The Blue Cross (fiction)

"The Blue Cross" is a short story by G. K. Chesterton. It was the first Father Brown short story and also introduces the characters Flambeau and Valentin. It is unique among the Father Brown mysteries as that it does not follow the actions of the Father himself, but rather those of Valentin.

Plot

Aristide Valentin, head of the Paris Police, is on the trail of the world's most famous criminal, Flambeau, who is a master of disguise, and may appear to be anyone, except for the one fact he cannot conceal, he is six feet four inches tall. He has reason to suspect that the arch-criminal is going to London, to attend the international conference of clergymen, and possibly steal one of the precious religious articles on display there. On the train ride from Paris to London, where he believes Flambeau to be hiding, Valentin encounters a little country Catholic priest. He overhears the priest tell a lady that he is carrying a sterling silver cross, covered in precious blue stones, which Valentin knows to be the famous Blue Cross. The detective cautions the priest on the dangers of advertising the fact that he is carrying an object of great value to the world, and attempts to find out more about the man, hoping to gain access to the conference, where the man is obviously headed. He can only find out one thing, and that is the fellow's name, Father Brown. When Valentin arrives in London, he tries to tail Father Brown, but loses him. Later that day, retracing his steps, he comes across a very elegant restaurant, whose plate-glass window has a huge star shaped hole in it. He sits down in and orders a cup of coffee. When his drink arrives, he realises that the salt is in the sugar pot, and that the sugar is in the salt shaker. He brings this to the attention of the waiter who instantly says "it must have been them priests what done it". Valentin enquires, and finds out that the plate glass window was smashed by a little priest, who was in earlier with a large companion, and paid over three times his proper bill, and then smashed the window with his umbrella and ran. Valentin recognizes the description of Father Brown, and hurries on. He comes across a grocers stand, with a sign reading "nuts" over the display of oranges, and sign reading "oranges" over the display of nuts. The grocer tells him a similar story of two priests, one small and one large, and how the little one upset the apple cart and ran. He enlists the help of two constables, and continues looking. As night falls, the detective enters the last shop open, and receives the tale of a little priest who came back, looking for a package he had left, and how the shopkeeper found it and mailed it to the address given to her by the priest. The shopkeeper then tells them that the two priests headed for Hampstead Heath, and Valentin heads to the park.

Here he comes across the two priests, and overhears them involved in a theological debate, in which the larger priest criticises reason. He then reveals his true identity as Flambeau, and demands the package from Father Brown. Father Brown replies that he has switched the package for an identical one at the candy shop. He explains how he suspected his companion was no priest because he recognized the bulge up his sleeve as the spiked bracelet, a criminal insignia. This suspicion was confirmed when Father Brown tested Flambeau and found that his companion did not want to draw attention to himself (this was tested through changing the sugar for salt, and paying too much at the restaurant). Finally, Father Brown claims that by attacking reason, Flambeau showed a bad understanding of theology (and therefore could not be a priest). The constables and Valentin emerge and arrest Flambeau, and in the final scene both Flambeau and Valentin bow to Father Brown in salute of his detective skills.

External links

* [http://www.pagebypagebooks.com/Gilbert_K_Chesterton/The_Innocence_of_Father_Brown/The_Blue_Cross_p1.html Online text] of "The Blue Cross"

References