The Scandal of Father Brown - Reading Space. New Curriculum English Graded Readers (English-Chinese Bilingual Edition)

Author: (English) G.K. Chesterton
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: But at this point, the lady made a mistake, as she sometimes did. Because this Aga Rook was not the Aga Rook of the Minneapolis Star. At this moment, he was merely Aga Rook: he was moved by a great and sincere moral impulse, far beyond the vulgar courage of the interviewer. A knightly spirit in the face of beauty, deeply mixed with a sense of kinship, plus a sudden impulse to adopt some well-structured moral behavior, gave him the courage to face a grand scene and deliver a noble denigration. He recalled the original Hypatia, that beautiful Neoplatonist: he also remembered how, in his childhood, he would be carried away by passion whenever he read Kingsley's romances, in which the young monk scourged Hypatia for her licentiousness and blind adoration. His iron face turned toward Hypatia, and he said, "If you do not mind my being bold, Madam, I would like to speak to you privately." "Oh," she said, scanning the room with her sparkling eyes, "I do not know if you consider this place private." Rook glanced around the room and found nothing more dull and lifeless than the orange trees, except for a large black mushroom-looking thing over there, which he later recognized as a hat worn by a local priest or someone else, who was smoking a locally produced black cigar. Otherwise, he was as lifeless as any plant. He stared at the man's stern and expressionless features for a while, noticing his roughness—typical of the countryside folk—in Latin countries, especially in Latin American nations, where priests were often farmers. He laughed, speaking in a lowered voice. "I cannot imagine that Mexican priest understanding us," he said. "Who has ever seen those lazy fools learn a language other than their mother tongue? Oh, I cannot swear he is Mexican; he could be someone else; I think he might also be a mestizo or a negro. But I dare say he is not an American. Our clergy would not produce such inferior goods." "In fact," the inferior goods said, taking off his black cigar, "I am an Englishman named Brown. But if you wish for a private conversation, please ask me to leave." "If you are English," Rook said excitedly, "you should have some Nordic nature to protest against all this nonsense. Well, that is enough to say for now. I have a mission to prove that there is a rather dangerous fellow lurking around here; a tall figure in a cloak, like those arrogant poets in the old photographs." "Oh, on that alone you cannot draw many conclusions," the priest said gently. "Many people here wear cloaks because the cold suddenly comes after sunset."