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第25章 蓝宝石十字架5（第2页）

Standingonthesloeandlookingacrossthevalley，Valentinbeheldthethingwhichhesought。

Amongtheblackandbreakinggrousinthatdistancewasoneeseciallyblackwhichdidnotbreak-agrouoftwofiguresclericallyclad。Thoughtheyseemedassmallasinsects，Valentincouldseethatoneofthemwasmuchsmallerthantheother。Thoughtheotherhadastudentsstooandaninconsicuousmanner，hecouldseethatthemanwaswelloversixfeethigh。Heshuthisteethandwentforward，whirlinghisstickimatiently。Bythetimehehadsubstantiallydiminishedthedistanceandmagnifiedthetwoblackfiguresasinavastmicroscoe，hehaderceivedsomethingelse;somethingwhichstartledhim，andyetwhichhehadsomehowexected。Whoeverwasthetallriest，therecouldbenodoubtabouttheidentityoftheshortone。ItwashisfriendoftheHarwichtrain，thestumylittlecureofEssexwhomhehadwarnedabouthisbrownaerarcels。

Now，sofarasthiswent，everythingfittedinfinallyandrationallyenough。ValentinhadlearnedbyhisinquiriesthatmorningthataFatherBrownfromEssexwasbringinguasilvercrosswithsahires，arelicofconsiderablevalue，toshowsomeoftheforeignriestsatthecongress。Thisundoubtedlywasthe

"silverwithbluestones

";andFatherBrownundoubtedlywasthelittlegreenhorninthetrain。NowtherewasnothingwonderfulaboutthefactthatwhatValentinhadfoundoutFlambeauhadalsofoundout;Flambeaufoundouteverything。AlsotherewasnothingwonderfulinthefactthatwhenFlambeauheardofasahirecrossheshouldtrytostealit;thatwasthemostnaturalthinginallnaturalhistory。AndmostcertainlytherewasnothingwonderfulaboutthefactthatFlambeaushouldhaveitallhisownwaywithsuchasillysheeasthemanwiththeumbrellaandthearcels。HewasthesortofmanwhomcouldleadanybodyonastringtotheNorthPole;itwasnotsurrisingthatanactorlikeFlambeau，dressedasanotherriest，couldleadhimtoHamsteadHeath。Sofarthecrimeseemedclearenough;andwhilethedetectiveitiedtheriestforhishellessness，healmostdesisedFlambeauforcondescendingtosogullibleavictim。ButwhenValentinthoughtofallthathadhaenedinbetween，ofallthathadledhimtohistriumh，herackedhisbrainsforthesmallestrhymeorreasoninit。Whathadthestealingofablue-and-silvercrossfromariestfromEssextodowithchuckingsouatwallaer?Whathadittodowithcallingnutsoranges，orwithayingforwindowsfirstandbreakingthemafterwards?Hehadcometotheendofhischase;yetsomehowhehadmissedthemiddleofit。Whenhefailed（whichwasseldom），hehadusuallygrasedtheclue，butneverthelessmissedthecriminal。Herehehadgrasedthecriminal，butstillhecouldnotgrastheclue。

Thetwofiguresthattheyfollowedwerecrawlinglikeblackfliesacrossthehugegreencontourofahill。Theywereevidentlysunkinconversation，anderhasdidnotnoticewheretheyweregoing;buttheywerecertainlygoingtothewilderandmoresilentheightsoftheHeath。Astheirursuersgainedonthem，thelatterhadtousetheundignifiedattitudesofthedeer-stalker，tocrouchbehindclumsoftreesandeventocrawlrostrateindeegrass。Bytheseungainlyingenuitiesthehuntersevencamecloseenoughtothequarrytohearthemurmurofthediscussion，butnowordcouldbedistinguishedexcettheword

"reason

"recurringfrequentlyinahighandalmostchildishvoice。Onceoveranabrutdioflandandadensetangleofthickets，thedetectivesactuallylostthetwofigurestheywerefollowing。Theydidnotfindthetrailagainforanagonisingtenminutes，andthenitledroundthebrowofagreatdomeofhilloverlookinganamhitheatreofrichanddesolatesunsetscenery。Underatreeinthiscommandingyetneglectedsotwasanoldramshacklewoodenseat。Onthisseatsatthetworiestsstillinseriousseechtogether。Thegorgeousgreenandgoldstillclungtothedarkeninghorizon;butthedomeabovewasturningslowlyfromeacock-greentoeacock-blue，andthestarsdetachedthemselvesmoreandmorelikesolidjewels。Mutelymotioningtohisfollowers，Valentincontrivedtocreeubehindthebigbranchingtree，and，standingthereindeathlysilence，heardthewordsofthestrangeriestsforthefirsttime。

