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第25章 蓝宝石十字架5（第1页）

第25章蓝宝石十字架（5）

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"Theparsonatthedoorsaysallserene，'Sorrytofuseyourats，butit'llpayforthewindow.''?'Isays.'TheoneI'mgoingtobreak，'hesays，ablessedpahhisumbrella."

Allthreeinquirersmadeaioorsaidunderhisbreath，"Areweafteresatics?"Theithsomerelishfortheridiculousstory:

"Iwassoknockedsillyforased，I'tdoanything.ThemaofthepladjoinedhisfriendjustrouhesoquickupBullockStreetthatI'tcatchthem，thoughIranrouodoit."

"BullockStreet，"saidthedetedshotupthatthhfareasquicklyasthestrangecouplehepursued.

Theirjourookthemthroughbarebrickwaysliketuhfewlightsahfes;streetsthatseemedbuiltoutoftheblankbacksandeverywhere.Duskening，anditwasheLondooguessidiretheyweretreadior，horettythattheywouldeventuallystrikesomepartofHampsteadHeath.Abruptlyonebulginggas-litwihebluetwilightlikeabull's-eyelanteroppedaninstalegarishsweetstuffshop.Afteraninstant'shesitatioioodamidthegaudycoloursoftheerywitheyandboughtthirteenchocolatecigarswithacare.Hearihedidnotneedone.

Anangular，elderlyyoungwomanintheshardedhiselegantappearahamerelyautomatiquiry;butwhehedoorbehindhimblockedwiththeblueuniformoftheior，hereyesseemedto>

"Oh，"shesaid，"ifyou'veeaboutforthatparcel，I'vesentitoffalready."

"Parcel?"repeatedValentin;anditwashisturntol.

"Imeahe'gehege;

&quoodness'sake，"said'Valentin，leaningforwardwithhisfirstrealofeager;forHeaven'ssaketellusely."

"Well，"saidthewomafully，"theabouthalfanhoandboughtsomepeppermintsa，aowardstheHeath.Butasedafter，ohemrunsbatotheshopandsays，'HaveIleftaparcel!'Well，Ilookedeverywhereand'tseeone;sohesays，'Nevermind;butifitshouldturittothisaddress，'aheaddressandashillingformytrouble.AhoughIthoughtI'dlookedeverywhere，Ifoundhe'dleftabroarcel，soIpostedittotheplacehesaid.Iembertheaddressnohereier.Butasthethingseemedsoimportant，Ithoughtperhapsthepolieaboutit."

"Sotheyhave，"saidValentinshortly."IsHampsteadHeath;

&quhtonforfiftee;saidthewoman，"andyou'llerightouto;

&insprangoutoftheshopaoruherdetectivesfollowedhimatareluttrot.

&heythreadedwassonarrowandshutinbyshadowsthatwhentheycameoutuothevoidonandvastskytheywerestartledtofiillsolightandclear.Aperfeeofpeasankintogoldamidtheblagtreesandthedarkvioletdistaheglowiwasjustdeepenoughtopipointsofeortwostars.AllthatwasleftofthedaylightlayieracrosstheedgeofHampsteadandthatpopularhollowwhichiscalledtheValeofHealth.Theholidaymakerswhorionhadnotwhollydispersed;afewcouplessatshapelesslyonbendhereaantgirlstillshriekediheswings.Thegloryofheavendeepenedanddarkenedaroundthesublimevulgarityofman.

Standingontheslopeandlookingacrossthevalley，Valehingwhichhesought.

Amongthebladbreakinggroupsinthatdistaneespeciallyblackwhiroupoftwofiguresclericallyclad.Thoughtheyseemedassmallasis，Valentiohemwasmuchsmallerthahoughtheotherhadastudent'sstoopandaninanner，hecouldseethatthemanwaswelloversixfeethigh.Heshuthisteethaforward，whirlinghisstickimpatiently.Bythetimehehadsubstantiallydimiandmagwoblackfiguresasinavastmicroscope，hehadperethihingwhichstartledhim，awhichhehadsomehowexpected.Whoeverriest，thereodoubtabouttheidentityoftheshortowashisfriendoftheHarwi，thestumpylittlecureofEssexwhomhehadwarhisbroarcels.

Now，sofarasthiswehingfittedinfinallyandrationallyenough.ValentinhadlearnedbyhisimthataFatherBrownfromEssexwasbringingupasilvercrosshires，arelisiderablevalue，toshowsomehegress.Thisuhe"silverwithbluesto;;andFatherBrowhelittlegreenhorrain.hingwonderfulaboutthefactthatwhatValentinhadfoundoutFlambeauhadalsofoundout;Flambeaufouhing.AlsotherewasnothihefactthatwhenFlambeauheardofasapphirecrossheshouldtrytostealit;thatwastheminallnaturalhistory.AherewasnothingwonderfulaboutthefactthatFlambeaushouldhaveitallhisoithsuchasillysheepasthemanwiththeumbrellaandtheparcels.HewasthesortofmanwhomcouldleadanybodytothewasnthatanactorlikeFlambeau，dressedasa，couldleadhimtoHampsteadHeath.Sofarthecrimeseemedough;aectivepitiedthepriestforhishelplessdespisedFlambeaufordingtosogullibleavictim.Butwhehoughtofallthathadhappeween，ofallthathadledhimtohistriumph，herackedhisbrairhymeorreasoninit.Whathadthestealingofablue-and-silverapriestfromEssextodowithgsoupater?Whathadittodowithutses，orwithpayingforwindowsfirstahemafterwards?Hehadetotheendofhischase;yetsomehowhehadmissedthemiddleofit.Whenhefailed（whichwasseldom），hehadusuallygraspedtheclue，buthelessmissedtheal.Herehehadgraspedtheal，butstillheotgrasptheclue.

