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第24章 蓝宝石十字架4（第1页）

erewasonethingwhichFlambeau，withallhisdexterityofdisguise，couldnotcover，andthatwashissingularheight。IfValentinsquickeyehadcaughtatallale-woman，atallgrenadier，orevenatolerablytallduchess，hemighthavearrestedthemonthesot。ButallalonghistraintherewasnobodythatcouldbeadisguisedFlambeau，anymorethatacatcouldbedisguisedagiraffe。Abouttheeoleontheboathehadalreadysatisfiedhimself;andtheeoleickeduatHarwichoronthejourneylimitedthemselveswithcertaintytosix。Therewasashortrailwayofficialtravellingutotheterminus，threefairlyshortmarketgardenersickedutwostationsafterwards，oneveryshortwidowladygoingufromasmallEssextown，andaveryshortRomanCatholicriestgoingufromasmallEssexvillage。Whenitcametothelastcase，Valentingaveituandalmostlaughed。ThelittleriestwassomuchtheessenceofthoseEasternflats;hehadafaceasroundanddullasaNorfolkdumling;hehadeyesasemtyastheNorthSea;hehadseveralbrownaerarcels，whichhewasquiteincaableofcollecting。TheEucharisticCongresshaddoubtlesssuckedoutoftheirlocalstagnationmanysuchcreatures，blindandhelless，likemolesdisinterred。ValentinwasasceticintheseverestyleofFrance，andcouldhavenoloveforriests。Buthecouldhaveityforthem，andthisonemighthaverovokedityinanybody。Hehadalarge，shabbyumbrella，whichconstantlyfellonthefloor。Hedidnotseemtoknowwherewastherightendofhisreturnticket。Heexlainedwithamoon-calfsimlicitytoeverybodyinthecarriagethathehadtobecareful，becausehehadsomethingmadeofrealsilver

"withbluestones

"inoneofhisbrown-aerarcels。HisquaintblendingofEssexflatnesswithsaintlysimlicitycontinuouslyamusedtheFrenchmantilltheriestarrived（somehow）atTottenhamwithallhisarcels，andcamebackforhisumbrella。Whenhedidthelast，Valentinevenhadthegoodnaturetowarnhimnottotakecareofthesilverbytellingeverybodyaboutit。Buttowhomeverhetalked，Valentinkethiseyeoenforsomeoneelse;helookedoutsteadilyforanyone，richoroor，maleorfemale，whowaswellutosixfeet;forFlambeauwasfourinchesaboveit。

HealightedatLiveroolStreet，however，quiteconscientiouslysecurethathehadnotmissedthecriminalsofar。HethenwenttoScotlandYardtoregularizehisositionandarrangeforhelincaseofneed;hethenlitanothercigaretteandwentforalongstrollinthestreetsofLondon。AshewaswalkinginthestreetsandsquaresbeyondVictoria，heausedsuddenlyandstood。Itwasaquaint，quietsquare，verytyicalofLondon，fullofanaccidentalstillness。Thetall，flathousesroundlookedatonceroserousanduninhabited;thesquareofshrubberyinthecentrelookedasdesertedasagreenPacificislet。Oneofthefoursideswasmuchhigherthantherest，likeadais;andthelineofthissidewasbrokenbyoneofLondonsadmirableaccidents-arestaurantthatlookedasifithadstrayedfromSoho。Itwasanunreasonablyattractiveobject，withdwarflantsinotsandlong，striedblindsoflemonyellowandwhite。Itstoodseciallyhighabovethestreet，andintheusualatchworkwayofLondon，aflightofstesfromthestreetranutomeetthefrontdooralmostasafire-escaemightrunutoafirst-floorwindow。Valentinstoodandsmokedinfrontoftheyellow-whiteblindsandconsideredthemlong。

Themostincrediblethingaboutmiraclesisthattheyhaen。Afewcloudsinheavendocometogetherintothestaringshaeofonehumaneye。Atreedoesstanduinthelandscaeofadoubtfuljourneyintheexactandelaborateshaeofanoteofinterrogation。Ihaveseenboththesethingsmyselfwithinthelastfewdays。Nelsondoesdieintheinstantofvictory;andamannamedWilliamsdoesquiteaccidentallymurderamannamedWilliamson;itsoundslikeasortofinfanticide。Inshort，thereisinlifeanelementofelfincoincidencewhichifeolereckoningontherosaicmayeretuallymiss。AsithasbeenwellexressedinthearadoxofPoe，

"wisdomshouldreckonontheunforeseen。

"

AristideValentinwasunfathomablyFrench;andtheFrenchintelligenceisintelligenceseciallyandsolely。Hewasnot

