said while taking out a large envelope from his coat pocket and handing it to Mr. Marbeuf. "Mr. Marbeuf, this is the open letter of apology from the English Medical Association to Miss Bonaparte."

Mr. Marbeuf accepted the unusually thick envelope but didn't open it immediately. He said, "Gentlemen, rest assured, we will arrange for its publication as soon as possible."

"It would be best if it could make it to the front page," President Edward said as he stood up. "We're willing to cover the cost of publishing the letter on the front page. Now, I must head to 'The Lancet's' editorial office immediately. I won't trouble you further, Mr. Marbeuf."

Mr. Marbeuf also stood up and escorted the two men to the door. He watched as they got into their carriage before turning back inside. Edward and James proceeded directly to 'The Lancet' editorial office.

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