《达芬奇密码》-------《The Da Vinci Code》中英文对照 (完结)_派派后花园

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[Novel] 《达芬奇密码》-------《The Da Vinci Code》中英文对照 (完结)

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Chapter 20
Emerging from the shadows, Langdon and Sophie moved stealthily up the deserted Grand Gallerycorridor toward the emergency exit stairwell.
  As he moved, Langdon felt like he was trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle in the dark. The newestaspect of this mystery was a deeply troubling one: The captain of the Judicial Police is trying toframe me for murder"Do you think," he whispered, "that maybe Fache wrote that message on the floor?"Sophie didn't even turn. "Impossible."Langdon wasn't so sure. "He seems pretty intent on making me look guilty. Maybe he thoughtwriting my name on the floor would help his case?""The Fibonacci sequence? The P.S.? All the Da Vinci and goddess symbolism? That had to be mygrandfather."Langdon knew she was right. The symbolism of the clues meshed too perfectly—the pentacle, TheVitruvian Man, Da Vinci, the goddess, and even the Fibonacci sequence. A coherent symbolic set,as iconographers would call it. All inextricably tied.
  "And his phone call to me this afternoon," Sophie added. "He said he had to tell me something. I'mcertain his message at the Louvre was his final effort to tell me something important, something hethought you could help me understand."Langdon frowned. O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint.! He wished he could comprehend themessage, both for Sophie's well-being and for his own. Things had definitely gotten worse since hefirst laid eyes on the cryptic words. His fake leap out the bathroom window was not going to helpLangdon's popularity with Fache one bit. Somehow he doubted the captain of the French policewould see the humor in chasing down and arresting a bar of soap.
  "The doorway isn't much farther," Sophie said.
  "Do you think there's a possibility that the numbers in your grandfather's message hold the key tounderstanding the other lines?" Langdon had once worked on a series of Baconian manuscripts thatcontained epigraphical ciphers in which certain lines of code were clues as to how to decipher theother lines.
  "I've been thinking about the numbers all night. Sums, quotients, products. I don't see anything.
  Mathematically, they're arranged at random. Cryptographic gibberish.""And yet they're all part of the Fibonacci sequence. That can't be coincidence.""It's not. Using Fibonacci numbers was my grandfather's way of waving another flag at me—likewriting the message in English, or arranging himself like my favorite piece of art, or drawing apentacle on himself. All of it was to catch my attention.""The pentacle has meaning to you?""Yes. I didn't get a chance to tell you, but the pentacle was a special symbol between mygrandfather and me when I was growing up. We used to play Tarot cards for fun, and my indicatorcard always turned out to be from the suit of pentacles. I'm sure he stacked the deck, but pentaclesgot to be our little joke."Langdon felt a chill. They played Tarot? The medieval Italian card game was so replete withhidden heretical symbolism that Langdon had dedicated an entire chapter in his new manuscript tothe Tarot. The game's twenty-two cards bore names like The Female Pope, The Empress, and TheStar. Originally, Tarot had been devised as a secret means to pass along ideologies banned by theChurch. Now, Tarot's mystical qualities were passed on by modern fortune-tellers.
  The Tarot indicator suit for feminine divinity is pentacles, Langdon thought, realizing that ifSaunière had been stacking his granddaughter's deck for fun, pentacles was an apropos inside joke.
  They arrived at the emergency stairwell, and Sophie carefully pulled open the door. No alarmsounded. Only the doors to the outside were wired. Sophie led Langdon down a tight set ofswitchback stairs toward the ground level, picking up speed as they went.
  "Your grandfather," Langdon said, hurrying behind her, "when he told you about the pentacle, didhe mention goddess worship or any resentment of the Catholic Church?"Sophie shook her head. "I was more interested in the mathematics of it—the Divine Proportion,PHI, Fibonacci sequences, that sort of thing."Langdon was surprised. "Your grandfather taught you about the number PHI?""Of course. The Divine Proportion." Her expression turned sheepish. "In fact, he used to joke that Iwas half divine... you know, because of the letters in my name."Langdon considered it a moment and then groaned.
  s-o-PHI-e.
  Still descending, Langdon refocused on PHI. He was starting to realize that Saunière's clues wereeven more consistent than he had first imagined.
  Da Vinci... Fibonacci numbers... the pentacle.
  Incredibly, all of these things were connected by a single concept so fundamental to art history thatLangdon often spent several class periods on the topic.
  PHI.
  He felt himself suddenly reeling back to Harvard, standing in front of his "Symbolism in Art" class,writing his favorite number on the chalkboard.
  1.618Langdon turned to face his sea of eager students. "Who can tell me what this number is?"A long-legged math major in back raised his hand. "That's the number PHI." He pronounced it fee.
  "Nice job, Stettner," Langdon said. "Everyone, meet PHI.""Not to be confused with PI," Stettner added, grinning. "As we mathematicians like to say: PHI isone H of a lot cooler than PI!"Langdon laughed, but nobody else seemed to get the joke.
  Stettner slumped.
  "This number PHI," Langdon continued, "one-point-six-one-eight, is a very important number inart. Who can tell me why?"Stettner tried to redeem himself. "Because it's so pretty?"Everyone laughed.
  "Actually," Langdon said, "Stettner's right again. PHI is generally considered the most beautifulnumber in the universe."The laughter abruptly stopped, and Stettner gloated.
  As Langdon loaded his slide projector, he explained that the number PHI was derived from theFibonacci sequence—a progression famous not only because the sum of adjacent terms equaled thenext term, but because the quotients of adjacent terms possessed the astonishing property ofapproaching the number 1.618—PHI!
  Despite PHI's seemingly mystical mathematical origins, Langdon explained, the truly mind-boggling aspect of PHI was its role as a fundamental building block in nature. Plants, animals, andeven human beings all possessed dimensional properties that adhered with eerie exactitude to theratio of PHI to 1.
  "PHI's ubiquity in nature," Langdon said, killing the lights, "clearly exceeds coincidence, and sothe ancients assumed the number PHI must have been preordained by the Creator of the universe.
  Early scientists heralded one-point-six-one-eight as the Divine Proportion.""Hold on," said a young woman in the front row. "I'm a bio major and I've never seen this DivineProportion in nature.""No?" Langdon grinned. "Ever study the relationship between females and males in a honeybeecommunity?""Sure. The female bees always outnumber the male bees.""Correct. And did you know that if you divide the number of female bees by the number of malebees in any beehive in the world, you always get the same number?""You do?""Yup. PHI."The girl gaped. "NO WAY!""Way!" Langdon fired back, smiling as he projected a slide of a spiral seashell. "Recognize this?""It's a nautilus," the bio major said. "A cephalopod mollusk that pumps gas into its chambered shellto adjust its buoyancy.""Correct. And can you guess what the ratio is of each spiral's diameter to the next?"The girl looked uncertain as she eyed the concentric arcs of the nautilus spiral.
  Langdon nodded. "PHI. The Divine Proportion. One-point-six-one-eight to one."The girl looked amazed.
  Langdon advanced to the next slide—a close-up of a sunflower's seed head. "Sunflower seeds growin opposing spirals. Can you guess the ratio of each rotation's diameter to the next?""PHI?" everyone said.
  "Bingo." Langdon began racing through slides now—spiraled pinecone petals, leaf arrangement onplant stalks, insect segmentation—all displaying astonishing obedience to the Divine Proportion.
  "This is amazing!" someone cried out.
  "Yeah," someone else said, "but what does it have to do with art?""Aha!" Langdon said. "Glad you asked." He pulled up another slide—a pale yellow parchmentdisplaying Leonardo da Vinci's famous male nude—The Vitruvian Man—named for MarcusVitruvius, the brilliant Roman architect who praised the Divine Proportion in his text DeArchitectura.
  "Nobody understood better than Da Vinci the divine structure of the human body. Da Vinciactually exhumed corpses to measure the exact proportions of human bone structure. He was thefirst to show that the human body is literally made of building blocks whose proportional ratiosalways equal PHI."Everyone in class gave him a dubious look.
  "Don't believe me?" Langdon challenged. "Next time you're in the shower, take a tape measure."A couple of football players snickered.
  "Not just you insecure jocks," Langdon prompted. "All of you. Guys and girls. Try it. Measure thedistance from the tip of your head to the floor. Then divide that by the distance from your bellybutton to the floor. Guess what number you get.""Not PHI!" one of the jocks blurted out in disbelief.
  "Yes, PHI," Langdon replied. "One-point-six-one-eight. Want another example? Measure thedistance from your shoulder to your fingertips, and then divide it by the distance from your elbowto your fingertips. PHI again. Another? Hip to floor divided by knee to floor. PHI again. Fingerjoints. Toes. Spinal divisions. PHI. PHI. PHI. My friends, each of you is a walking tribute to theDivine Proportion."Even in the darkness, Langdon could see they were all astounded. He felt a familiar warmth inside.
  This is why he taught. "My friends, as you can see, the chaos of the world has an underlying order.
  When the ancients discovered PHI, they were certain they had stumbled across God's buildingblock for the world, and they worshipped Nature because of that. And one can understand why.
  God's hand is evident in Nature, and even to this day there exist pagan, Mother Earth-reveringreligions. Many of us celebrate nature the way the pagans did, and don't even know it. May Day isa perfect example, the celebration of spring... the earth coming back to life to produce her bounty.
  The mysterious magic inherent in the Divine Proportion was written at the beginning of time. Manis simply playing by Nature's rules, and because art is man's attempt to imitate the beauty of theCreator's hand, you can imagine we might be seeing a lot of instances of the Divine Proportion inart this semester."Over the next half hour, Langdon showed them slides of artwork by Michelangelo, Albrecht Dürer,Da Vinci, and many others, demonstrating each artist's intentional and rigorous adherence to theDivine Proportion in the layout of his compositions. Langdon unveiled PHI in the architecturaldimensions of the Greek Parthenon, the pyramids of Egypt, and even the United Nations Buildingin New York. PHI appeared in the organizational structures of Mozart's sonatas, Beethoven's FifthSymphony, as well as the works of Bartók, Debussy, and Schubert. The number PHI, Langdon toldthem, was even used by Stradivarius to calculate the exact placement of the f-holes in theconstruction of his famous violins.
  "In closing," Langdon said, walking to the chalkboard, "we return to symbols" He drew fiveintersecting lines that formed a five-pointed star. "This symbol is one of the most powerful imagesyou will see this term. Formally known as a pentagram—or pentacle, as the ancients called it—thissymbol is considered both divine and magical by many cultures. Can anyone tell me why thatmight be?"Stettner, the math major, raised his hand. "Because if you draw a pentagram, the linesautomatically divide themselves into segments according to the Divine Proportion."Langdon gave the kid a proud nod. "Nice job. Yes, the ratios of line segments in a pentacle allequal PHI, making this symbol the ultimate expression of the Divine Proportion. For this reason,the five-pointed star has always been the symbol for beauty and perfection associated with thegoddess and the sacred feminine."The girls in class beamed.
  "One note, folks. We've only touched on Da Vinci today, but we'll be seeing a lot more of him thissemester. Leonardo was a well-documented devotee of the ancient ways of the goddess.
  Tomorrow, I'll show you his fresco The Last Supper, which is one of the most astonishing tributesto the sacred feminine you will ever see.""You're kidding, right?" somebody said. "I thought The Last Supper was about Jesus!"Langdon winked. "There are symbols hidden in places you would never imagine.""Come on," Sophie whispered. "What's wrong? We're almost there. Hurry!"Langdon glanced up, feeling himself return from faraway thoughts. He realized he was standing ata dead stop on the stairs, paralyzed by sudden revelation.
  O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint!
  Sophie was looking back at him.
  It can't be that simple, Langdon thought.
  But he knew of course that it was.
