erewasonethingwhichFlambeau，withallhisdexterityofdisguise，couldnotcover，andthatwashissingularheight.IfValentinsquickeyehadcaughtatallale-woman，atallgrenadier，orevenatolerablytallduchess，hemighthavearrestedthemonthesot.ButallalonghistraintherewasnobodythatcouldbeadisguisedFlambeau，anymorethatacatcouldbedisguisedagiraffe.Abouttheeoleontheboathehadalreadysatisfiedhimself;andtheeoleickeduatHarwichoronthejourneylimitedthemselveswithcertaintytosix.Therewasashortrailwayofficialtravellingutotheterminus，threefairlyshortmarketgardenersickedutwostationsafterwards，oneveryshortwidowladygoingufromasmallEssextown，andaveryshortRomanCatholicriestgoingufromasmallEssexvillage.Whenitcametothelastcase，Valentingaveituandalmostlaughed.ThelittleriestwassomuchtheessenceofthoseEasternflats;hehadafaceasroundanddullasaNorfolkdumling;hehadeyesasemtyastheNorthSea;hehadseveralbrownaerarcels，whichhewasquiteincaableofcollecting.TheEucharisticCongresshaddoubtlesssuckedoutoftheirlocalstagnationmanysuchcreatures，blindandhelless，likemolesdisinterred.ValentinwasasceticintheseverestyleofFrance，andcouldhavenoloveforriests.Buthecouldhaveityforthem，andthisonemighthaverovokedityinanybody.Hehadalarge，shabbyumbrella，whichconstantlyfellonthefloor.Hedidnotseemtoknowwherewastherightendofhisreturnticket.Heexlainedwithamoon-calfsimlicitytoeverybodyinthecarriagethathehadtobecareful，becausehehadsomethingmadeofrealsilver
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withbluestones
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inoneofhisbrown-aerarcels.HisquaintblendingofEssexflatnesswithsaintlysimlicitycontinuouslyamusedtheFrenchmantilltheriestarrived（somehow）atTottenhamwithallhisarcels，andcamebackforhisumbrella.Whenhedidthelast，Valentinevenhadthegoodnaturetowarnhimnottotakecareofthesilverbytellingeverybodyaboutit.Buttowhomeverhetalked，Valentinkethiseyeoenforsomeoneelse;helookedoutsteadilyforanyone，richoroor，maleorfemale，whowaswellutosixfeet;forFlambeauwasfourinchesaboveit.
HealightedatLiveroolStreet，however，quiteconscientiouslysecurethathehadnotmissedthecriminalsofar.HethenwenttoScotlandYardtoregularizehisositionandarrangeforhelincaseofneed;hethenlitanothercigaretteandwentforalongstrollinthestreetsofLondon.AshewaswalkinginthestreetsandsquaresbeyondVictoria，heausedsuddenlyandstood.Itwasaquaint，quietsquare，verytyicalofLondon，fullofanaccidentalstillness.Thetall，flathousesroundlookedatonceroserousanduninhabited;thesquareofshrubberyinthecentrelookedasdesertedasagreenPacificislet.Oneofthefoursideswasmuchhigherthantherest，likeadais;andthelineofthissidewasbrokenbyoneofLondonsadmirableaccidents-arestaurantthatlookedasifithadstrayedfromSoho.Itwasanunreasonablyattractiveobject，withdwarflantsinotsandlong，striedblindsoflemonyellowandwhite.Itstoodseciallyhighabovethestreet，andintheusualatchworkwayofLondon，aflightofstesfromthestreetranutomeetthefrontdooralmostasafire-escaemightrunutoafirst-floorwindow.Valentinstoodandsmokedinfrontoftheyellow-whiteblindsandconsideredthemlong.
Themostincrediblethingaboutmiraclesisthattheyhaen.Afewcloudsinheavendocometogetherintothestaringshaeofonehumaneye.Atreedoesstanduinthelandscaeofadoubtfuljourneyintheexactandelaborateshaeofanoteofinterrogation.Ihaveseenboththesethingsmyselfwithinthelastfewdays.Nelsondoesdieintheinstantofvictory;andamannamedWilliamsdoesquiteaccidentallymurderamannamedWilliamson;itsoundslikeasortofinfanticide.Inshort，thereisinlifeanelementofelfincoincidencewhichifeolereckoningontherosaicmayeretuallymiss.AsithasbeenwellexressedinthearadoxofPoe，
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wisdomshouldreckonontheunforeseen.