&wofiguresthattheyfollolinglikeblackfliesacrossthehugegreentourofahill.Theywereevidentlysunkiion，andperhapsdidheyweregoing;buttheywerelygoingtothewilderaheightsoftheHeath.Astheirpursuersgaihelatterhadtousetheuudesofthedeer-stalker，tocroudclumpsoftreesaocrawlprostrateindeepgrass.Bytheseungaihehuntersevencameoughtothequarrytohearthemurmurofthedis，butnowordcouldbedistiheword"reasfrequentlyinahighandalmostchildishvoiabruptdipoflandaahickets，thedetectivesactuallylostthetwofigurestheywerefollowifirailagainfoes，aledroundthebrowofagreatdomeofhillareofriddesolatesusderatreeinthisaedspotwasanoldramshacklewoodehisseatsatthetwopriestsstillinseriousspeechteoldstillgthorizon;butthedomeabovewasturningslowlyfrompeatopeacock-blue，aarsdetachedthemselvesmoreandmorelikesolidjewels.Mutelymotioningtohisfollowers，Valentiocreepupbehindthebigbrangtree，and，standihlysilehewordsepriestsforthefirsttime.

Afterhehadlistenedforaminuteandahalf，heedbyadevilishdoubt.PerhapshehaddraggedthetwoEnglishpolitothewastesofanoalheathonanerrahanseekingfigsonitsthistles.Forthetwopriestsweretalkilylikepriests，piously，withlearningahemmasoftheology.ThelittleEssexpriestspokethemoresimply，withhisroutheningstars;theothertalkedwithhisheadbowed，asifhewerehytolookatthem.Butlycleriversationcouldhavebeenheardinaaliancloisterorblaishcathedral.

&heheardwasthetailofoherBrown'ssentences，whided:"...whattheyreallymeantintheMiddleAgesbytheheavensbeingincorruptible."

&allerpriestnoddedhisbowedheadandsaid，"Ah，yes，thesemoderninfidelsappealtotheirreason;butwholookatthosemillionsofworldsaheremaywellbewonderfuluniversesaboveuswherereasonisutterlyunreaso;

"No，"saidtheotherpriest;"reasonisalwaysreasohelastlimbo，iborderlandofthings.IknolechargetheChurchwithlreason，butitisjusttheotherway.AloheChurchmakesreasonreallysupreme.AloheChurchaffirmsthatGodhimselfisboundbyreason."

&herpriestraisedhisausterefacetothespangledskyandsaid，"Yetwhoknowsifinthatinfi;

"Onlyinfinitephysically，"saidthelittlepriest，turningsharplyi;notihesenseofesthelawsoftruth."

&inbehiearinghisfingernailswithsilentfury.HeseemedalmosttgersoftheEiveswhomhehadbroughtsofaronafantastilytolisteaphysicalgossipoftwomildoldparsons.InhisimpatieheequallyelaborateahetalldwheenedagainitwasagainFatherBroasspeaking:

"Reasonaheremotestandtheloar.Lookatthosestars.Don'ttheylookasiftheyweresinglediamondsandsapphires?Well，youeanymadbyyouplease.Thisofadamantwithleavesofbrilliants.Thinkthemoonisabluemoon，asiinesapphire.Butdon'tfancythatallthatfrantiywouldmakethesmallestdifferehereasonandjustiduplainsofopal，undercliffscutoutofpearl，youwouldstillfindanotice-board，'Thoushaltnotsteal.'"

&inwasjustifridandgattitudeandgawayassoftlyasmightbe，felledbytheofollyofhislife.Butsomethingintheverysileallpriestmadehimstopuerspoke.Whenatlasthedidspeak，hesaidsimply，hisheadbowedandhishandsonhisknees:

"Well，Ithinkthatothersrisehigherthahemysteryofheavenisunfathomable，andIforoneyhead."

&hbrowyetbentandwithoutgbythefaishadehisattitudeorvoice，headded:

"Justhasapphirecrossofyours，willyou?We'reallalonehere，andIcouldpullyoutopieceslikeastrawdoll."

&erlyunalteredvoidattitudeaddedastrahatshogeofspeech.Buttheguarderofthereliedtoturhesmallestsepass.Heseemedstilltohaveasomewhatfoolishfaedtothestars.Perhapshehadood.Or，perhaps，hehaduoodandsatrigidwithterror.