  There in the bowels of the Louvre... with images of PHI and Da Vinci swirling through his mind,Robert Langdon suddenly and unexpectedly deciphered Saunière's code.
  "O, Draconian devil!" he said. "Oh, lame saint! It's the simplest kind of code!"Sophie was stopped on the stairs below him, staring up in confusion. A code? She had beenpondering the words all night and had not seen a code. Especially a simple one.
  "You said it yourself." Langdon's voice reverberated with excitement. "Fibonacci numbers onlyhave meaning in their proper order. Otherwise they're mathematical gibberish."Sophie had no idea what he was talking about. The Fibonacci numbers? She was certain they hadbeen intended as nothing more than a means to get the Cryptography Department involved tonight.
  They have another purpose? She plunged her hand into her pocket and pulled out the printout,studying her grandfather's message again.
  13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5O, Draconian devil!
  Oh, lame saint!
  What about the numbers?
  "The scrambled Fibonacci sequence is a clue," Langdon said, taking the printout. "The numbers area hint as to how to decipher the rest of the message. He wrote the sequence out of order to tell us toapply the same concept to the text. O, Draconian devil? Oh, lame saint? Those lines mean nothing.
  They are simply letters written out of order."Sophie needed only an instant to process Langdon's implication, and it seemed laughably simple.
  "You think this message is... une anagramme?" She stared at him. "Like a word jumble from anewspaper?"Langdon could see the skepticism on Sophie's face and certainly understood. Few people realizedthat anagrams, despite being a trite modern amusement, had a rich history of sacred symbolism.
  The mystical teachings of the Kabbala drew heavily on anagrams—rearranging the letters ofHebrew words to derive new meanings. French kings throughout the Renaissance were soconvinced that anagrams held magic power that they appointed royal anagrammatists to help themmake better decisions by analyzing words in important documents. The Romans actually referredto the study of anagrams as ars magna—"the great art."Langdon looked up at Sophie, locking eyes with her now. "Your grandfather's meaning was rightin front of us all along, and he left us more than enough clues to see it."Without another word, Langdon pulled a pen from his jacket pocket and rearranged the letters ineach line.
  O, Draconian devil! Oh, lame saint!
  was a perfect anagram of...
  Leonardo da Vinci! The Mona Lisa!
兰登和索菲从阴影中走了出来,蹑手蹑脚地沿着空荡荡的艺术大画廊向紧急楼梯通道走去。
兰登边走边觉得自己好像在做一个智力游戏。眼前的问题很棘手:司法局长要给我扣上凶手的罪名。
兰登低声问索菲:"你认为地上的信息会不会是法希留下的?"
索菲头也不回地说:"不可能。"
兰登没有她那么肯定,又说道:"看上去他一心想把罪名加在我身上。也许他认为在地上写上我的名字会有助于他的指控?"
"那么斐波那契数列呢?还有P.S.?还有达。芬奇和女神的象征意义?那一定是我祖父留下的。"兰登知道她说得对。五角星、《维特鲁威人》、达。芬奇、女神以及斐波那契数列--这些线索的象征意义完美地结合在一起。圣像研究者会把这称为一个连贯的象征系统。所有的一切结合得天衣无缝。
索菲补充说:"今天下午,祖父打电话给我。他说有重要的事情要告诉我。我肯定,为了让我知道这些重要的事情,他临死时在卢浮宫留下了这些信息。他认为你可以帮助我弄清这些重要的事情。"兰登皱起了眉头。啊,严酷的魔王!噢,瘸腿的圣徒!他真希望,为了索菲也为了自己,他可以破解这则密码的含义。毫无疑问,从他第一眼看到密码起,事情就变得越来越不妙。他从厕所的窗户"假跳"出去,会给法希留下更坏的印象。不过,也许可让这位法国警察局的局长感受一下追逐并逮捕一块肥皂的幽默。
"我们离楼梯口不远了。"索菲说。
"密码中的数字是否是破解另几行信息的关键呢?有这种可能吗?"兰登曾经研究过一系列培根的手稿,那里边记录的一些密码就为破译其他的密码提供了线索。
"一整晚,我都在想这些数字。加、减、乘、除,都得不出什么有含义的结果。从纯数学的角度来看,它们是随机排列的。这是一串乱码。""但它们是斐波那契数列的一部分。那不会是巧合。"
"当然不是巧合。祖父要借助斐波那契数列给我们一些提示--就像他用英语来书写信息、模仿他最喜爱的艺术作品中的画面和摆出五角星形状的姿势一样。这只是要引起我们的注意。""你知道五角星形状的含义吗?"
"知道。我还没来得及告诉过你,小时候,五角星在我和祖父之间有特殊的含义。过去,我们常玩塔罗牌,我的主牌都是五角星的。我知道那是因为祖父洗牌时作弊,但五角星成了我们之间的小笑话。"兰登打了个冷战。他们玩塔罗牌?这种中世纪意大利的纸牌隐含着异教的象征体系,兰登曾在他的新手稿中花费了整章的篇幅来讲述塔罗牌。塔罗牌由二十二张纸牌组成,包括"女教宗"、"皇后"、"星星"等。塔罗牌原本是用来传递被教会封禁的思想的,现在的占卜者们沿用了塔罗牌的神秘特质。
塔罗牌用五角星花色来象征女神,兰登想道,如果索尼埃通过洗牌作弊来和小孙女逗乐,选择五角星真是再合适不过了。
他们来到了紧急楼梯通道口,索菲小心翼翼地打开了门。没有警报声,只有通往卢浮宫外面的门连着警报网。索菲领着兰登顺着Z 字形的楼梯往一楼走。他们加快了脚步。
兰登一边急匆匆地跟上索菲的脚步,一边问道:"当你祖父谈论五角星的时候,他有没有提及女神崇拜或对天主教会的怨恨?"
索菲摇了摇头。"我更倾向于从数学的角度来分析它--黄金分割、PHI、斐波那契数列那一类东西。"兰登感到很惊奇:"你祖父教过你PHI 吗?"
"当然,黄金分割。"她有点儿害羞地说。"其实,他曾开玩笑说我有一半符合黄金分割……那是因为我名字的拼写方法。"兰登想了片刻,嘀咕着:"so-PHI-e."
兰登一边下楼,一边再次琢磨起PHI.他开始意识到索尼埃留下的线索比他想象中更有整体性。
达。芬奇……斐波那契数列……五角星。
令人难以置信,所有这些都通过一个艺术史上的概念联系在一起,兰登经常花费好几个课时来讲解这个非常基本的概念。
PHI他忽然产生了一种幻觉,仿佛自己又回到了哈佛,站在教室的讲台上讲解"艺术中的象征",在黑板上写下他最喜爱的数字:1.618.
兰登转向台下众多求知若渴的学生,问道:"谁能告诉我这是个什么数字?"
一个坐在后排的大个儿的数学系学生举起手:"那是PHI."他把它读做"fei"。
"说得好,斯提勒。"兰登说。"大家都知道PHI."
斯提勒笑着补充道:"别把它跟PI(π)弄混了。我们搞数学的喜欢说:PHI 多一个H,却比PI 棒多了!"兰登大笑起来,其他人却不解其意。
斯提勒"咚"地一声坐了下去。
兰登继续说道:"PHI,1.618 在艺术中有极其重要的地位。谁能告诉我这是为什么?"
"因为它非常美?"斯提勒试图挽回自己的面子。
大家哄堂大笑起来。
兰登说道:"其实,斯提勒又说对了。PHI 通常被认为是世上最美丽的数字。"
笑声戛然而止。斯提勒则沾沾自喜。
兰登在幻灯机上放上图片,解释说,PHI 源于斐波那契数列--这个数列之所以非常有名,不仅是因为数列中相邻两项之和等于后一项,而且因为相邻两项相除所得的商竟然约等于1.618,也就是PHI.
兰登继续解释道,从数学角度看,PHI 的来源颇为神秘,但更令人费解的是它在自然界的构成中也起着极为重要的作用。植物、动物甚至人类都具有与这个比率惊人相似的特质。
兰登关上教室里的灯,说道:"PHI 在自然界中无处不在,这显然不是巧合,所以祖先们估计PHI 是造物主事先定下的。早期的科学家把1.618 称为黄金分割。""等一下。"一名坐在前排的女生说。"我是生物专业的学生,我从来没有在自然界中见到黄金分割。""没有吗?"兰登咧嘴笑了。"研究过一个蜂巢里的雄蜂和雌蜂吗?"
"当然。雌蜂总是比雄蜂多。"
"对。你知道吗?如果你将世界上任何一个蜂巢里的雄蜂和雌蜂分开数,你将得到一个相同的比率。""真的吗?"
"是的,就是PHI."
女生目瞪口呆。"这不可能。"
"可能!"兰登反驳道。他微笑着放出一张螺旋形贝壳的幻灯片。"认识这吗?"
"鹦鹉螺。"那个学生回答。"一种靠吸入壳内的空气调节自身浮力的软体动物。"
"说得对。你能猜想到它身上每圈罗纹的直径与相邻罗纹直径之比是多少吗?"
那名女生看着螺旋形鹦鹉螺身上的同心弧圈,说不出确切的答案。
兰登点了点头,说道:"PHI.黄金分割。1.618."
女生露出惊讶的表情。
兰登接着放出下一张幻灯片--向日葵的特写。"葵花籽在花盘上呈相反的弧线状排列。你能猜想到相邻两圈之间的直径之比吗?"
"PHI?"有人说。
"猜对了。"兰登开始快速地播放幻灯片--螺旋形的松果、植物茎上叶子的排列、昆虫身上的分节--所有这些竟然都完全符合黄金分割。
"真不可思议!"有人叫了起来。
"不错,可这和艺术有什么关系呢?"另外一个人说。
"啊!问得好。"兰登说着,放出另一张幻灯片--列昂纳多。达。芬奇的著名男性裸体画《维特鲁威人》。这幅画画在一张羊皮纸上,羊皮纸已微微泛黄。画名是根据罗马杰出的建筑家马克。维特鲁威的名字而取的,这位建筑家曾在他的著作《建筑》中盛赞黄金分割。
"没有人比达。芬奇更了解人体的精妙结构。实际上,达。芬奇曾挖掘出人的尸体来测量人体骨骼结构的确切比例,他是宣称人体的结构比例完全符合黄金分割率的第一人。"在座的人都向兰登投来怀疑的目光。
"不相信?"兰登说。"下次你们洗澡的时候,带上一根皮尺。"
几个足球队的学生窃笑起来。
"不仅是你们几个开始坐不住的运动员。"兰登提示道。"你们所有人,男生和女生,试试看。测量一下你们的身高,再用身高除以你们肚脐到地面的距离。猜一猜结果是多少。""不会是PHI 吧!"一名体育生用怀疑的口吻说。
"就是PHI."兰登回答道。"正是1.618.想再看一个例子吗?量一下你肩膀到指尖的距离,然后用它除以肘关节到指尖的距离,又得到了PHI.用臀部到地面的距离除以膝盖到地面的距离,又可以得到PHI.再看看手指关节、脚趾、脊柱的分节,你都可以从中得到PHI.朋友们,我们每个人都是离不开黄金分割的生物。"虽然教室里的灯都关了,但兰登可以看得出大家都很震惊。一股暖流涌上他的心头,这正是他热爱教学的原因。"朋友们,正如你们所见,纷繁复杂的自然界隐藏着规则。当古人发现PHI 时,他们肯定自己已经偶然发现了上帝造物的大小比例,也正因为这一点他们对自然界充满了崇拜之情。上帝的杰作可以在自然界中找到印证,直至今日还存在着一个异教组织--大地母亲教。我们中的许多人也像异教徒一样赞颂着自然,只不过我们自己没有意识到。比如说我们庆祝五朔节就是一个很好的例证。五朔节是赞颂春天的节日,人们通过它来庆祝大地复苏,给予人类馈赠。从一开始,黄金分割的神秘特质就已经被确定了。人们只能按自然规则活动,而艺术又是人们试图模仿造物主创造之美的一种尝试,所以这学期我们将在艺术作品中看到许多黄金分割的实例。"在接下来的半个小时中,兰登给学生们播放了米开朗基罗、阿尔布莱希特。丢勒、达。芬奇和许多其他艺术家作品的幻灯片,这些艺术家在设计创作其作品时都有意识地、严格地遵循了黄金分割比率。兰登向大家揭示了希腊巴特农神殿、埃及金字塔甚至纽约联合国大楼在建筑设计中所运用的黄金分割率,并指出PHI 也被运用在莫扎特的奏鸣曲、贝多芬的《第五交响曲》以及巴托克、德彪西、舒伯特等音乐家的创作中。兰登还告诉大家,甚至斯特拉迪瓦里在制造他那有名的小提琴时也运用了黄金分割来确定f 形洞的确切位置。
兰登边走向黑板,边说:"让我们回到象征符号上面来。"他在黑板上画了个由五条直线组成的五角星。"这是本学期中你们将学习到的最具象征意义的图形。五角星--古人称五芒星--在许多文化中被看作是神圣而神奇的。谁能告诉我这是为什么?"
