The Honor of Israel Gow by G. K. Chesterton. Short summary

5 seconds

Flambeau and Father Brown unearth the grave of an earl during their investigation and find no head. It is discovered by the gardener. The Earl bequeathed all his gold to him. In the mouth of the head was a gold tooth.

1 minute

Private investigator Flambeau, along with amateur detective Father Brown, investigates the strange life and equally strange death of the last Earl of Glengale.

They dig up the Earl’s grave and discover that the dead man is missing his head. Father Brown finds it in a bed of potatoes cultivated by gardener Israël Gau.

But the priest proves that he is not a maniac, but just a strange man who meticulously carries out the deceased’s will.

He once showed honesty to the Count. The latter admired Israel’s deed, hired him, and left him all the Glengail’s gold as a legacy.

So when the master died, Gau took all the gold in the house, even carving gold letters and halos of saints from ancient paintings.

In the mouth of the dead earl’s head was a gold tooth, which Gau was going to take out and then return the head to the grave.