The Innocence of Father Brown

Flambeau goes sailing in the Norfolk rivers while on vacation. He recalls his old fame as a thief and his association with many important people, even receiving a letter from the French Prince Saradine, who had invited him to visit his home in Norfolk, Reed House, after his retirement. Prince Saradine was a prominent figure in Italy who famously had an affair with a married woman, supposedly leading to the husband’s suicide. After living in Vienna for years, Prince Saradine began traveling. Flambeau decides to visit the prince, with Father Brown joining him. At Reed House, they meet Prince Saradine’s loyal servant, Mr. Paul, and the Italian housekeeper, Mrs. Anthony. They learn about Prince Saradine’s younger brother, Captain Stephen Saradine, who spent much of his brother’s fortune. When Flambeau tells Mrs. Anthony that he is unsure which Saradine brother is the good one and which one is the bad one, Mrs. Anthony says that it is hard to decide. When Father Brown asks for clarification, she then angrily says that there is no good Saradine brother and that they both have great moral faults: Stephen used money wastefully, but Prince Saradine also gave it to him freely and carelessly.

Prince Saradine arrives, and Father Brown notes his somewhat performative air of aristocratic distinction. He has the feeling that he has seen this man before, but he attributes it to the many mirrors scattered around the drawing room, which make it appear as if several Prince Saradines stand before him. Flambeau goes fishing while Prince Saradine and Father Brown enjoy the library at Reed House. Later, when Father Brown is talking to Prince Saradine, the prince learns that a man has arrived in a boat with several other men. A young Italian man appears, introducing himself as Antonelli and having one of his men, Marco, open a large black box to reveal dueling swords. Antonelli reveals that Prince Saradine had an affair with Antonelli’s mother and that the two threw Antonelli’s father off a cliff when the young Antonelli was only an infant. He is now seeking revenge and wishes to kill Prince Saradine in a duel—a more noble death than the one Prince Saradine had given his father. They begin the duel. Father Brown talks to Mrs. Anthony and, seeing her eyes, realizes that she is Antonelli’s mother. She faints, and Mr. Paul goes to save his master by getting help from the police. Father Brown panics and worries that the police will not arrive in time to save one of the dueling men from dying. Antonelli kills Prince Saradine shortly before the police arrive, upsetting Father Brown. Delighted at having gotten his revenge, Antonelli says that he has completed his task and wishes only to be hanged for his crime. Later, Mr. Paul and Mrs. Anthony are eating a fine dinner at the dining table as if they own the house, and Flambeau is shocked to find them enjoying a meal when their master is dead. However, Mr. Paul reveals that he is Prince Saradine and that the dead man is his brother, Stephen. Father Brown tells Flambeau that he wants to leave, and they do. As they sail away, Father Brown explains to Flambeau what happened. Prince Saradine had two enemies: Antonelli and his brother. Stephen knew about the prince’s murder of Antonelli’s father and could prove it in court. For a decade, he blackmailed his brother, extracting money in exchange for his silence. Meanwhile, Antonelli continued to pursue the prince, forcing him to constantly move around the world. The prince knew that he could not continue to hide from Antonelli and satisfy his brother’s demands, so he gave his brother what he wanted, allowing him to take possession of the Norfolk house and the title of Prince Saradine, while he agreed to pose as the prince’s butler. When Antonelli found them, he killed the man he believed was the prince, thus condemning himself to execution and ridding the true prince of both his enemies at once.

In the village of Bohun Beacon, the once prestigious Bohun family is now dwindling like many old aristocratic families. One early morning, Wilfred Bohun, who is an Anglican Reverend, confronts his brother, Colonel Norman Bohun, over his blasphemy and sinfulness, threatening that the Presbyterian blacksmith, Simeon Barnes, would be willing and able to attack him for it. Wilfred then goes into the church. He is surprised when the cobbler, who is an atheist, enters the church and tells him that his brother is dead. Outside, they find Colonel Bohun with his head smashed and a small hammer near the body.

Those nearby wonder if Barnes did it. Father Brown arrives, as does Barnes. After the doctor confirms that the corpse is Colonel Bohun’s, Barnes proclaims that the colonel died a sinner but that he was not the one who killed him. The doctor wonders why the killer used such a small hammer when he could have used a large one and wonders if a woman—such as Barnes’s wife—might have done it. However, Father Brown says that a woman could not have smashed the colonel’s head with such force. Wilfred then accuses a man whom the villagers refer to as “Mad Joe” of killing the colonel. He says that the colonel was mocking Mad Joe when he confronted him earlier. He also claims to have seen Mad Joe alone in the church earlier, which made him think that he might have been there to pray before committing the murder. Barnes then says that he believes that whoever killed Colonel Bohun was doing God’s work: The hammer was God’s instrument to bring Colonel Bohun to justice for his sins. Many of the others find this ridiculous, but Barnes insists. Father Brown then leads Wilfred up to the high parapet of the church, where no one can hear them, and says that he knows Wilfred killed the colonel, wanting to punish him for his sins. He did so by dropping a hammer onto his head from this very parapet. Father Brown notes that it is dangerous to pray from high places, as the high vantage point gives one the illusion of moral superiority. He believes, however, that Wilfred is not irredeemable: Wilfred did not accuse Barnes or Barnes’s wife of the crime even when the villagers were ready to believe that they were guilty. Instead, he accused Mad Joe, whose mental incapacity meant that he would not suffer. For this reason, Father Brown says that he will keep his knowledge to himself, allowing Wilfred the chance to save his soul by voluntarily confessing. As soon as Wilfred comes down from the parapet, he turns himself in to the police.