斯提勒--那个数学专业的学生--又举起了手。"因为如果你画一个五角星,那么那几条线段会自动将它们自己按黄金分割的比率截为几段。"兰登冲那小伙子点了点头,为他感到骄傲。"回答得好。五角星中线段的比率都符合黄金分割率,这使得它成为了黄金分割的首要代表。正是因为这个原因,五角星总是被作为美丽与完美的象征,并与女神和神圣的女性联系在一起。"班上的女生都满脸笑容。
"大家注意,今天我们只提及了一点儿关于达。芬奇的内容,在本学期中我们还将对他作更多的探讨。列昂纳多确实以古老的方式信奉着女神。明天,我将会给你们讲解他的壁画《最后的晚餐》,这将是你们所见过的奉献给神圣女性的最惊人的杰作。""你在开玩笑吧?"有人说。"我想《最后的晚餐》是关于耶稣的!"
兰登挤了挤眼睛,说道:"有一些象征符号藏在你无论如何也想不到的地方。"
"加油。"索菲小声说。"怎么了?我们快到了。快一点!"
兰登仰起头,从那遥远的想象中又回到了现实。
他在楼梯上停了下来,一动不动,恍然大悟。
"啊,严酷的魔王"!"噢,瘸腿的圣徒"!
索菲回头望着兰登。
不可能这么简单,兰登想。
但他肯定应该是那样。
置身于卢浮宫,反复回想着有关PHI 和达。芬奇的画面,兰登忽然出乎意料地破解了索尼埃的密码。
"啊,严酷的魔王!"他嘀咕着。"噢,瘸腿的圣徒!这是最简单的密码!"
索菲停住了脚步,不解地看着兰登。
密码?她一整晚都在思考地板上的字,并没有发现任何密码,更不用说简单的密码了。
"你自己说过的。"兰登兴奋得声音都颤抖了。"斐波那契数列的各项只有按顺序排列才有意义。"
索菲不解其意。斐波那契数列?她肯定祖父写下这个数列只是为了让密码破译部门也参与到今晚的侦破工作中来,别无他意。难道祖父还有其他的用意?她伸手从口袋中掏出祖父所留信息的打印稿,再次端详:13-3-2-21-1-1-8-5啊,严酷的魔王!
噢,瘸腿的圣徒!
这些数字怎么了?
"这被打乱的斐波那契数列是一条线索。"兰登边说,边接过打印稿。"这些数字是破译其他信息的线索。他将数列的顺序打乱,是想让我们用同样的方法去破译信息中的文字部分。信息中的文字只是一些次序被打乱的字母。"索菲立刻明白了兰登的意思,因为这样的解释简单得可笑。"你认为信息是……一个字谜?"她盯着兰登,说道。"就像报纸上的重排字母组词的字谜游戏?"
兰登从索菲的表情中可以看出她的怀疑,但对此他完全可以理解。很少人知道字谜--这种老套的现代游戏还有与神圣的象征系统有关的历史。
犹太神秘学的神秘楔石中有许多关于字谜的内容--将希伯来词语中的字母重新排序,从而得出新的意义。文艺复兴时期的法国国王们都深信字谜有神奇的魔力,所以他们任命皇室字谜家来分析重要文件中的词语,以便做出更好的决策。实际上,罗马人字谜的研究工作称为"大术办",即"伟大的艺术"。
兰登抬眼看着索菲,目不转睛。"你祖父的信息就快被我们破解了,他给我们留下了许多破解的线索。"兰登不再多言,从夹克衫的口袋中掏出一支钢笔,将每行的字母重新排列来:O,Draconiandevil!(啊,严酷的魔王!)
Oh,LameSaint!(噢,瘸腿的圣徒!)
恰好可以被一字不差地拼成:LeonardodaVinci!(列昂纳多。达。芬奇!)
TheMonaLisa!(蒙娜丽莎!)

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等级: 明星作家
看一篇设定正常的文好难。
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Chapter 21
The Mona Lisa.
  For an instant, standing in the exit stairwell, Sophie forgot all about trying to leave the Louvre.
  Her shock over the anagram was matched only by her embarrassment at not having deciphered themessage herself. Sophie's expertise in complex cryptanalysis had caused her to overlook simplisticword games, and yet she knew she should have seen it. After all, she was no stranger toanagrams—especially in English.
  When she was young, often her grandfather would use anagram games to hone her Englishspelling. Once he had written the English word "planets" and told Sophie that an astonishing sixty-two other English words of varying lengths could be formed using those same letters. Sophie hadspent three days with an English dictionary until she found them all.
  "I can't imagine," Langdon said, staring at the printout, "how your grandfather created such anintricate anagram in the minutes before he died."Sophie knew the explanation, and the realization made her feel even worse. I should have seen this!
  She now recalled that her grandfather—a wordplay aficionado and art lover—had entertainedhimself as a young man by creating anagrams of famous works of art. In fact, one of his anagramshad gotten him in trouble once when Sophie was a little girl. While being interviewed by anAmerican art magazine, Saunière had expressed his distaste for the modernist Cubist movement bynoting that Picasso's masterpiece Les Demoiselles d'Avignon was a perfect anagram of vilemeaningless doodles. Picasso fans were not amused.
  "My grandfather probably created this Mona Lisa anagram long ago," Sophie said, glancing up atLangdon. And tonight he was forced to use it as a makeshift code. Her grandfather's voice hadcalled out from beyond with chilling precision.
  Leonardo da Vinci!
  The Mona Lisa!
  Why his final words to her referenced the famous painting, Sophie had no idea, but she could thinkof only one possibility. A disturbing one.
  Those were not his final words....
  Was she supposed to visit the Mona Lisa? Had her grandfather left her a message there? The ideaseemed perfectly plausible. After all, the famous painting hung in the Salle des Etats—a privateviewing chamber accessible only from the Grand Gallery. In fact, Sophie now realized, the doorsthat opened into the chamber were situated only twenty meters from where her grandfather hadbeen found dead.
  He easily could have visited the Mona Lisa before he died.
  Sophie gazed back up the emergency stairwell and felt torn. She knew she should usher Langdonfrom the museum immediately, and yet instinct urged her to the contrary. As Sophie recalled herfirst childhood visit to the Denon Wing, she realized that if her grandfather had a secret to tell her,few places on earth made a more apt rendezvous than Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
  "She's just a little bit farther," her grandfather had whispered, clutching Sophie's tiny hand as he ledher through the deserted museum after hours.
  Sophie was six years old. She felt small and insignificant as she gazed up at the enormous ceilingsand down at the dizzying floor. The empty museum frightened her, although she was not about tolet her grandfather know that. She set her jaw firmly and let go of his hand.
  "Up ahead is the Salle des Etats," her grandfather said as they approached the Louvre's mostfamous room. Despite her grandfather's obvious excitement, Sophie wanted to go home. She hadseen pictures of the Mona Lisa in books and didn't like it at all. She couldn't understand whyeveryone made such a fuss.
  "C'est ennuyeux," Sophie grumbled.
  "Boring," he corrected. "French at school. English at home.""Le Louvre, c'est pas chez moi!" she challenged.
  He gave her a tired laugh. "Right you are. Then let's speak English just for fun."Sophie pouted and kept walking. As they entered the Salle des Etats, her eyes scanned the narrowroom and settled on the obvious spot of honor—the center of the right-hand wall, where a loneportrait hung behind a protective Plexiglas wall. Her grandfather paused in the doorway andmotioned toward the painting.
  "Go ahead, Sophie. Not many people get a chance to visit her alone."Swallowing her apprehension, Sophie moved slowly across the room. After everything she'd heardabout the Mona Lisa, she felt as if she were approaching royalty. Arriving in front of the protectivePlexiglas, Sophie held her breath and looked up, taking it in all at once.
  Sophie was not sure what she had expected to feel, but it most certainly was not this. No jolt ofamazement. No instant of wonder. The famous face looked as it did in books. She stood in silencefor what felt like forever, waiting for something to happen.
  "So what do you think?" her grandfather whispered, arriving behind her. "Beautiful, yes?""She's too little."Saunière smiled. "You're little and you're beautiful."I am not beautiful, she thought. Sophie hated her red hair and freckles, and she was bigger than allthe boys in her class. She looked back at the Mona Lisa and shook her head. "She's even worsethan in the books. Her face is... brumeux.""Foggy," her grandfather tutored.
  "Foggy," Sophie repeated, knowing the conversation would not continue until she repeated her newvocabulary word.
  "That's called the sfumato style of painting," he told her, "and it's very hard to do. Leonardo daVinci was better at it than anyone."Sophie still didn't like the painting. "She looks like she knows something... like when kids at schoolhave a secret."Her grandfather laughed. "That's part of why she is so famous. People like to guess why she issmiling.""Do you know why she's smiling?""Maybe." Her grandfather winked. "Someday I'll tell you all about it."Sophie stamped her foot. "I told you I don't like secrets!""Princess," he smiled. "Life is filled with secrets. You can't learn them all at once.""I'm going back up," Sophie declared, her voice hollow in the stairwell.
  "To the Mona Lisa?" Langdon recoiled. "Now?"Sophie considered the risk. "I'm not a murder suspect. I'll take my chances. I need to understandwhat my grandfather was trying to tell me.""What about the embassy?"Sophie felt guilty turning Langdon into a fugitive only to abandon him, but she saw no otheroption. She pointed down the stairs to a metal door. "Go through that door, and follow theilluminated exit signs. My grandfather used to bring me down here. The signs will lead you to asecurity turnstile. It's monodirectional and opens out." She handed Langdon her car keys. "Mine isthe red SmartCar in the employee lot. Directly outside this bulkhead. Do you know how to get tothe embassy?"Langdon nodded, eyeing the keys in his hand.
  "Listen," Sophie said, her voice softening. "I think my grandfather may have left me a message atthe Mona Lisa—some kind of clue as to who killed him. Or why I'm in danger." Or what happenedto my family. "I have to go see.""But if he wanted to tell you why you were in danger, why wouldn't he simply write it on the floorwhere he died? Why this complicated word game?""Whatever my grandfather was trying to tell me, I don't think he wanted anyone else to hear it. Noteven the police." Clearly, her grandfather had done everything in his power to send a confidentialtransmission directly to her. He had written it in code, included her secret initials, and told her tofind Robert Langdon—a wise command, considering the American symbologist had deciphered hiscode. "As strange as it may sound," Sophie said, "I think he wants me to get to the Mona Lisabefore anyone else does.""I'll come.""No! We don't know how long the Grand Gallery will stay empty. You have to go."Langdon seemed hesitant, as if his own academic curiosity were threatening to override soundjudgment and drag him back into Fache's hands.
