Welcome back, everyone to one thousand one classic short stories and tales.

This is your host, John Haggardorn.

Today, a great story from G. K. Chesterton,

a Father Brown mystery called The Song of the Flying Fish. Enjoy. The soul of Mr. Perrigan

Smart hovered like a fly around one possession and one joke. It might be considered a mild joke, for it consisted merely of asking people if they had seen his goldfish.

It might also be considered an expensive joke, but it is doubtful whether he was not secretly more attached to the joke than to the evidence of expenditure.

In talking to his neighbors, in the little group

of new houses that had grown up round the old village green, he lost no time in turning the

conversation in the direction of his hobby. To Dr. Burdock, a rising biologist with a resolute chin

and hair brushed back like a German's, Mr. Smart made the easy transition.

You are interested in natural history. Have you seen my goldfish?

To so orthodox and evolutionist is Dr. Burdock, doubtless all nature was one.

But at first sight, the link was not close, as he was a specialist who had concentrated entirely upon the primitive ancestry of the giraffe.

To father round, from a church in the neighboring provincial town, he traced a rapid train of thought which touched on the topics of Rome, St. Peter, fishermen, fish, goldfish. In talking to Mr. Imlach Smith, the bank manager,

a slim and sallow gentleman of dressy appearance but quiet demeanor, he violently wrenched the

conversation to the subject of the gold standard, from which was merely a step to the goldfish.

In talking to that brilliant oriental traveler and scholar, Count Ivan de Lara, whose title was French, and his face rather Russian, not to say tartar,

the versatile conversationalist showed an intense and intelligent interest in the Ganges and the Indian Ocean,

leading naturally to the possible presence of goldfish in those waters. For Mr. Harry Hartrop, the very rich,

but very shy and silent young gentleman who had recently come down from London, he had at last

extorted the information that the embarrassed youth in question was not interested in

fishing, and had then added, talking about fishing, have you seen any goldfish?

...