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第8章花园血案之谜（5）
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"Therearefivecolossaldifficulties，"saidthedoctorquietly，"likehighalls.Don'tmistakeme.Idon'tdoubtthatBray;hisflight，Ifa.Butastohowhedidit.Firstdifficulty:Whyshouldamankillahagreathulkingsabre，whenhealmostkillhimoifeandputitbahispoddifficulty:Whywasthereanohereupwavingasdofferhirddifficulty:Aservahefrontdooralltheevening;andaratotgetiin'sgardenanywhere.Howdidthedeadmahegarden?Fourthdifficulty:Giveions，hetoutofthegarden?"
"Ah."saidheyesfixedontheEnglishpriestwhowasingslowlyupthepath.
"Isatrifle，Isuppose，"saidthedoctor，"butIthinkanoddosawhowtheheadhadbeenslashed，IsupposedtheassassinhadstruckmorethaoionIfoundmanycutsacrossthetruion;inotherwords，theywerestruckaftertheheadwasoff.DidBrayehisfoesofiendishlythathesthisbodyinthemoonlight?"
"Horrible!"saidO'Brien，andshuddered.
&lepriest，Brown，hadarrivedwhiletheyweretalking，andhadwaited，withcharacteristiess，tilltheyhadfihenhesaida>
"Isay，I'msorrytoi.ButIwassehe;
";repeatedSimon，ahimratherpainfullythroughhisglasses.
"Yes，I'msorry，"saidFatherBrownmildly."There'sbeenanothermurder，youknow."
Bothmesprarog.
"And，what&#erstill，"uedthepriest，withhisdulleyeontherhododendrons，"it'sthesamedisgustingsort;it'sanotherbeheadihesedheadactuallybleedingintotheriver，afewyardsalongBrayne'sroadtoParis;sotheysupposethathe-"
"GreatHeaven!"criedO'Brien."IsBrayneamonomaniac?"
"ThereareAmeridettas，"saidthepriestimpassively.Theheywantyoutoetothelibrarya;
andantO'Brieherstowardsthei，feelingdecidedlysick.Asasoldier，heloathedallthissecretiveage;whereweretheseextravagantamputationsgoingtostop?Firstoneheadwashackedoff，aher;inthisselfbitterly）itwaswoheadswerebetterthanone.AshecrossedthestudyhealmoststaggeredatashoValentin'stablelaythecolouredpictureofyetathirdbleediwastheheadofValentinhimself.AseitwasonlyaNationalistpaper，calledTheGuillotine，whicheveryweekshowedospolitientswithrollingeyesandwrithiafterexe;forValentinwasananti-eO'BrienwasanIrishman，withakindofchastityeveninhissins;andhisgainstthatgreatbrutalityoftheiwhigsonlytoFraParisasawhrotesquesohicchurchestothegrosscaritheneers.HerememberedthegigaheRevolutiohewholeeuglyenergy，fromthesanguigoin'stableuptowhere，aboveamountaioyles，thegreatdevilgrinsonNotreDame.
Thelibrarywaslong，low，anddark;whatlightefromunderlowblindsandhadstillsomee.ValentinaIvaiheupperendofalong，slightly-slopingdesk，onwhichlaythemortalremains，lookingenormousi.Thebigblackfigureandyellowfaanfoundinthegardenessentiallyuhesedhead，whichhadbeenfishedfromamongtheriverreedsthatm，laystreaminganddrippi;Valentin'smeillseekiherestofthissedcorpse，osedtobeafloat.FatherBrown，whodidoshareO'Brien'sseheleast，wentuptothesedheadahhisbliwaslittlemorethanamopofwetwhitehair，frihsilverfireintheredandlevelmht;theface，whichseemedofanugly，empurpledandperhapsaltype，hadbeenmuchbatteredagaioossedier.
"G，andantO'Brien."saidValentin，withquietcordiality."YouhaveheardofBrayne'slastexperimentinbutchery，Isuppose?"
FatherBrownwasstillbeheheadwithwhitehair，andhesaid，withoutlookingup:
"IsupposeitisquitethatBrayoffthishead，too."
"Well，itseemso;saidValentin，withhishandsinhispockets."Killediheother.Foundwithinafewyardsoftheother.Ahesameeknowhecarriedaway."
"Yes，yes;Iknow，"repliedFatherBrownsubmissively."Yet，youknow，IdoubtwhetherBraynecouldhavecutoffthishead."
"Whynot?"inquiredDrSimon，witharationalstare.
"Well，doctor，"saidthepriest，lookingupblinking，"cutoffhisownhead?Idon'tknow."
O'Brieaninsaneuniversegabouthisears;butthedforwardwithimpetuouspractidpushedbackthewet>
"Oh，there'snodoubtit'sBray;saidthepriestquietly."Hehadexactlythattheleftear."
&ive，whohadbeehepriestwithsteadyandglitteringeyes，openedhischedmouthandsaidsharply:"Youseemtoknowalotabouthim，FatherBrown."
"Ido，"saidthelittlemansimply."I'vebeenaboutwithhimforsomeweeks.Hewasthinkingofjoiningourchurch."
&arofthefanatigiirodetoriestwithds."And，perhaps，"hecried，withablasti;perhapshewasalsothinkingofleavingallhismooyourchurch."
"Perhapshewas，"saidBrownstolidly;"itispossible."
"Inthatcase，"criedValentin，withadreadfulsmile，"youmayindeedkdealabouthiAbouthislifeandabouthis..."
andantO'Brienlaidahain'sar"Dropthatslanderousrubbish，Valentin，"hesaid，"ortheremaybemoreswordsyet."
ButValeeady，humblegazeofthepriest）hadalreadyreself."Well，"hesaidshortly，"people'sprivateopinionswait.Yougeillboundbyyourpromisetostay;youmusteonyourselves-aher.Ivaellyouanythitoknow;Imustgettobusinessaheauthorities.We'tkeepthisquietanylonger.Ishallbewritinginmystudyifthereisa;
"Isthereanymorenews，Ivan?"askedDrSimon，asthechiefofpolicestrodeoutoftheroo
"Ohing，Ithink，sir，"saidIvan，wrinklinguphisgreyoldface，"butthat'simportant，too，initsway.There'sthatoldbufferyoufoundonthelaoipretenceofreverehebigblackbodywiththeyellowhead."We'vefoundoutwhoheis，anyhow."
"I;criedtheastoor，"andwhoishe?"
"HisnamewasAr;saidtheuive，"thoughhewentbymanyaliases.HewasawaofsdisknowntohavebeehatwaswhereBrayhiskohiWedidn'thavemuourselves，forheworkedmostlyinGermany.We'veunicated，ofcourse，withtheGerma，oddlyenough，therewasatwinbrotherofhis，namedLouisBewehadagreatdealtodowith.Ioguillotinehimoerday.Well，it&#，gewhenIsawthatfellowflatonthelawnIhadthegreatestjumpofmylife.IfIhadn'tseenLouisBeckerguillotihmyowneyes，I'dhaveswornitwasLouisBegthereihen，ofcourse，Irememberedhistwinbrermany，andfollowinguptheclue..."
&oryIvaheextreasonthatnobodywaslisteningtohiTheandaorwerebatFatherBrorungstifflytohisfeet，andwasholdiightlikeamaninsuddenapain.
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