  "Go. Now." Sophie gave him a grateful smile. "I'll see you at the embassy, Mr. Langdon."Langdon looked displeased. "I'll meet you there on one condition," he replied, his voice stern.
  She paused, startled. "What's that?""That you stop calling me Mr. Langdon."Sophie detected the faint hint of a lopsided grin growing across Langdon's face, and she felt herselfsmile back. "Good luck, Robert."When Langdon reached the landing at the bottom of the stairs, the unmistakable smell of linseedoil and plaster dust assaulted his nostrils. Ahead, an illuminated SORTIE/EXIT displayed an arrowpointing down a long corridor.
  Langdon stepped into the hallway.
  To the right gaped a murky restoration studio out of which peered an army of statues in variousstates of repair. To the left, Langdon saw a suite of studios that resembled Harvard artclassrooms—rows of easels, paintings, palettes, framing tools—an art assembly line.
  As he moved down the hallway, Langdon wondered if at any moment he might awake with a startin his bed in Cambridge. The entire evening had felt like a bizarre dream. I'm about to dash out ofthe Louvre... a fugitive.
  Saunière's clever anagrammatic message was still on his mind, and Langdon wondered whatSophie would find at the Mona Lisa... if anything. She had seemed certain her grandfather meantfor her to visit the famous painting one more time. As plausible an interpretation as this seemed,Langdon felt haunted now by a troubling paradox.
  P.S. Find Robert Langdon.
  Saunière had written Langdon's name on the floor, commanding Sophie to find him. But why?
  Merely so Langdon could help her break an anagram?
  It seemed quite unlikely.
  After all, Saunière had no reason to think Langdon was especially skilled at anagrams. We've nevereven met. More important, Sophie had stated flat out that she should have broken the anagram onher own. It had been Sophie who spotted the Fibonacci sequence, and, no doubt, Sophie who, ifgiven a little more time, would have deciphered the message with no help from Langdon.
  Sophie was supposed to break that anagram on her own. Langdon was suddenly feeling morecertain about this, and yet the conclusion left an obvious gaping lapse in the logic of Saunière'sactions.
  Why me? Langdon wondered, heading down the hall. Why was Saunière's dying wish that hisestranged granddaughter find me? What is it that Saunière thinks I know?
  With an unexpected jolt, Langdon stopped short. Eyes wide, he dug in his pocket and yanked outthe computer printout. He stared at the last line of Saunière's message.
  P.S. Find Robert Langdon.
  He fixated on two letters.
  P.S.
  In that instant, Langdon felt Saunière's puzzling mix of symbolism fall into stark focus. Like a pealof thunder, a career's worth of symbology and history came crashing down around him. EverythingJacques Saunière had done tonight suddenly made perfect sense.
  Langdon's thoughts raced as he tried to assemble the implications of what this all meant. Wheeling,he stared back in the direction from which he had come.
  Is there time?
  He knew it didn't matter.
  Without hesitation, Langdon broke into a sprint back toward the stairs.
《蒙娜丽莎》。
半晌,索菲愣在楼梯上,完全忘记了要逃出卢浮宫的事儿。
她对这个字谜感到极为震惊,同时也为自己没有能够亲自破解信息感到万分尴尬。索菲精通复杂的密码分析,而这却让她忽略了那些简单的文字游戏,其实她知道她早就该破解出这则信息的。毕竟,她对字谜并不陌生,特别是英文字谜。
索菲小时候,祖父经常用字谜游戏来锻炼她的英文拼写能力。有一次,他写下了英文单词"planets",并告诉索菲排列重组这几个字母就可以得到六十二个不同长度的英文单词。索菲花了三天时间查英文词典,将这些单词全部找了出来。
"真难以想象。"兰登盯着打印稿说道。"你祖父在死前的几分钟内竟能想出这么复杂的字谜。"索菲知道这其中原由,但这使她更加不好受。我早该想到了!现在,她回忆起来,祖父既是个文字游戏迷又是个艺术爱好者,他年轻时常通过创作有关艺术名作的字谜自娱自乐。索菲小时候,祖父还曾因为他所创作的一个字谜遇上了麻烦。在接受一家美国艺术杂志采访的时候,索尼埃提出毕加索的名画《亚威农少女》(LesDemoisellesd’Avignon)
做成字谜游戏正好可以得出"讨厌而无意义的蠢人"(vilemeaninglessdoodles),表明他对"现代立体派运动"并不欣赏。此举引起了毕加索迷的不满。
"祖父可能早就想好这个‘蒙娜丽莎’的字谜了。"索菲看着兰登,说道。今晚他迫不得已用它作为密码。祖父的声音从天际传来,清晰得让人不寒而栗。
列昂纳多。达。芬奇!
《蒙娜丽莎》!
索菲不知道为什么祖父在最后的遗言中要提到那幅名画,但她可以想到一种可能--一种让人不安的可能。
那不是祖父的最后遗言……
祖父是不是想让她去看一看《蒙娜丽莎》?索菲现在才意识到,通往那间展厅的门距祖父的尸体只有二十米远。
他完全可能在死前去过名画《蒙娜丽莎》那里。
索菲扭头望了一眼紧急楼梯通道,感到非常为难。她知道她应该立即将兰登带出博物馆,但她的本能却阻止她这样做。索菲意识到,要是祖父有秘密要告诉她,没有什么比达。芬奇的《蒙娜丽莎》那里更合适的地方了。
"再走一点儿就到了。"祖父搀着索菲稚嫩的小手,在空荡荡的博物馆中已经穿行了几个小时。
那时索菲只有六岁。她仰望巨大的屋顶,俯视眩目的地板,觉得自己很渺小。空旷的博物馆使她感到害怕,但她不想让祖父看出来。她咬紧牙关,放开了祖父的手。
他们走近卢浮宫最著名的那间展厅,祖父说:"前面就是国家展厅。"虽然此时祖父变得非常兴奋,但索菲却只想回家。她已经在书中看过了《蒙娜丽莎》,但一点儿也不喜欢那幅画。她不明白为什么所有人都那么喜爱这幅画。
"无聊。"索菲用法语低声嘀咕着。
"无聊。"祖父用英语纠正道。"在校说法语,在家说英语。"
"这里是卢浮宫,不是家。"索菲用法语反驳道。
祖父无奈地笑了笑,说:"你说得对。那么我们就说英语玩。"
索菲噘着嘴,继续往前走。来到国家展厅后,索菲扫视了一下这个狭窄的房间,目光停留在了展览馆引以为骄傲的地方--右边墙的中间,防护玻璃之后悬挂着的那幅肖像画。祖父在门口停住了脚步,转身面向那幅画。
"往前走,索菲。很少人有机会单独参观这幅画。"
索菲压抑着心中的不安,慢慢地走进房间。由于听说过种种关于《蒙娜丽莎》的事,她觉得自己仿佛在走近一样无比神圣的东西。她来到防护玻璃前,屏住呼吸,抬头望去,一下子就喜欢上了这幅画。
索菲忘了自己预期的感觉是怎样的,但她肯定那与她的实际感觉不同。她没有丝毫惊奇和赞叹,因为那张大名远扬的脸庞看上去就和书中的一模一样。不知过了多久,她一直默默地站在那里,等待着什么将要发生的事。
"怎么样?"祖父来到她身后,轻声说道:"很美,对吗?"
"她太小了。"
索尼埃微笑着说:"你很小,但你很美丽。"
我不美丽,索菲想。索菲讨厌自己的红发和雀斑,她还比班上的所有男孩儿都高大。
索菲回头看看《蒙娜丽莎》,摇了摇头。"她比书上的还糟。她的脸上……"索菲顿了顿,用法语接着说。"好像有一层雾。"
"雾蒙蒙的。"祖父把这个新英文单词教给她。
"雾蒙蒙的。"索菲跟读道。她知道只有她把这个新单词再读一遍,祖父才会继续说下去。
"那是晕染法。"祖父告诉索菲。"那是一种很难掌握的手法。达。芬奇运用得最好。"
索菲还是不喜欢那幅画。"她好像知道些什么……就像学校里的小朋友知道一个秘密那样。"祖父大笑起来。"这就是她如此著名的原因之一。人们喜欢猜她为什么而微笑。"
"您知道她为什么而微笑吗?"
"也许吧。"祖父挤了挤眼睛说。"有一天我会告诉你。"
索菲跺着脚说:"我说过我不喜欢秘密!"
"公主。"祖父微笑着说。"生活中充满了秘密。你不能一下把它们全部解开。"
"我要回到上面去。"索菲大声宣布,她的声音在楼梯通道中回响。
"到《蒙娜丽莎》那里?"兰登反问道。"现在吗?"
索菲掂量着此举的危险性。"我不是谋杀案的嫌疑人,我要抓住机会。我要知道祖父想告诉我的事。""那么还去大使馆吗?"
把兰登变成了逃犯,又把他抛下,索菲为此感到内疚,但她别无选择。她指着楼梯下方的一扇金属门,说道:"穿过那扇门,然后看那些亮着的出口指向牌。祖父过去就是从这里把我带下去。按照指向牌的提示,你会发现装着一个旋转栅门的安全出口。它单向旋转,通向宫外。"说着,她把车钥匙递给兰登。"我的车是一辆红色的‘都会精灵’,停在公务停车区。就在这堵墙的外面。你知道去大使馆的路吗?"
兰登看着手中的钥匙,点了点头。
"听我说。"索菲柔声说。"我想祖父在《蒙娜丽莎》那里给我留下了信息--关于杀人凶手的信息,或是能解释为什么我处境危险的信息,或是关于我家庭的信息。我必须去看看。""但如果他想告诉你为什么你处境危险,为何不直接写在地板上?为什么要做复杂的文字游戏?"
"无论祖父想告诉我些什么,他都不会愿意让旁人知道,甚至包括警察。"显然,祖父是想抓住主动权,把机密直接传达给她。他将对索菲的秘密称呼的首字母写在密码中,并让她去找兰登。从这位美国象征学专家已经破译了密码的事实来看,这确实是个明智之举。
"听起来奇怪。"索菲说。"我认为他想让我赶在别人之前去看一看《蒙娜丽莎》。"
"我也去。"
"不!我们不知道什么时候会来人。你必须走。"
兰登犹豫不决,似乎他对学术问题的好奇心有可能战胜理智的判断,把他拖回到法希的手中。
"赶快走。"索菲的微笑中充满了感激之情。"兰登先生,使馆见。"
兰登看上去有点儿不高兴。他严肃地答道:"只有在一种条件下,我才会见你。"
索菲愣了一下,吃惊地问:"什么条件?"
"除非你不再叫我兰登先生。"
索菲觉察出兰登的笑有点儿不自然,自己也笑不出来了。"祝你好运,罗伯特。"
兰登走下了楼梯,一股亚麻油和石膏的气味扑鼻而来。前方,有一块亮着的出口指向牌,牌上的箭头指向一条长长的走廊。
兰登走在长廊中,怀疑他是否会随时从这场梦中醒来,发现自己还躺在剑桥大学里的床上。整个夜晚就像一场奇异的梦。"我将飞快地跑出卢浮宫……作为一名逃犯。"
索尼埃那设计巧妙的信息还留在他的脑海中,他想知道索菲是否会在《蒙娜丽莎》那里发现些什么。显然,她坚信祖父要让她再去看一次《蒙娜丽莎》。虽然她的想法看上去很合理,但兰登却为一个与此相反的想法困扰着。
公主:去找罗伯特。兰登。(P.S.FindRobertLangdon.)