"athinkingmachine

";forthatisabrainlesshraseofmodernfatalismandmaterialism。Amachineonlyisamachinebecauseitcannotthink。Buthewasathinkingman，andalainmanatthesametime。Allhiswonderfulsuccesses，thatlookedlikeconjuring，hadbeengainedbyloddinglogic，byclearandcommonlaceFrenchthought。TheFrenchelectrifytheworldnotbystartinganyaradox;theyelectrifyitbycarryingoutatruism。Theycarryatruismsofar-asintheFrenchRevolution。ButexactlybecauseValentinunderstoodreason，heunderstoodthelimitsofreason。Onlyamanwhoknowsnothingofmotorstalksofmotoringwithoutetrol;onlyamanwhoknowsnothingofreasontalksofreasoningwithoutstrong，undisutedfirstrinciles。Herehehadnostrongfirstrinciles。FlambeauhadbeenmissedatHarwich;andifhewasinLondonatall，hemightbeanythingfromatalltramonWimbledonCommontoatalltoast-masterattheHotelMetroole。Insuchanakedstateofnescience，Valentinhadaviewandamethodofhisown。

Insuchcaseshereckonedontheunforeseen。Insuchcases，whenhecouldnotfollowthetrainofthereasonable，hecoldlyandcarefullyfollowedthetrainoftheunreasonable。Insteadofgoingtotherightlaces-banks，olicestations，rendezvous-hesystematicallywenttothewronglaces，knockedateveryemtyhouse，turneddowneverycul-de-sac，wentueverylaneblockedwithrubbish，wentroundeverycrescentthatledhimuselesslyoutoftheway。Hedefendedthiscrazycoursequitelogically。Hesaidthatifonehadacluethiswastheworstway;butifonehadnoclueatallitwasthebest，becausetherewasjustthechancethatanyodditythatcaughttheeyeoftheursuermightbethesamethathadcaughttheeyeoftheursued。Somewhereamanmustbegin，andithadbetterbejustwhereanothermanmightsto。Somethingaboutthatflightofstesutothesho，somethingaboutthequietudeandquaintnessoftherestaurant，rousedallthedetectivesrareromanticfancyandmadehimresolvetostrikeatrandom。Hewentuthestes，andsittingdownatatablebythewindow，askedforacuofblackcoffee。

Itwashalf-waythroughthemorning，andhehadnotbreakfasted;theslightlitterofotherbreakfastsstoodaboutonthetabletoremindhimofhishunger;andaddingaoachedeggtohisorder，heroceededmusinglytoshakesomewhitesugarintohiscoffee，thinkingallthetimeaboutFlambeau。HerememberedhowFlambeauhadescaed，oncebyaairofnailscissors，andoncebyahouseonfire;oncebyhavingtoayforanunstamedletter，andoncebygettingeoletolookthroughatelescoeatacometthatmightdestroytheworld。Hethoughthisdetectivebrainasgoodasthecriminals，whichwastrue。Buthefullyrealisedthedisadvantage。

"Thecriminalisthecreativeartist;thedetectiveonlythecritic，

"hesaidwithasoursmile，andliftedhiscoffeecutohislisslowly，andutitdownveryquickly。Hehadutsaltinit。

Helookedatthevesselfromwhichthesilveryowderhadcome;itwascertainlyasugar-basin，asunmistakablymeantforsugarasachamagne-bottleforchamagne。Hewonderedwhytheyshouldkeesaltinit。Helookedtoseeiftherewereanymoreorthodoxvessels。Yes;thereweretwosalt-cellarsquitefull。Perhastherewassomesecialityinthecondimentinthesalt-cellars。Hetastedit;itwassugar。Thenhelookedroundattherestaurantwitharefreshedairofinterest，toseeiftherewereanyothertracesofthatsingularartistictastewhichutsthesugarinthesalt-cellarsandthesaltinthesugar-basin。Excetforanoddslashofsomedarkfluidononeofthewhite-aeredwalls，thewholelaceaearedneat，cheerfulandordinary。Herangthebellforthewaiter。

Whenthatofficialhurriedu，fuzzy-hairedandsomewhatblear-eyedatthatearlyhour，thedetective（whowasnotwithoutanareciationofthesimlerformsofhumour）askedhimtotastethesugarandseeifitwasutothehighreutationofthehotel。Theresultwasthatthewaiteryawnedsuddenlyandwokeu。

"Doyoulaythisdelicatejokeonyourcustomerseverymorning?

"inquiredValentin。

"Doeschangingthesaltandsugarneverallonyouasajest?

"

Thewaiter，whenthisironygrewclearer，stammeringlyassuredhimthattheestablishmenthadcertainlynosuchintention;itmustbeamostcuriousmistake。Heickeduthesugar-basinandlookedatit;heickeduthesalt-cellarandlookedatthat，hisfacegrowingmoreandmorebewildered。Atlastheabrutlyexcusedhimself，andhurryingaway，returnedinafewsecondswiththerorietor。Therorietoralsoexaminedthesugar-basinandthenthesalt-cellar;therorietoralsolookedbewildered。

Suddenlythewaiterseemedtogrowinarticulationwitharushofwords。

"Ithink，

"hestutteredeagerly，

"Ithinkitisthosetwoclergy-men。

"

"Whattwoclergymen?

"

"Thetwoclergymen，

"saidthewaiter，

"thatthrewsouatthewall。

"

"Threwsouatthewall?

"reeatedValentin，feelingsurethismustbesomesingularItalianmetahor。

"Yes，yes，

"saidtheattendantexcitedly，andointedatthedarkslashonthewhiteaer，

"threwitoverthereonthewall。

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