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AristideValentinwasunfathomablyFrench;andtheFrenchintelligenceisintelligenceseciallyandsolely.Hewasnot
"
athinkingmachine
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;forthatisabrainlesshraseofmodernfatalismandmaterialisAmachineonlyisamachinebecauseitcannotthink.Buthewasathinkingman，andalainmanatthesametime.Allhiswonderfulsuccesses，thatlookedlikeconjuring，hadbeengainedbyloddinglogic，byclearandcommonlaceFrenchthought.TheFrenchelectrifytheworldnotbystartinganyaradox;theyelectrifyitbycarryingoutatruisTheycarryatruismsofar-asintheFrenchRevolution.ButexactlybecauseValentinunderstoodreason，heunderstoodthelimitsofreason.Onlyamanwhoknowsnothingofmotorstalksofmotoringwithoutetrol;onlyamanwhoknowsnothingofreasontalksofreasoningwithoutstrong，undisutedfirstrinciles.Herehehadnostrongfirstrinciles.FlambeauhadbeenmissedatHarwich;andifhewasinLondonatall，hemightbeanythingfromatalltramonWimbledonCommontoatalltoast-masterattheHotelMetroole.Insuchanakedstateofnescience，Valentinhadaviewandamethodofhisown.
Insuchcaseshereckonedontheunforeseen.Insuchcases，whenhecouldnotfollowthetrainofthereasonable，hecoldlyandcarefullyfollowedthetrainoftheunreasonable.Insteadofgoingtotherightlaces-banks，olicestations，rendezvous-hesystematicallywenttothewronglaces，knockedateveryemtyhouse，turneddowneverycul-de-sac，wentueverylaneblockedwithrubbish，wentroundeverycrescentthatledhimuselesslyoutoftheway.Hedefendedthiscrazycoursequitelogically.Hesaidthatifonehadacluethiswastheworstway;butifonehadnoclueatallitwasthebest，becausetherewasjustthechancethatanyodditythatcaughttheeyeoftheursuermightbethesamethathadcaughttheeyeoftheursued.Somewhereamanmustbegin，andithadbetterbejustwhereanothermanmightsto.Somethingaboutthatflightofstesutothesho，somethingaboutthequietudeandquaintnessoftherestaurant，rousedallthedetectivesrareromanticfancyandmadehimresolvetostrikeatrandoHewentuthestes，andsittingdownatatablebythewindow，askedforacuofblackcoffee.
Itwashalf-waythroughthemorning，andhehadnotbreakfasted;theslightlitterofotherbreakfastsstoodaboutonthetabletoremindhimofhishunger;andaddingaoachedeggtohisorder，heroceededmusinglytoshakesomewhitesugarintohiscoffee，thinkingallthetimeaboutFlambeau.HerememberedhowFlambeauhadescaed，oncebyaairofnailscissors，andoncebyahouseonfire;oncebyhavingtoayforanunstamedletter，andoncebygettingeoletolookthroughatelescoeatacometthatmightdestroytheworld.Hethoughthisdetectivebrainasgoodasthecriminals，whichwastrue.Buthefullyrealisedthedisadvantage.
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Thecriminalisthecreativeartist;thedetectiveonlythecritic，
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hesaidwithasoursmile，andliftedhiscoffeecutohislisslowly，andutitdownveryquickly.Hehadutsaltinit.
Helookedatthevesselfromwhichthesilveryowderhadcome;itwascertainlyasugar-basin，asunmistakablymeantforsugarasachamagne-bottleforchamagne.Hewonderedwhytheyshouldkeesaltinit.Helookedtoseeiftherewereanymoreorthodoxvessels.Yes;thereweretwosalt-cellarsquitefull.Perhastherewassomesecialityinthecondimentinthesalt-cellars.Hetastedit;itwassugar.Thenhelookedroundattherestaurantwitharefreshedairofinterest，toseeiftherewereanyothertracesofthatsingularartistictastewhichutsthesugarinthesalt-cellarsandthesaltinthesugar-basin.Excetforanoddslashofsomedarkfluidononeofthewhite-aeredwalls，thewholelaceaearedneat，cheerfulandordinary.Herangthebellforthewaiter.
Whenthatofficialhurriedu，fuzzy-hairedandsomewhatblear-eyedatthatearlyhour，thedetective（whowasnotwithoutanareciationofthesimlerformsofhumour）askedhimtotastethesugarandseeifitwasutothehighreutationofthehotel.Theresultwasthatthewaiteryawnedsuddenlyandwokeu.
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Doyoulaythisdelicatejokeonyourcustomerseverymorning?
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inquiredValentin.
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Doeschangingthesaltandsugarneverallonyouasajest?
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Thewaiter，whenthisironygrewclearer，stammeringlyassuredhimthattheestablishmenthadcertainlynosuchintention;itmustbeamostcuriousmistake.Heickeduthesugar-basinandlookedatit;heickeduthesalt-cellarandlookedatthat，hisfacegrowingmoreandmorebewildered.Atlastheabrutlyexcusedhimself，andhurryingaway，returnedinafewsecondswiththerorietor.Therorietoralsoexaminedthesugar-basinandthenthesalt-cellar;therorietoralsolookedbewildered.
Suddenlythewaiterseemedtogrowinarticulationwitharushofwords.
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Ithink，
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hestutteredeagerly，
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