索尼埃在地板上写下兰登的名字,让索菲去找他。为什么呢?难道仅仅是为了让他帮助索菲破解一个字谜?
好像并非如此。毕竟,索尼埃不会认为兰登擅长字谜游戏。我们素未谋面。更重要的是,索菲曾坦言她自己应该可以解开那个字谜。是索菲认出了斐波那契数列,毫无疑问,如果再花一点儿时间,她可以独立地破解密码。
索菲本应独立地破解密码。兰登忽然更加确信这一点,但这样的结论与索尼埃的行为逻辑似乎不太吻合。
为什么要找我呢?兰登边走边思量着。为什么索尼埃的遗愿是让与他失和的孙女来找我?他认为我会知道些什么?
兰登忽然一惊,停下了脚步。他把手伸进口袋,猛地掏出那张电脑打印稿,瞪大眼睛盯着那最后一行信息:公主:去找罗伯特。兰登。(P.S.FindRobertLangdon.)
他的目光停在两个字母上:P.S.
那一刻,兰登感到索尼埃留下的所有令人费解的象征符号有了明确的意义。象征学和历史研究的意义顷刻间呈现出来。雅克。索尼埃的所作所为得到了完全合理的解释。
兰登在脑海中快速地将所有符号的象征含义联系在一起。他转过身,看着来时的方向。
还有时间吗?
他知道这并不重要。他毫不犹豫地冲着楼梯跑了回去。
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Chapter 22
Kneeling in the first pew, Silas pretended to pray as he scanned the layout of the sanctuary. Saint-Sulpice, like most churches, had been built in the shape of a giant Roman cross. Its long centralsection—the nave—led directly to the main altar, where it was transversely intersected by a shortersection, known as the transept. The intersection of nave and transept occurred directly beneath themain cupola and was considered the heart of the church... her most sacred and mystical point.
  Not tonight, Silas thought. Saint-Sulpice hides her secrets elsewhere.
  Turning his head to the right, he gazed into the south transept, toward the open area of floor beyondthe end of the pews, to the object his victims had described.
  There it is.
  Embedded in the gray granite floor, a thin polished strip of brass glistened in the stone... a goldenline slanting across the church's floor. The line bore graduated markings, like a ruler. It was agnomon, Silas had been told, a pagan astronomical device like a sundial. Tourists, scientists,historians, and pagans from around the world came to Saint-Sulpice to gaze upon this famous line.
  The Rose Line.
  Slowly, Silas let his eyes trace the path of the brass strip as it made its way across the floor fromhis right to left, slanting in front of him at an awkward angle, entirely at odds with the symmetry ofthe church. Slicing across the main altar itself, the line looked to Silas like a slash wound across abeautiful face. The strip cleaved the communion rail in two and then crossed the entire width of thechurch, finally reaching the corner of the north transept, where it arrived at the base of a mostunexpected structure.
  A colossal Egyptian obelisk.
  Here, the glistening Rose Line took a ninety-degree vertical turn and continued directly up the faceof the obelisk itself, ascending thirty-three feet to the very tip of the pyramidical apex, where itfinally ceased.
  The Rose Line, Silas thought. The brotherhood hid the keystone at the Rose Line.
  Earlier tonight, when Silas told the Teacher that the Priory keystone was hidden inside Saint-Sulpice, the Teacher had sounded doubtful. But when Silas added that the brothers had all givenhim a precise location, with relation to a brass line running through Saint-Sulpice, the Teacher hadgasped with revelation. "You speak of the Rose Line!"The Teacher quickly told Silas of Saint-Sulpice's famed architectural oddity—a strip of brass thatsegmented the sanctuary on a perfect north-south axis. It was an ancient sundial of sorts, a vestigeof the pagan temple that had once stood on this very spot. The sun's rays, shining through theoculus on the south wall, moved farther down the line every day, indicating the passage of time,from solstice to solstice.
  The north-south stripe had been known as the Rose Line. For centuries, the symbol of the Rose hadbeen associated with maps and guiding souls in the proper direction. The Compass Rose—drawnon almost every map—indicated North, East, South, and West. Originally known as the WindRose, it denoted the directions of the thirty-two winds, blowing from the directions of eight majorwinds, eight half-winds, and sixteen quarter-winds. When diagrammed inside a circle, these thirty-two points of the compass perfectly resembled a traditional thirty-two petal rose bloom. To thisday, the fundamental navigational tool was still known as a Compass Rose, its northernmostdirection still marked by an arrowhead... or, more commonly, the symbol of the fleur-de-lis.
  On a globe, a Rose Line—also called a meridian or longitude—was any imaginary line drawn fromthe North Pole to the South Pole. There were, of course, an infinite number of Rose Lines becauseevery point on the globe could have a longitude drawn through it connecting north and south poles.
  The question for early navigators was which of these lines would be called the Rose Line—the zerolongitude—the line from which all other longitudes on earth would be measured.
  Today that line was in Greenwich, England.
  But it had not always been.
  Long before the establishment of Greenwich as the prime meridian, the zero longitude of the entireworld had passed directly through Paris, and through the Church of Saint-Sulpice. The brassmarker in Saint-Sulpice was a memorial to the world's first prime meridian, and althoughGreenwich had stripped Paris of the honor in 1888, the original Rose Line was still visible today.
  "And so the legend is true," the Teacher had told Silas. "The Priory keystone has been said to lie'beneath the Sign of the Rose.' "Now, still on his knees in a pew, Silas glanced around the church and listened to make sure no onewas there. For a moment, he thought he heard a rustling in the choir balcony. He turned and gazedup for several seconds. Nothing.
  I am alone.
  Standing now, he faced the altar and genuflected three times. Then he turned left and followed thebrass line due north toward the obelisk.
  At that moment, at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome, the jolt of tires hitting therunway startled Bishop Aringarosa from his slumber.
  I drifted off, he thought, impressed he was relaxed enough to sleep.
  "Benvenuto a Roma," the intercom announced.
  Sitting up, Aringarosa straightened his black cassock and allowed himself a rare smile. This wasone trip he had been happy to make. I have been on the defensive for too long. Tonight, however,the rules had changed. Only five months ago, Aringarosa had feared for the future of the Faith.
  Now, as if by the will of God, the solution had presented itself.
  Divine intervention.
  If all went as planned tonight in Paris, Aringarosa would soon be in possession of something thatwould make him the most powerful man in Christendom.
塞拉斯跪在前排的座位上,一边假装祷告,一边扫视着圣殿的结构布局。与大多数教堂一样,圣叙尔皮斯教堂呈巨大的十字形。中间的较长的区域--中殿--直接通向圣坛,在圣坛处有较短的区域与中殿垂直交叉,这一区域叫做翼部。中殿与翼部在教堂圆顶中心的正下方相交,相交处被视为教堂的心脏--教堂中最为神圣和神秘的一点。
今晚例外,塞拉斯想。圣叙尔皮斯把秘密藏在了其他地方。
塞拉斯扭头向教堂的南翼望去,看着座位那头的地面--遇害者们所描述的目标。
就在那里。
一根光滑而又细长的铜条嵌在灰色的花岗岩地面中闪闪发光--这条金线斜穿教堂地面。这条线上标有刻度,就像一把尺。有人告诉过塞拉斯,这是指时针,是异教的一种天文仪器,与日晷相似。全世界的旅游者、科学家、历史学家和异教徒都来到圣叙尔皮斯教堂参观这条著名的金属线。
玫瑰线。
塞拉斯的目光慢慢地随着铜条的轨迹移动,铜条在地面的石砖中从他的右侧延伸至左侧,在他的面前折成一个难看的角,完全与教堂的对称设计格格不入。在塞拉斯看来,那穿越过圣坛地面的铜条,就像美丽的脸庞上的一道疤痕。铜条横贯教堂,将纵向的走道截为两段,最终延伸至教堂北翼的角落。在那个角落,树立着一座碑,这让人颇感意外。
一座巨大的埃及方尖碑。
闪闪发光的玫瑰线在方尖碑的基石处向上转了个九十度的弯,顺着碑面继续向上延伸了三十三米,终结于石碑的尖顶处。
玫瑰线,塞拉斯想,兄弟会的人将楔石藏在了玫瑰线的下面。
傍晚,当塞拉斯告诉教父,修道院的楔石藏在圣叙尔皮斯教堂里时,教父似乎有点儿不相信。但当塞拉斯补充说兄弟会的人已经交代了确切地点,那地点与横贯教堂地面的一条铜线有关时,教父立即明白过来。"你说的是玫瑰线。"
教父告诉塞拉斯,圣叙尔皮斯教堂有一奇异处赫赫有名--在南北轴线上的一根铜条分割了中殿。那是一种古代的日晷,是异教古庙的遗迹。每天,太阳光通过南墙上的洞眼照射进来,光束会顺铜线上的刻度一点一点地移动,这样就可以计量时间了。
这条南北向的铜线被称为玫瑰线。几个世纪以来,玫瑰的象征意义一直与地图或为灵魂指引方向有关。例如,每张地图上都会有"罗盘玫瑰",指明东、南、西、北。它由"风向玫瑰"演变而来,那是一种可以指明三十二种风向的仪器,通过它可以辨别四面八方的来风。罗盘图上有个圆圈,圈上有三十二个点,酷似玫瑰花的三十二片花瓣。直到今天,最基本的航海工具依然被叫做"罗盘玫瑰",它的正北方向一般会有一个法国百合的标志,当然,有时是一个箭头的标志。
地球仪上的玫瑰线--也叫做子午线或经线--是想象中连接南北两极的线。当然,玫瑰线有无数条,因为经过地球仪上的任意一点都可以画出条连接南北两极的经线。于是,早期的航海者就遇到了这样一个问题--如何确定玫瑰线,即零度经线,并依此来确定其他的经线的度数。
现在,玫瑰线在英国的格林威治。
但过去并非如此。
在将格林威治天文台确定为本初子午线所经过的一点之前,零度经线正好穿过巴黎,穿过圣叙尔皮斯教堂。为了纪念那根铜条的制作者,本初子午线最初被这样确定。虽然,格林威治于1888 年从巴黎手中夺走了这项殊荣,但当初的玫瑰线依然可见。
教父告诉塞拉斯:"据说,修道院的楔石被藏在有玫瑰象征的东西下面。看来,这个传闻属实。"塞拉斯依旧跪在那里,他环视了一下教堂,又竖起耳朵听了听周围的动静,以确定周围是否真的没人。忽然,他好像听见唱诗班站台上有"沙沙"的响动。他转过头,盯着那里看了好几秒钟,但什么也没看见。
只有我一个人。
他这才起身,又向圣坛曲膝三次。接着,他向左转身,沿着铜线向北面的方尖碑走去。
此刻,在列昂纳多。达。芬奇机场,阿林加洛沙主教被飞机轮胎撞击跑道的震动惊醒了。
我飘了下来,他想着,还清楚地记得自己刚才放松得睡着了。
"欢迎您来到罗马。"飞机的扬声器里传来这样的语句。
阿林加洛沙坐直身体,拉了拉他的黑色长袍,露出了他那难得一见的微笑。他很乐意做这次旅行。我处于守势很久了。但今晚,规则改变了。五个月前,阿林加洛沙还在为这个宗教的前途而担忧,但现在,好像如有神助,出路自动呈现在他面前。
来得正好。
如果巴黎那头的事态发展顺利,阿林加洛沙很快就会拥有他想要的东西,那东西可以让他成为基督教界中最有权力的人。
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举报 只看该作者 23楼  发表于: 2013-10-23 0
Chapter 23
Sophie arrived breathless outside the large wooden doors of the Salle des Etats—the room thathoused the Mona Lisa. Before entering, she gazed reluctantly farther down the hall, twenty yards orso, to the spot where her grandfather's body still lay under the spotlight.
