The Blue Cross by G. K. Chesterton. Short summary

5 seconds

Father Brown exposed a thief about to steal a sapphire cross and tampered with the jewel. The thief stole the counterfeit.

1 minute

Parisian investigator Valantin arrives in London after learning that the famous French thief Flambeau has arrived here. At this time there is a gathering of clergymen from all over the country in England.

Valanthene notices a pair of priests behaving unusually. Suspecting that one of them is Flambeau, the detective calls for backup and follows the clergymen.

He finds them in the fields, hides and listens to the priests talk. One of them turns out to be Father Brown, the other a disguised Flambeau.

The thief boasts that he has stolen a precious silver cross with sapphires, which Father Brown brought to London.

But the little priest admits that he guessed Flambeau was the thief. He tracked down the Frenchman and switched the stolen cross for pieces of metal.

The astonished and angry thief threatens the priest, but he reports that their conversation can be heard by Valante and the policemen hiding behind the trees.