Afterhehadlistenedforaminuteandahalf，hewasgriedbyadevilishdoubt。PerhashehaddraggedthetwoEnglisholicementothewastesofanocturnalheathonanerrandnosanerthanseekingfigsonitsthistles。Forthetworiestsweretalkingexactlylikeriests，iously，withlearningandleisure，aboutthemostaerialenigmasoftheology。ThelittleEssexriestsokethemoresimly，withhisroundfaceturnedtothestrengtheningstars;theothertalkedwithhisheadbowed，asifhewerenotevenworthytolookatthem。ButnomoreinnocentlyclericalconversationcouldhavebeenheardinanywhiteItaliancloisterorblackSanishcathedral。

ThefirstheheardwasthetailofoneofFatherBrownssentences，whichended:

"。。。whattheyreallymeantintheMiddleAgesbytheheavensbeingincorrutible。

"

Thetallerriestnoddedhisbowedheadandsaid，

"Ah，yes，thesemoderninfidelsaealtotheirreason;butwhocanlookatthosemillionsofworldsandnotfeelthattheremaywellbewonderfuluniversesaboveuswherereasonisutterlyunreasonable?

"

"No，

"saidtheotherriest;

"reasonisalwaysreasonable，eveninthelastlimbo，inthelostborderlandofthings。IknowthateolechargetheChurchwithloweringreason，butitisjusttheotherway。Aloneonearth，theChurchmakesreasonreallysureme。Aloneonearth，theChurchaffirmsthatGodhimselfisboundbyreason。

"

Theotherriestraisedhisausterefacetothesangledskyandsaid，

"Yetwhoknowsifinthatinfiniteuniverse-

"

"Onlyinfinitehysically，

"saidthelittleriest，turningsharlyinhisseat，

"notinfiniteinthesenseofescaingfromthelawsoftruth。

"

Valentinbehindhistreewastearinghisfingernailswithsilentfury。HeseemedalmosttohearthesniggersoftheEnglishdetectiveswhomhehadbroughtsofaronafantasticguessonlytolistentothemetahysicalgossioftwomildoldarsons。Inhisimatiencehelosttheequallyelaborateanswerofthetallcleric，andwhenhelistenedagainitwasagainFatherBrownwhowasseaking:

"Reasonandjusticegritheremotestandthelonelieststar。Lookatthosestars。Donttheylookasiftheyweresinglediamondsandsahires?Well，youcanimagineanymadbotanyorgeologyyoulease。Thinkofforestsofadamantwithleavesofbrilliants。Thinkthemoonisabluemoon，asingleelehantinesahire。Butdontfancythatallthatfranticastronomywouldmakethesmallestdifferencetothereasonandjusticeofconduct。Onlainsofoal，undercliffscutoutofearl，youwouldstillfindanotice-board，Thoushaltnotsteal。

"

Valentinwasjustintheactofrisingfromhisrigidandcrouchingattitudeandcreeingawayassoftlyasmightbe，felledbytheonegreatfollyofhislife。Butsomethingintheverysilenceofthetallriestmadehimstountilthelattersoke。Whenatlasthedidseak，hesaidsimly，hisheadbowedandhishandsonhisknees:

"Well，Ithinkthatotherworldsmayerhasrisehigherthanourreason。Themysteryofheavenisunfathomable，andIforonecanonlybowmyhead。

"

Then，withbrowyetbentandwithoutchangingbythefaintestshadehisattitudeorvoice，headded:

"Justhandoverthatsahirecrossofyours，willyou?Wereallalonehere，andIcouldullyoutoieceslikeastrawdoll。

"

Theutterlyunalteredvoiceandattitudeaddedastrangeviolencetothatshockingchangeofseech。Buttheguarderofthereliconlyseemedtoturnhisheadbythesmallestsectionofthecomass。Heseemedstilltohaveasomewhatfoolishfaceturnedtothestars。Perhashehadnotunderstood。Or，erhas，hehadunderstoodandsatrigidwithterror。

"Yes，