  The remorse that gripped her was powerful and sudden, a deep sadness laced with guilt. The manhad reached out to her so many times over the past ten years, and yet Sophie had remainedimmovable—leaving his letters and packages unopened in a bottom drawer and denying his effortsto see her. He lied to me! Kept appalling secrets! What was I supposed to do? And so she hadblocked him out. Completely.
  Now her grandfather was dead, and he was talking to her from the grave.
  The Mona Lisa.
  She reached for the huge wooden doors, and pushed. The entryway yawned open. Sophie stood onthe threshold a moment, scanning the large rectangular chamber beyond. It too was bathed in a softred light. The Salle des Etats was one of this museum's rare culs-de-sac—a dead end and the onlyroom off the middle of the Grand Gallery. This door, the chamber's sole point of entry, faced adominating fifteen-foot Botticelli on the far wall. Beneath it, centered on the parquet floor, animmense octagonal viewing divan served as a welcome respite for thousands of visitors to rest theirlegs while they admired the Louvre's most valuable asset.
  Even before Sophie entered, though, she knew she was missing something. A black light. Shegazed down the hall at her grandfather under the lights in the distance, surrounded by electronicgear. If he had written anything in here, he almost certainly would have written it with thewatermark stylus.
  Taking a deep breath, Sophie hurried down to the well-lit crime scene. Unable to look at hergrandfather, she focused solely on the PTS tools. Finding a small ultraviolet penlight, she slipped itin the pocket of her sweater and hurried back up the hallway toward the open doors of the Salle desEtats.
  Sophie turned the corner and stepped over the threshold. Her entrance, however, was met by anunexpected sound of muffled footsteps racing toward her from inside the chamber. There'ssomeone in here! A ghostly figure emerged suddenly from out of the reddish haze. Sophie jumpedback.
  "There you are!" Langdon's hoarse whisper cut the air as his silhouette slid to a stop in front of her.
  Her relief was only momentary. "Robert, I told you to get out of here! If Fache—""Where were you?""I had to get the black light," she whispered, holding it up. "If my grandfather left me a message—""Sophie, listen." Langdon caught his breath as his blue eyes held her firmly. "The letters P.S.... dothey mean anything else to you? Anything at all?"Afraid their voices might echo down the hall, Sophie pulled him into the Salle des Etats and closedthe enormous twin doors silently, sealing them inside. "I told you, the initials mean PrincessSophie.""I know, but did you ever see them anywhere else? Did your grandfather ever use P.S. in any otherway? As a monogram, or maybe on stationery or a personal item?"The question startled her. How would Robert know that? Sophie had indeed seen the initials P.S.
  once before, in a kind of monogram. It was the day before her ninth birthday. She was secretlycombing the house, searching for hidden birthday presents. Even then, she could not bear secretskept from her. What did Grand-père get for me this year? She dug through cupboards and drawers.
  Did he get me the doll I wanted? Where would he hide it?
  Finding nothing in the entire house, Sophie mustered the courage to sneak into her grandfather'sbedroom. The room was off-limits to her, but her grandfather was downstairs asleep on the couch.
  I'll just take a fast peek!
  Tiptoeing across the creaky wood floor to his closet, Sophie peered on the shelves behind hisclothing. Nothing. Next she looked under the bed. Still nothing. Moving to his bureau, she openedthe drawers and one by one began pawing carefully through them. There must be something for mehere! As she reached the bottom drawer, she still had not found any hint of a doll. Dejected, sheopened the final drawer and pulled aside some black clothes she had never seen him wear. She wasabout to close the drawer when her eyes caught a glint of gold in the back of the drawer. It lookedlike a pocket watch chain, but she knew he didn't wear one. Her heart raced as she realized what itmust be.
  A necklace!
  Sophie carefully pulled the chain from the drawer. To her surprise, on the end was a brilliant goldkey. Heavy and shimmering. Spellbound, she held it up. It looked like no key she had ever seen.
  Most keys were flat with jagged teeth, but this one had a triangular column with little pockmarksall over it. Its large golden head was in the shape of a cross, but not a normal cross. This was aneven-armed one, like a plus sign. Embossed in the middle of the cross was a strange symbol—twoletters intertwined with some kind of flowery design.
  "P.S.," she whispered, scowling as she read the letters. Whatever could this be?
  "Sophie?" her grandfather spoke from the doorway.
  Startled, she spun, dropping the key on the floor with a loud clang. She stared down at the key,afraid to look up at her grandfather's face. "I... was looking for my birthday present," she said,hanging her head, knowing she had betrayed his trust.
  For what seemed like an eternity, her grandfather stood silently in the doorway. Finally, he let out along troubled breath. "Pick up the key, Sophie."Sophie retrieved the key.
  Her grandfather walked in. "Sophie, you need to respect other people's privacy." Gently, he kneltdown and took the key from her. "This key is very special. If you had lost it..."Her grandfather's quiet voice made Sophie feel even worse. "I'm sorry, Grand-père. I really am."She paused. "I thought it was a necklace for my birthday."He gazed at her for several seconds. "I'll say this once more, Sophie, because it's important. Youneed to learn to respect other people's privacy.""Yes, Grand-père.""We'll talk about this some other time. Right now, the garden needs to be weeded."Sophie hurried outside to do her chores.
  The next morning, Sophie received no birthday present from her grandfather. She hadn't expectedone, not after what she had done. But he didn't even wish her happy birthday all day. Sadly, shetrudged up to bed that night. As she climbed in, though, she found a note card lying on her pillow.
  On the card was written a simple riddle. Even before she solved the riddle, she was smiling. I knowwhat this is! Her grandfather had done this for her last Christmas morning.
  A treasure hunt!
  Eagerly, she pored over the riddle until she solved it. The solution pointed her to another part of thehouse, where she found another card and another riddle. She solved this one too, racing on to thenext card. Running wildly, she darted back and forth across the house, from clue to clue, until atlast she found a clue that directed her back to her own bedroom. Sophie dashed up the stairs,rushed into her room, and stopped in her tracks. There in the middle of the room sat a shining redbicycle with a ribbon tied to the handlebars. Sophie shrieked with delight.
  "I know you asked for a doll," her grandfather said, smiling in the corner. "I thought you might likethis even better."The next day, her grandfather taught her to ride, running beside her down the walkway. WhenSophie steered out over the thick lawn and lost her balance, they both went tumbling onto thegrass, rolling and laughing.
  "Grand-père," Sophie said, hugging him. "I'm really sorry about the key.""I know, sweetie. You're forgiven. I can't possibly stay mad at you. Grandfathers andgranddaughters always forgive each other."Sophie knew she shouldn't ask, but she couldn't help it. "What does it open? I never saw a key likethat. It was very pretty."Her grandfather was silent a long moment, and Sophie could see he was uncertain how to answer.
  Grand-père never lies. "It opens a box," he finally said. "Where I keep many secrets."Sophie pouted. "I hate secrets!""I know, but these are important secrets. And someday, you'll learn to appreciate them as much as Ido.""I saw letters on the key, and a flower.""Yes, that's my favorite flower. It's called a fleur-de-lis. We have them in the garden. The whiteones. In English we call that kind of flower a lily.""I know those! They're my favorite too!""Then I'll make a deal with you." Her grandfather's eyebrows raised the way they always did whenhe was about to give her a challenge. "If you can keep my key a secret, and never talk about it everagain, to me or anybody, then someday I will give it to you."Sophie couldn't believe her ears. "You will?""I promise. When the time comes, the key will be yours. It has your name on it."Sophie scowled. "No it doesn't. It said P.S. My name isn't P.S.!"Her grandfather lowered his voice and looked around as if to make sure no one was listening.
  "Okay, Sophie, if you must know, P.S. is a code. It's your secret initials."Her eyes went wide. "I have secret initials?""Of course. Granddaughters always have secret initials that only their grandfathers know.""P.S.?"He tickled her. "Princesse Sophie."She giggled. "I'm not a princess!"He winked. "You are to me."From that day on, they never again spoke of the key. And she became his Princess Sophie.
  Inside the Salle des Etats, Sophie stood in silence and endured the sharp pang of loss.
  "The initials," Langdon whispered, eyeing her strangely. "Have you seen them?"Sophie sensed her grandfather's voice whispering in the corridors of the museum. Never speak ofthis key, Sophie. To me or to anyone. She knew she had failed him in forgiveness, and shewondered if she could break his trust again. P.S. Find Robert Langdon. Her grandfather wantedLangdon to help. Sophie nodded. "Yes, I saw the initials P.S. once. When I was very young.""Where?"Sophie hesitated. "On something very important to him."Langdon locked eyes with her. "Sophie, this is crucial. Can you tell me if the initials appeared witha symbol? A fleur-de-lis?"Sophie felt herself staggering backward in amazement. "But... how could you possibly know that!"Langdon exhaled and lowered his voice. "I'm fairly certain your grandfather was a member of asecret society. A very old covert brotherhood."Sophie felt a knot tighten in her stomach. She was certain of it too. For ten years she had tried toforget the incident that had confirmed that horrifying fact for her. She had witnessed somethingunthinkable. Unforgivable.
  "The fleur-de-lis," Langdon said, "combined with the initials P.S., that is the brotherhood's officialdevice. Their coat of arms. Their logo.""How do you know this?" Sophie was praying Langdon was not going to tell her that he himselfwas a member.
  "I've written about this group," he said, his voice tremulous with excitement. "Researching thesymbols of secret societies is a specialty of mine. They call themselves the Prieuré de Sion—thePriory of Sion. They're based here in France and attract powerful members from all over Europe. Infact, they are one of the oldest surviving secret societies on earth."Sophie had never heard of them.
  Langdon was talking in rapid bursts now. "The Priory's membership has included some of history'smost cultured individuals: men like Botticelli, Sir Isaac Newton, Victor Hugo." He paused, hisvoice brimming now with academic zeal. "And, Leonardo da Vinci."Sophie stared. "Da Vinci was in a secret society?""Da Vinci presided over the Priory between 1510 and 1519 as the brotherhood's Grand Master,which might help explain your grandfather's passion for Leonardo's work. The two men share ahistorical fraternal bond. And it all fits perfectly with their fascination for goddess iconology,paganism, feminine deities, and contempt for the Church. The Priory has a well-documentedhistory of reverence for the sacred feminine.""You're telling me this group is a pagan goddess worship cult?""More like the pagan goddess worship cult. But more important, they are known as the guardiansof an ancient secret. One that made them immeasurably powerful."Despite the total conviction in Langdon's eyes, Sophie's gut reaction was one of stark disbelief. Asecret pagan cult? Once headed by Leonardo da Vinci? It all sounded utterly absurd. And yet, evenas she dismissed it, she felt her mind reeling back ten years—to the night she had mistakenlysurprised her grandfather and witnessed what she still could not accept. Could that explain—?
  "The identities of living Priory members are kept extremely secret," Langdon said, "but the P.S.
  and fleur-de-lis that you saw as a child are proof. It could only have been related to the Priory."Sophie realized now that Langdon knew far more about her grandfather than she had previouslyimagined. This American obviously had volumes to share with her, but this was not the place. "Ican't afford to let them catch you, Robert. There's a lot we need to discuss. You need to go!"Langdon heard only the faint murmur of her voice. He wasn't going anywhere. He was lost inanother place now. A place where ancient secrets rose to the surface. A place where forgottenhistories emerged from the shadows.
  Slowly, as if moving underwater, Langdon turned his head and gazed through the reddish hazetoward the Mona Lisa.
  The fleur-de-lis... the flower of Lisa... the Mona Lisa.
  It was all intertwined, a silent symphony echoing the deepest secrets of the Priory of Sion andLeonardo da Vinci.
