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第24章蓝宝石十字架（4）
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TherewasohingwhichFlambeau，withallhisdexterityofdisguise，otdthatwashissi.IfValentin'squickeyehadcaughtatallapple-woman，atallgrenadier，oreveallduchess，hemighthavearrestedthemoallalonghistraintherewasnobodythatcouldbeadisguisedFlambeau，aacatcouldbedisguisedagiraffe.Aboutthepeopleohehadalreadysatisfiedhimself;andthepeoplepickedupatHarwithejourhemselveswithtytosix.Therewasashortrailwayofficialtravellinguptotheterminus，threefairlyshardewostationsafterwards，owidowladygoingupfromasmallEssextown，aRomanCathoingupfromasmallEssexvillage.Whehelastcase，Valeupandalmostlaughed.ThelittlepriestwassomuchtheessehoseEasternflats;hehadafadanddullasaNorfolkdumpling;hehadeyesasemptyastheNorthSea;hehadseveralbroarcels，whichhewasquiteincapableofg.TheEucharistigresshaddoubtlesssuckedoutoftheirloationmanysuchcreatures，blindandhelpless，likemolesdisiintitheseverestyleofFrandcouldhavenoloveforpriests.Buthecouldhavepityforthem，andthisohaveprovokedpityinanybody.Hehadalarge，shabbyumbrella，whitlyfellonthefloor.Hedidokherightendofhisretur.Heexplaihamoon-calfsimplicitytoeverybodyinthecarriagethathehadtobecareful，becausehehadsomethingmadeofrealsilver"withbluesto;inoneofhisbroarcels.HisquaintblehsaintlysimplitinuouslyamusedtheFrentillthepriestarrived（somehow）atTottenhamardcamebabrella.Whehelast，Valehegoodowarnhimnottotakecareofthesilverbytellingeverybodyaboutit.Buttowhomeverhetalked，Valehiseyeopenforsomeoneelse;helookedoutsteadilyforanyone，rialeorfemale，elluptosixfeet;forFlambeauwasfourinchesaboveit.
&edatLiverpoolStreet，however，quitetiouslysecurethathehadhealsofar.HetheoSdYardtularizehispositieforhelpineed;hethenlitateafstrollisofLondon.AshewaswalkisandsquaresbeyondVictoria，hepausedsuddenlyandstood.Itwasaquaisquare，verytypidon，fullofaillall，flathousesrouonceprosperousanduhesquareofshrubberyirelookedasdesertedasagreenPacifieofthefoursideswasmuchhighertha，likeadais;andthelihissidewasbrokenbyoneofLondon'sadmirableats-arestaurantthatlookedasifithadstrayedfromSoho.Itwasanunreasonablyattractiveobject，lantsinpotsandlong，stripedblindsoflemonyellowaoodspeciallyhighabovethestreet，andintheusualpatchworkwayofLondon，aflightofstepsfromthestreetrahefrontdooralmostasafire-escapemightrunuptoafirst-floorwioodandsmokedinfrontoftheyellow-whiteblindsahemlong.
&ihingaboutmiraclesisthattheyhappen.Afewheaveheriaringshapeoforeedoesstandupinthelandscapeofadoubtfuljouraeshapeofaerrogatiohthesethihifewdays.NelsoheinstantofvidamannamedWilliamsdoesquiteatallymurderamannamedWilliamson;itsouofi，thereisinlifeaofelfincewhichifpeontheprosaicmayperpetuallymiss.AsithasbeenwellexpressedintheparadoxofPoe，"wisdomshouldretheu;
AristideValentinwasunfathomablyFrendtheFrentelligeelligencespedsolely.Hewasnot"athinki;;forthatisabrainlessphraseofmodernfatalismandmaterialisAmalyisamaebecauseitotthihinkingman，andaplainmaime.Allhiswonderfulsuccesses，thatlookedlikeg，hadbeengainedbyploddinglogic，bydohought.TheFreheworldnanyparadox;theyelectrifyitbygoutatruisTheycarryatruismsofar-asintheFreiolybecauseValeoodreasohelimitsofreason.Onlyamanwhoknowsnothingofmotorstalkswithoutpetrol;onlyamanwhoknowsnothialkswith，uprinciples.Herehehadnfirstprinciples.FlambeauhadbeeHarwidifhewasinLondonatall，hemightbeanythingfromatalltramponWimbledonontoatalltoast-masterattheHotelMetropole.Insuakedstateofinhadaviewahodofhisown.
Insuchcasesheretheunforeseen.Insuchcases，whenheotfollowthetrainofthereasonable，hedcarefullyfollowedthetrainoftheunreasoeadofgoiplaks，polis，rendezvous-hesystematittplaockedateveryemptyhouse，turneddowneverycul-de-satupeverylahrubbish，wentroundeverytthatledhimuselesslyoutoftheway.Hedefehiscrazycoursequitelogically.Hesaidthatifonehadacluethisay;butifonehadallitwasthebest，becausetherewasjusttheyodditythatcaughttheeyehtbethesamethathadcaughttheeyeofthepursued.Somewhereamanmustbegin，andithadbetterbejustwhereanhtstop.Somethingaboutthatflightofstepsuptotheshop，somethingaboutthequietudeandquaiherestaurahedetective'srareromantidmadehimresolvetostrikeatrahesteps，andsittingdownatatablebythewindow，askedforacupofblackcoffee.
