The Innocence of Father Brown

One day in Camden Town, a Scottish man named John Turnbull Angus visits a confection shop and proposes marriage to the young woman, Laura Hope, who is working there. She rebuffs his proposal at first, believing that he is joking, but when it becomes clear that he is serious, she becomes uneasy and tells him that she must first confess to him a story about her life that she believes will make him reconsider. 

When she was working with her father in Ludbury, two men—Isidore Smythe and James Welkin—each asked her to marry them. She had known both men for a long time and found them repulsive, though for different reasons. Welkin, in particular, unsettled her—he tended to keep to himself and did nothing with his time except taking long walks through the countryside alone. Not wanting to tell them that she found them ugly, she instead told them that she wanted to marry a man who was well established. To her surprise, both men immediately left town to seek their fortunes. Since then, Smythe has written two letters to her, the latest one only a week ago, informing her that he has been traveling and has made a fortune creating mechanical butlers, maids, and cooks. Welkin has not written to her, but she has felt his presence mysteriously ever since, and she is vaguely afraid of him. 

Smythe soon arrives at the shop and informs Laura and Angus that he has been receiving letters from Welkin threatening to kill him if he marries Laura. Now, a sign has appeared on the outside window of the shop, reading, “If you marry Smythe, he will die” (63). Angus says that he is friends with a man named Flambeau who lives in Hampstead and might be able to help them.

The two men go to Smythe’s house in Himalaya Mansions nearby. There, Smythe shows Angus the latest letter, in which Welkin threatens to kill Smythe if he tries to see Laura that day. Angus has Smythe stay in his home while four men watch the building outside, including a policeman. He then goes to Flambeau’s home in Lucknow Mansions and tells Flambeau and Father Brown about the situation. They go with Angus to Smythe’s home, where Angus and Flambeau are shocked to find footprints from an invisible man and find that Smythe is missing. However, there is a blood stain, and Flambeau realizes that Smythe has been murdered. Angus imagines, in horror, the possibility that one of Smythe’s machines might have killed him. A policeman soon arrives, however, and informs the men that Smythe has been found dead in the canal with a stab wound in his heart. Father Brown asks if there was a light brown sack and says that if the sack is brown, then the case has been solved. He then tells Angus, Flambeau, and the policeman that Welkin went undetected when he killed Smythe because he was “mentally invisible.” In fact, it was Welkin who carried Smythe’s letters to Laura. When Flambeau impatiently asks who the invisible man is, Father Brown points out a passing mail carrier, who—upon noticing them—tries to run but is followed by police. As Angus returns to the shop to see Laura, Father Brown stays at the scene and talks with the apprehended Welkin.

Father Brown and Flambeau are staying in Scotland at Glengyle Castle to investigate the death of Lord Glengyle. They also take particular interest in the castle’s attendant, Israel Gow, a peasant who works there who seems to be deaf and have a mental disability. With the help of Inspector Craven, the two find curious items, including snuff, candle wax, metals for clockworks, and various precious stones. Father Brown expounds an elaborate theory that these items represent Glengyle’s interest in the aristocratic life of pre-Revolutionary France, but then he admits that he is only conducting a thought experiment and does not believe this theory. He explains that Glengyle was a thief, detailing how he might have used each item in his burglaries, before admitting that this, too, is merely a contrived theory and unlikely to be true. They then find religious pictures that have been damaged, including one with the infant Jesus missing his halo. The poor condition of the Christian art troubles Father Brown. He wishes to gain a warrant and examine Glengyle’s grave and corpse, becoming suspicious that there might be some black magic or devil worship involved. He explains that ancient Scottish people likely worshipped demons, and Flambeau expresses concern that he will find Glengyle’s corpse in a bad condition. The three dig up the grave and find bones but then also see that the skeleton is missing its head. Father Brown decides that the three will sleep for the night and resume the investigation in the morning.

The following morning, Father Brown meets with the men. Upon seeing Gow working in the garden, Father Brown marvels at his skill in tending the potato plants. He then tells Flambeau and Inspector Craven that Gow is not as deaf or mentally disabled as he appears to be. He suspects that he stole Glengyle’s head from his grave for the purpose of black magic. Flambeau explains to Father Brown that when he was a criminal, he would quickly make up stories and, due to his impatient nature, always did everything promptly, even dentist appointments. At this, Father Brown makes a self-deprecating joke about his slowness to realize that Gow’s actions were not crime but honesty. He recalls the local rhyme about the aristocratic Ogilvie family—“As green sap to the simmer trees / Is red gold to the Ogilvies” (71)—to explain that the Glengyles gathered and hoarded wealth, acting as misers. Glengyle had taken in the peasant Gow as a manservant after he arrived from a village far away to send him a telegram, and then he trained him in his work before leaving him as the heir to his wealth. Thus, Gow likely took the skull for what gold teeth he might find. Outside, Flambeau sees Gow digging at the gravesite.