  A few miles away, on the riverbank beyond Les Invalides, the bewildered driver of a twin-bedTrailor truck stood at gunpoint and watched as the captain of the Judicial Police let out a gutturalroar of rage and heaved a bar of soap out into the turgid waters of the Seine.
索菲气喘吁吁地来到国家展厅的那扇大木门外---这就是收藏《蒙娜丽莎》的地方。她忍不住向大厅方向望去,在大约二十码远的地方,祖父的尸体静静地躺在聚光灯下。
她忽然感到深深的悔恨---那是一种伴随着负罪感的悲伤。在过去的十年中,祖父无数次主动与她联系,但索菲一直无动于衷--她将信件和包裹都原封不动地放在衣橱最下面的抽屉里,并拒绝与祖父见面。他对我说谎!他有不可告人的秘密!他想让我做什么?索菲抱着这样的想法将他拒之于千里之外。
现在,祖父死了,他死后还在对索菲说话。
《蒙娜丽莎》。
索菲伸手推开了那扇巨大的木门,入口展现在她的眼前。她在门口站了片刻,扫视了一下眼前这个长方形的展厅。整个展厅沐浴在柔和的红色灯光下。国家展厅只有一个出入口,这样的结构在博物馆中很少见,而且它也是唯一在艺术大画廊中单独辟出的展厅。木门是进入这个展厅的唯一入口,它对着远处墙上那幅高达十五米的波提切利的名画。在那下面,拼花地板上放着一个巨大的八边形沙发,供成千上万的游客在欣赏卢浮宫的镇馆之宝前小憩片刻。
索菲还没有进入展厅,就想起她忘了带一样东西。黑光灯。她朝远处祖父的尸体望去,那尸体周围放置着电器装置。如果祖父在展厅里写了些什么,那么他一定是用水笔写的。
索菲深吸了一口气,急匆匆地走到被灯光照得通亮的谋杀现场。她不忍将目光投向祖父,强迫自己将注意力集中在寻找PTS 工具上。她找到了一支小巧的紫外线笔,将它放入毛衣的口袋中,又匆忙沿着画廊向国家展厅那敞开的大门走去。
索菲刚转身跨过门槛,就意外地听见展厅中有低沉的脚步声,那脚步声正离她越来越近。里面有人!在如雾一般的红色灯光中忽然出现了一个鬼影。索菲吓得倒退几步。
"你来了!"兰登嘶哑的声音打破了恐怖的气氛,他那黑色的身影滑到索菲跟前,停了下来。
索菲松了口气,又担心起来:"罗伯特,我让你离开这里!如果法希--"
"你刚才到哪里去了?"
"我必须去拿一个黑光灯。"索菲低声说着,掏出那支紫外线笔。"如果祖父给我留了信息--"" 索菲, 听我说。" 兰登屏住呼吸, 用蔚蓝色的眼睛凝视着索菲。" 你知道字母P.S.……的其他含义吗?一点儿也想不起来吗?"
索菲生怕他们的声音会在长廊中回响,便把兰登向展厅内部推去,然后轻轻地关上那敞开的巨大木门,并将门从里面栓好。"我告诉过你,这是索菲公主(PrincessSophie)的首字母缩写。""我知道,但你有没有在其他地方见到过它?你祖父是否曾经以其他的方式用过它?比如说作为写在文具或私人物品上的花押字?"
这个问题让索菲颇感震惊。兰登怎么会知道? 索菲确实曾经见过首字母缩写P.S.被用作花押字。那是在她九岁生日的前一天,她悄悄地在家四处寻找被藏起来的生日礼物。祖父今年会送给我什么呢?她翻腾着壁橱和抽屉。他会送我想要的娃娃吗?他把它藏哪儿了?
在翻遍了整座房子却一无所获之后,索菲鼓足勇气溜进祖父的房间。这间房本来是不允许进入的,但当时祖父在楼下的长沙发上睡着了,不会知道索菲的所作所为。
我就迅速地偷看一下!
索菲踮着脚向壁橱走去,地板在她的脚下嘎嘎作响。她看了看被祖父的衣物挡住的搁板,却什么也没有发现。索菲又走向祖父的书桌,将抽屉一一打开,仔细地翻看。这里一定有为我而藏的东西!可她一直没有看到玩具娃娃的影子。她沮丧地打开最后一个抽屉,翻动着一些祖父从来没有穿过的黑衣服。正当她要关上抽屉的时候,她看见在抽屉的深处有一样闪闪发光的东西。这东西看上去像一根怀表链,但她知道祖父从不带怀表。当她猜想到这是什么的时候,她的心狂跳了起来。
一条项链!
索菲小心翼翼地从抽屉中把这条链子取出,并惊奇地发现链子末端还挂坠着一把金钥匙。金钥匙沉甸甸的,闪闪发光。索菲恍恍忽忽地握住这把与众不同的钥匙。大多数钥匙都是扁平的,钥匙边参差不齐,但这把钥匙却呈三棱柱形,上面布满小孔。金色的大钥匙柄呈十字形,但交叉的两条线段一样长,像一个加号。在十字的中心镶嵌着一个奇特的标志--两个相互交织在一起的字母和一朵花的图案。
"P.S.."索菲皱着眉头轻声念道。这到底是什么呢?
"索菲?"祖父的声音从门口传来。
索菲吓得一愣,钥匙"当"的一声掉落在地。她盯着地板上的钥匙,不敢抬头看祖父。
"我……在找我的生日礼物。"索菲低着头说,她知道自己辜负了祖父的信任。
祖父在门口站了良久,一言不发。最后,他终于不安地叹了口气,说:"索菲,把钥匙捡起来。"索菲捡起钥匙。
祖父走了进来。"索菲,你应该尊重别人的隐私。"祖父蹲下身,轻轻地拿起钥匙。"这把钥匙很特别,要是你把它弄丢了……"祖父轻柔的声音让索菲觉得更加难受。"对不起,祖父。我真的……以为这是一条项链,是我的生日礼物。"祖父凝视着索菲。"我再说一遍,索菲。它非常重要。你应该学会尊重别人的隐私。"
"知道了,祖父。"
"我们有时间再谈这件事。现在,去给花园除草吧。"
索菲赶紧出去做杂务。
第二天早晨,索菲没有收到祖父的生日礼物。做了错事,索菲也没有指望会得到生日礼物,但祖父竟然一整天都没有祝她生日快乐。晚上,她伤心地去睡觉,刚爬上床,就在枕头底下发现了一张卡片,卡片上写着一条谜语。还没有解开谜语,她就笑了。我知道这是什么!去年圣诞节的早晨,祖父也这样做过。
寻找财宝的游戏!
索菲如饥似渴地破解这个谜语,最后终于得到了答案。谜底指引她到房子的一处地方去,在那里她发现了另外一张写着谜语的卡片。她解开了那则谜语,又向下一张卡片跑去。索菲依照一条条线索在房中奔跑穿梭,最后她发现了一条线索指引她回到卧室。索菲冲上楼,奔向她的房间。她忽然停住了脚步,因为她看见房间中央正停着一辆崭新的红色自行车,车把上还系着丝带。索菲兴奋得尖叫起来。
"我知道你想要个玩具娃娃。"祖父站在角落微笑着说。"但我想你会更喜欢这个。"
第二天,祖父教索菲如何骑车。索菲坐在车上,祖父则在一边沿着车道跑。索菲不小心将车龙头歪向了厚厚的草坪,失去了平衡,祖孙俩就一起摔倒在草坪上,一边打滚,一边大笑。
"祖父。"索菲抱着祖父说。"真对不起,我看了那把钥匙。"
"我知道,宝贝儿。原谅你了。我不能一直对你生气。祖父和孙女总是互相谅解的。"
"那是用来开什么的?我从来没有见过那样的钥匙。真漂亮。"索菲忍不住要问。
祖父沉默了许久。索菲知道一定是他不知道如何回答。祖父从来不说谎。最后,他终于开口说道。"它是用来开一个盒子的,在那盒子里藏着我的许多秘密。"
索菲噘着嘴说:"我讨厌秘密。"
"我知道,但它们是非常重要的秘密。有一天,你会学会像我一样欣赏它们。"
"我看见钥匙上有两个字母,还有一朵花。"
"那是我最喜欢的花。它叫法国百合。我们的花园中就有,白色的那种。英语中叫‘lily’。""我知道那种花!那也是我最喜欢的!"
"那么我们做个交易。"祖父扬起眉头---这是他向索菲提出挑战时的一贯表情。"如果你保守这个秘密,再也不向我和任何人提起这把钥匙,有一天,我会将它给你。"索菲不敢相信自己的耳朵。"你会把它给我?"
"我发誓。到时候,我会把钥匙给你。那上面有你的名字。"
索菲皱起眉头:"不,那上面没有。那上面写的是P.S.,不是我的名字。"
祖父环顾了一下四周,好像是要确认没有人在听他们的谈话。他压低声音说道。"好吧,索菲,如果你一定要问,我就告诉你,P.S.是一个密码,是你的秘密称呼的缩写。"索菲瞪大了眼睛。"我有秘密称呼的缩写?"
"当然。孙女总是有秘密称呼的缩写,那只有祖父才会知道。"
"P.S.?"
"索菲公主(Princess Sophie)。"祖父呵索菲痒。
索菲咯咯地笑着:"我不是公主!"
祖父挤了挤眼睛。"你是我的公主。"
从那天起,他们再也没有提起过钥匙,索菲也变成了祖父的"索菲公主"。
索菲站在国家展厅中,默默地承受着失去祖父的剧痛。
兰登不解地望着她,说道:"你见过这个首字母缩写吗?"
索菲仿佛感到祖父的低语从博物馆的走廊那头传来。再也不向我和任何人提起这把钥匙。她知道自己没有谅解祖父,她不知道自己是否应该再次辜负他的信任。P.S.:去找罗伯特。兰登。祖父希望兰登能提供帮助。索菲点了点头。"在我很小的时候,我曾看到过一次。""在什么地方看到的?"
索菲犹豫了一下,答道:"在一件对祖父来说很重要的东西上。"
兰登盯着索菲。"索菲,这很关键。这个缩写字母旁边是否还有其他标志?是否有一朵法国百合?"
索菲惊讶得倒退了两步。"你……你是怎么知道的?"
兰登呼了口气,压低声音说。"我非常肯定你祖父是一个秘密团体的成员。一个古老而隐秘的教会。"索菲觉得心被揪得更紧了。她也可以肯定这一点。十年来,她一直想忘记那个能确认这一事实的事件。她目睹过一件出人意料的、让人无法原谅的事。
兰登说:"法国百合和P.S.放在一起,是他们的组织标志,是他们的徽章和图标。"
"你是怎么知道这些的?"索菲真不希望兰登回答说他自己也是其中的一员。
"我曾经写过有关这个组织的书。"兰登兴奋得声音都有些颤抖。"秘密团体的标志是我的一个研究方向。它自称‘郇山隐修会’。它以法国为基地,有实力的会员遍及欧洲。实际上,它是世界上现存的最古老的秘密团体。"索菲从来没有听说过这些。
兰登已加快了语速:"历史上许多著名的人物都是隐修会的成员,像波提切利、牛顿、雨果等。"他顿了一下。"还有列昂纳多。达。芬奇。"他的话语中饱含着对学术研究的热情。
索菲盯着兰登:"达。芬奇也是秘密团体的成员?"
"1510 年到1519 年,达。芬奇担任大主教主持隐修会的工作。这也正是你祖父酷爱列昂纳多的作品的原因。他们虽然身处不同的历史时期,但都是教会的兄弟。他们都酷爱女神圣像学,信仰异教、女神,蔑视天主教。对于隐修会信奉神圣的女神,有详细的历史记载。""你是说这个团体是异教女神狂热崇拜者的组织?"
