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the innocence of father brown-第15章

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ity。  Previously the unknown man had walked; with levity indeed and lightning quickness; but he had walked。  This time he ran。  One could hear the swift; soft; bounding steps coming along the corridor; like the pads of a fleeing and leaping panther。  Whoever was coming was a very strong; active man; in still yet tearing excitement。  Yet; when the sound had swept up to the office like a sort of whispering whirlwind; it suddenly changed again to the old slow; swaggering stamp。     Father Brown flung down his paper; and; knowing the office door to be locked; went at once into the cloak room on the other side。 The attendant of this place was temporarily absent; probably because the only guests were at dinner and his office was a sinecure。  After groping through a grey forest of overcoats; he found that the dim cloak room opened on the lighted corridor in the form of a sort of counter or half…door; like most of the counters across which we have all handed umbrellas and received tickets。  There was a light immediately above the semicircular arch of this opening。  It threw little illumination on Father Brown himself; who seemed a mere dark outline against the dim sunset window behind him。  But it threw an almost theatrical light on the man who stood outside the cloak room in the corridor。     He was an elegant man in very plain evening dress; tall; but with an air of not taking up much room; one felt that he could have slid along like a shadow where many smaller men would have been obvious and obstructive。  His face; now flung back in the lamplight; was swarthy and vivacious; the face of a foreigner。 His figure was good; his manners good humoured and confident; a critic could only say that his black coat was a shade below his figure and manners; and even bulged and bagged in an odd way。  The moment he caught sight of Brown's black silhouette against the sunset; he tossed down a scrap of paper with a number and called out with amiable authority: 〃I want my hat and coat; please; I find I have to go away at once。〃     Father Brown took the paper without a word; and obediently went to look for the coat; it was not the first menial work he had done in his life。  He brought it and laid it on the counter; meanwhile; the strange gentleman who had been feeling in his waistcoat pocket; said laughing: 〃I haven't got any silver; you can keep this。〃  And he threw down half a sovereign; and caught up his coat。     Father Brown's figure remained quite dark and still; but in that instant he had lost his head。  His head was always most valuable when he had lost it。  In such moments he put two and two together and made four million。  Often the Catholic Church (which is wedded to common sense) did not approve of it。  Often he did not approve of it himself。  But it was real inspirationimportant at rare criseswhen whosoever shall lose his head the same shall save it。     〃I think; sir;〃 he said civilly; 〃that you have some silver in your pocket。〃     The tall gentleman stared。  〃Hang it;〃 he cried; 〃if I choose to give you gold; why should you complain?〃     〃Because silver is sometimes more valuable than gold;〃 said the priest mildly; 〃that is; in large quantities。〃     The stranger looked at him curiously。  Then he looked still more curiously up the passage towards the main entrance。  Then he looked back at Brown again; and then he looked very carefully at the window beyond Brown's head; still coloured with the after…glow of the storm。  Then he seemed to make up his mind。  He put one hand on the counter; vaulted over as easily as an acrobat and towered above the priest; putting one tremendous hand upon his collar。     〃Stand still;〃 he said; in a hacking whisper。  〃I don't want to threaten you; but〃     〃I do want to threaten you;〃 said Father Brown; in a voice like a rolling drum; 〃I want to threaten you with the worm that dieth not; and the fire that is not quenched。〃     〃You're a rum sort of cloak…room clerk;〃 said the other。     〃I am a priest; Monsieur Flambeau;〃 said Brown; 〃and I am ready to hear your confession。〃     The other stood gasping for a few moments; and then staggered back into a chair。     The first two courses of the dinner of The Twelve True Fishermen had proceeded with placid success。  I do not possess a copy of the menu; and if I did it would not convey anything to anybody。  It was written in a sort of super…French employed by cooks; but quite unintelligible to Frenchmen。  There was a tradition in the club that the hors d'oeuvres should be various and manifold to the point of madness。  They were taken seriously because they were avowedly useless extras; like the whole dinner and the whole club。  There was also a tradition that the soup course should be light and unpretendinga sort of simple and austere vigil for the feast of fish that was to come。  The talk was that strange; slight talk which governs the British Empire; which governs it in secret; and yet would scarcely enlighten an ordinary Englishman even if he could overhear it。  Cabinet ministers on both sides were alluded to by their Christian names with a sort of bored benignity。  The Radical Chancellor of the Exchequer; whom the whole Tory party was supposed to be cursing for his extortions; was praised for his minor poetry; or his saddle in the hunting field。  The Tory leader; whom all Liberals were supposed to hate as a tyrant; was discussed and; on the whole; praisedas a Liberal。  It seemed somehow that politicians were very important。  And yet; anything seemed important about them except their politics。  Mr。 Audley; the chairman; was an amiable; elderly man who still wore Gladstone collars; he was a kind of symbol of all that phantasmal and yet fixed society。  He had never done anythingnot even anything wrong。  He was not fast; he was not even particularly rich。  He was simply in the thing; and there was an end of it。  No party could ignore him; and if he had wished to be in the Cabinet he certainly would have been put there。  The Duke of Chester; the vice…president; was a young and rising politician。  That is to say; he was a pleasant youth; with flat; fair hair and a freckled face; with moderate intelligence and enormous estates。  In public his appearances were always successful and his principle was simple enough。  When he thought of a joke he made it; and was called brilliant。  When he could not think of a joke he said that this was no time for trifling; and was called able。  In private; in a club of his own class; he was simply quite pleasantly frank and silly; like a schoolboy。  Mr。 Audley; never having been in politics; treated them a little more seriously。  Sometimes he even embarrassed the company by phrases suggesting that there was some difference between a Liberal and a Conservative。  He himself was a Conservative; even in private life。  He had a roll of grey hair over the back of his collar; like certain old…fashioned statesmen; and seen from behind he looked like the man the empire wants。  Seen from the front he looked like a mild; self…indulgent bachelor; with rooms in the Albanywhich he was。     As has been remarked; there were twenty…four seats at the terrace table; and only twelve members of the club。  Thus they could occupy the terrace in the most luxur
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