Itwashalf-waythroughthem，abreakfasted;theslightlitterofotherbreakfastsstoodaboutooremindhimofhishunger;andaddingapoachedeggtohisorder，heproceededmusinglytoshakesomewhitesugarintohiscoffee，thinkiimeaboutFlambeau.HerememberedhowFlambeauhadescebyapairofnailscissors，andoncebyahouseonfire;oncebyhavingtopayforaer，aihatelescopeataetthatmightdestroytheworld.Hethoughthisdetectivebrainasgoodastheal's，whichwastrue.Buthefullyrealisedthedisadvahealisthecreativeartist;thedetelythecritic，"hesaidwithasoursmile，andliftedhiscoffeecuptohislipssloutitdownveryquickly.Hehadputsaltinit.
Helookedatthevesselfromwhichthesilverypowderhade;itwaslyasugar-basin，asunmistakablymeantfarasae-bne.Hewoheyshouldkeepsaltioseeiftherewereahodoxvessels.Yes;thereweretwosalt-cellarsquitefull.Perhapsthereethee-cellars.Hetastedit;itwassugar.Thenhelookedrouaurantwitharefreshedairofioseeiftherewerearacesofthatsingularartistictastewhichputsthesugari-dthesaltinthesugar-basiforanoddsplashofsomedarkfluidoheeredwalls，theeared，cheerfulandthebellforthe>
&officialhurriedup，fuzzy-hairedablear-eyedatthatearlyhour，thedetective（ithoutaionofthesimplerformsofhumour）askedhimtotastethesugaratothehighreputatioheresultwasthatthewaiteryawnedsuddenlyandwokeup.
"Doyouplaythisdelicatejokeonyourerseverym?"iin."Doesgthesaltandsugarneverpallonyouasajest?"
&er，whenthisironygrewclearer，stammeringlyassuredhimthattheestablishmeainlynosution;itmustbeamostistake.Hepickedupthesugar-basina;hepickedupthesalt-dlookedatthat，hisfaoreandmorebewildered.Atlastheabruptlyexcusedhimself，andhurryingaway，returnedihtheproprietor.Theproprietoralsoexamihesugar-basihesalt-cellar;theproprietoralsolookedbewildered.
&hewaiterseemedtogrowinartiwitharushofwords.
"Ithink，"hestutteredeagerly，"Ithinkitisthosetwy-men."
"Whattwymen?"
"Thetwymen，"saidthewaiter，"thatthrewsoupatthewall."
"Threwsoupatthewall?"repeatedValentin，feelihismustbesomesingularItaliaaphor.
"Yes，yes，"saidtheatteedly，ahedarksplashoepaper，"threwitoverthereonthewall."
&inlookedhisqueryattheproprietor，whocametohisrescuewithfullerreports.
"Yes，sir，"hesaid，"it'squitetrue，thoughIdon'tsupposeithasanythingtodowiththesugarandsalt.Twymenddranksouphereveryearly，assooersweretakendowhveryquiet，respectablepeople;ohebillaheother，whoseemedaslowercoachaltogether，wassomeminuteslhisthihewentatlast.Obeforehesteppedihedeliberatelypickeduphiscup，whichhehadoied，ahesoupslaponthewall.Iwasinthebayself，andsowasthewaiter;soIlyrushoutiofindthelashedandtheshopempty.Itdon'tdoanyparticulardamage，butitwasdeddItriedtocatiheyweretoofaroffthough;IoheywentroutoCarstairsStreet."
&ivewasosettledandstid.Hehadalreadydecidedthatintheuniversaldarknessofhismindhelyfollowthefirstoddfipoihisfingerwasoddenough.Payinghisbillandgtheglassdoorsbehindhim，hewassoonswingingroundireet.
Itwasfortueveninsuchfeveredmomentshiseyewasdquiethinginashop-frobyhimlikeamereflash;yethewentbacktolookatit.Theshopulargreengrodfruiterer's，anarrayofgoodssetoutintheopenairandplaihtheirnamesahetwomostpromies，esandofively.Oslayascrapofcardboard，onritteninbold，bluechalk，"Besttangerienny."eswastheequallydexa，"FiBrazilnuts，4d.alb."Valehesetwopladfathishighlysubtleformofhumourbefore，andthatsomewhatretly.Hedrewtheattentionofthered-facedfruiterer，whowaslookingrathersullenlyupanddowhisinahisadvertisemeerersaidnothing，butsharplyputeatoitsproperplace.Thedetective，lealyonhiswalkiiosizetheshop.Atlasthesaid，"Prayexcusemyapparentirrelevance，mygoodsir，butIshouldliketoaskyouaquestioalpsydtheassoofideas."
Thered-faahaneyeofmeheuedgaily，swinginghise，"Why，"hepursued，"whyaretwotiglyplaagreengrocer'sshoplikeashovelhatthathasetoLondonforaholiday?Or，imakemyselfclear，whatisthemysticalassowhiectstheideaofnutsmarkedaseswiththeideaoftwymeallahershort?"
&hetradesmanstoodoutofhisheadlikeasnail's;hereallyseemedforaninstaoflihestralasthestammeredangrily，"Idon'tknowwhatyouhavetodowithit，butifyou'reoheirfriends，youtellthemfrommethatI'llknocktheirsillyheadsoff，parsonsornoparsomyapplesagain."
"I;askedthedetective，athy."Didtheyupsetyourapples?"
"Ohemdid，"saidtheheatedshopman，"rolledthemalloverthestreet.I'dhavecaughtthefotopickthemup."
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