"很像异教女神狂热崇拜者的组织。但更重要的是,据说他们保守着一个古老的秘密。
这使得他们有无比巨大的力量。"虽然兰登的眼神无比坚定,但索菲打心眼儿里怀疑这种说法。一个秘密的异教狂热崇拜者组织?曾以达。芬奇为首?这听起来十分荒唐。她情不自禁地回想起十年前的那个夜晚---她无意的早归让祖父惊讶万分,她看到了那令她至今无法接受的事实。难道这就是为什么……
"还活着的成员的身份是机密。"兰登说。"但你小时候所见到的P.S.和法国百合图案是一个有力的证明。它只可能与隐修会有关。"索菲这才意识到兰登对她祖父的了解超乎她的想象。这个美国人可以告诉她许多东西,但这里显然不是说话的地方。"我可不能让他们把你抓走,罗伯特。我们还有很多东西要谈。你必须离开这里!"索菲的声音在兰登的脑海中变得模糊。他哪儿也不想去。他又陷入了沉思。古老的秘密浮现在他的眼前,那些被人遗忘的历史又呈现在他的脑海中。
兰登慢慢转过头,透过红色的光雾凝视《蒙娜丽莎》。
法国百合……法国百合……《蒙娜丽莎》。
这一切交织在一起,像一支无声的交响曲,是有关郇山隐修会和达。芬奇的古老秘密的回响。
几英里外,荣军院前的河畔,拖挂卡车的司机大惑不解地站在警察的熗口前,看着警长怒吼着将一块肥皂投入水位正高的塞纳河中。
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Chapter 24
Silas gazed upward at the Saint-Sulpice obelisk, taking in the length of the massive marble shaft.
  His sinews felt taut with exhilaration. He glanced around the church one more time to make sure hewas alone. Then he knelt at the base of the structure, not out of reverence, but out of necessity.
  The keystone is hidden beneath the Rose Line.
  At the base of the Sulpice obelisk.
  All the brothers had concurred.
  On his knees now, Silas ran his hands across the stone floor. He saw no cracks or markings toindicate a movable tile, so he began rapping softly with his knuckles on the floor. Following thebrass line closer to the obelisk, he knocked on each tile adjacent to the brass line. Finally, one ofthem echoed strangely.
  There's a hollow area beneath the floor!
  Silas smiled. His victims had spoken the truth.
  Standing, he searched the sanctuary for something with which to break the floor tile.
  High above Silas, in the balcony, Sister Sandrine stifled a gasp. Her darkest fears had just beenconfirmed. This visitor was not who he seemed. The mysterious Opus Dei monk had come to Saint-Sulpice for another purpose.
  A secret purpose.
  You are not the only one with secrets, she thought.
  Sister Sandrine Bieil was more than the keeper of this church. She was a sentry. And tonight, theancient wheels had been set in motion. The arrival of this stranger at the base of the obelisk was asignal from the brotherhood.
  It was a silent call of distress./td]
塞拉斯抬头看着圣叙尔皮斯方尖碑,估量着巨大的大理石碑面的高度。他身上的肌肉因为兴奋绷得紧紧的。他再次环视了一下教堂,确认四周无人。然后,他跪倒在石碑的基座前。当然,这并非是出于尊敬,只是出于实际需要。
楔石藏在玫瑰线下。
在圣叙尔皮斯方尖碑的基座处。
所有隐修会的成员都这么说。
塞拉斯跪在地上,双手在石块铺就的地面上摸索着。他没有发现哪块地砖上有表明可以移动的裂纹或标记,于是就开始用指关节敲击地面。他沿着铜线敲击着方尖碑附近的每一块地砖,最后终于发现有一块地砖的回音与众不同。
地砖下是空的!
塞拉斯笑了起来,看来他杀的那几个人都说了实话。
他站起身来,在圣殿里寻找可以用来撬开地砖的东西。
桑德琳嬷嬷蹲在塞拉斯上方那高高的唱诗班站台上,屏住了呼吸。她最担心的事终于发生了。这个来访者的身份与他的表象不符。这个神秘的天主事工会的僧侣另有所图。
为了一个秘密的目的。
有秘密的又何止你一人呢,她想。
桑德琳嬷嬷不仅是这所教堂的看守人,还是一名卫士。今晚,那古老的隐修会机制又开始运行了。陌生人来到方尖碑的基座边是教友们发出的信号。
那是无声的痛苦呼唤。
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Chapter 25
The U.S. Embassy in Paris is a compact complex on Avenue Gabriel, just north of the Champs-Elysées. The three-acre compound is considered U.S. soil, meaning all those who stand on it aresubject to the same laws and protections as they would encounter standing in the United States.
  The embassy's night operator was reading Time magazine's International Edition when the sound ofher phone interrupted.
  "U.S. Embassy," she answered.
  "Good evening." The caller spoke English accented with French. "I need some assistance." Despitethe politeness of the man's words, his tone sounded gruff and official. "I was told you had a phonemessage for me on your automated system. The name is Langdon. Unfortunately, I have forgottenmy three-digit access code. If you could help me, I would be most grateful."The operator paused, confused. "I'm sorry, sir. Your message must be quite old. That system wasremoved two years ago for security precautions. Moreover, all the access codes were five-digit.
  Who told you we had a message for you?""You have no automated phone system?""No, sir. Any message for you would be handwritten in our services department. What was yourname again?"But the man had hung up.
  Bezu Fache felt dumbstruck as he paced the banks of the Seine. He was certain he had seenLangdon dial a local number, enter a three-digit code, and then listen to a recording. But if Langdondidn't phone the embassy, then who the hell did he call?
  It was at that moment, eyeing his cellular phone, that Fache realized the answers were in the palmof his hand. Langdon used my phone to place that call.
  Keying into the cell phone's menu, Fache pulled up the list of recently dialed numbers and foundthe call Langdon had placed.
  A Paris exchange, followed by the three-digit code 454.
  Redialing the phone number, Fache waited as the line began ringing.
  Finally a woman's voice answered. "Bonjour, vous êtes bien chez Sophie Neveu," the recordingannounced. "Je suis absente pour le moment, mais..."Fache's blood was boiling as he typed the numbers 4... 5... 4.
巴黎的美国大使馆设在一幢综合楼内,它位于香榭丽舍大街北面的一条大道上。这块三英亩的土地被视为美国的领土,也就是说这块土地上的人与在美国国土上的人受同样的法律的约束和保护。
大使馆的晚间接线员正在阅读国际版的《时代》杂志,忽然电话铃声响了起来。
"美国大使馆。"她接起电话。
"晚上好。"打电话的人用带着法国口音的英文说道。"我需要一些帮助。"那人虽然措辞有礼,但语调生硬,官腔实足。"有人告诉我你们的电话自动操作系统中有我的电话语音信息。我叫兰登。但不巧的是,我忘记了进入语音信箱的三位数密码。如果您能帮助我,我将万分感激。"接线员迷惑地愣在那里。"对不起,先生。您的语音信息一定是很久以前的了。那个系统已经在两年前为了安全防范而撤销了,而且所有的密码都是五位数的。是谁告诉您有语音信息的?"
"你们没有电话自动操作系统?"
"没有,先生。信息都由我们的服务部笔录下来。可以再说一下您的姓名吗?"
那人挂上了电话。
贝祖。法希在塞纳河边踱步,一言不发。他明明看见兰登拨了个当地的区号,又键入了三位数的密码,然后接听了录音留言。如果兰登没有打电话到大使馆,那么他到底打电话给谁了呢?
法希看着自己的手机,忽然意识到答案就在自己的手中。兰登是用我的手机打的那个电话。
法希打开手机菜单,调出新近拨出的号码,找到了兰登拨的那个电话。
一个巴黎的交换台,接着是三位数密码454.
法希重拨了这个号码。铃声响了起来,法希等待着。
终于电话那头传来了一个女人的声音。"您好,索菲。奈芙。"那是录音留言。"我现在不在,……"法希再拨4……5……4 的时候,觉得全身的血液都沸腾了。
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Chapter 26
Despite her monumental reputation, the Mona Lisa was a mere thirty-one inches by twenty-oneinches—smaller even than the posters of her sold in the Louvre gift shop. She hung on thenorthwest wall of the Salle des Etats behind a two-inch-thick pane of protective Plexiglas. Paintedon a poplar wood panel, her ethereal, mist-filled atmosphere was attributed to Da Vinci's masteryof the sfumato style, in which forms appear to evaporate into one another.
  Since taking up residence in the Louvre, the Mona Lisa—or La Jaconde as they call her inFrance—had been stolen twice, most recently in 1911, when she disappeared from the Louvre's"satte impénétrable"—Le Salon Carre. Parisians wept in the streets and wrote newspaper articlesbegging the thieves for the painting's return. Two years later, the Mona Lisa was discovered hiddenin the false bottom of a trunk in a Florence hotel room.
  Langdon, now having made it clear to Sophie that he had no intention of leaving, moved with heracross the Salle des Etats. The Mona Lisa was still twenty yards ahead when Sophie turned on theblack light, and the bluish crescent of penlight fanned out on the floor in front of them. She swungthe beam back and forth across the floor like a minesweeper, searching for any hint of luminescentink.
  Walking beside her, Langdon was already feeling the tingle of anticipation that accompanied hisface-to-face reunions with great works of art. He strained to see beyond the cocoon of purplishlight emanating from the black light in Sophie's hand. To the left, the room's octagonal viewingdivan emerged, looking like a dark island on the empty sea of parquet.
  Langdon could now begin to see the panel of dark glass on the wall. Behind it, he knew, in theconfines of her own private cell, hung the most celebrated painting in the world.
  The Mona Lisa's status as the most famous piece of art in the world, Langdon knew, had nothing todo with her enigmatic smile. Nor was it due to the mysterious interpretations attributed her bymany art historians and conspiracy buffs. Quite simply, the Mona Lisa was famous becauseLeonardo da Vinci claimed she was his finest accomplishment. He carried the painting with himwhenever he traveled and, if asked why, would reply that he found it hard to part with his mostsublime expression of female beauty.
  Even so, many art historians suspected Da Vinci's reverence for the Mona Lisa had nothing to dowith its artistic mastery. In actuality, the painting was a surprisingly ordinary sfumato portrait. DaVinci's veneration for this work, many claimed, stemmed from something far deeper: a hiddenmessage in the layers of paint. The Mona Lisa was, in fact, one of the world's most documentedinside jokes. The painting's well-documented collage of double entendres and playful allusions hadbeen revealed in most art history tomes, and yet, incredibly, the public at large still considered hersmile a great mystery.
  No mystery at all, Langdon thought, moving forward and watching as the faint outline of thepainting began to take shape. No mystery at all.
  Most recently Langdon had shared the Mona Lisa's secret with a rather unlikely group—a dozeninmates at the Essex County Penitentiary. Langdon's jail seminar was part of a Harvard outreachprogram attempting to bring education into the prison system—Culture for Convicts, as Langdon'scolleagues liked to call it.
  Standing at an overhead projector in a darkened penitentiary library, Langdon had shared the MonaLisa's secret with the prisoners attending class, men whom he found surprisingly engaged—rough,but sharp. "You may notice," Langdon told them, walking up to the projected image of the MonaLisa on the library wall, "that the background behind her face is uneven." Langdon motioned to theglaring discrepancy. "Da Vinci painted the horizon line on the left significantly lower than theright.""He screwed it up?" one of the inmates asked.
  Langdon chuckled. "No. Da Vinci didn't do that too often. Actually, this is a little trick Da Vinciplayed. By lowering the countryside on the left, Da Vinci made Mona Lisa look much larger fromthe left side than from the right side. A little Da Vinci inside joke. Historically, the concepts ofmale and female have assigned sides—left is female, and right is male. Because Da Vinci was a bigfan of feminine principles, he made Mona Lisa look more majestic from the left than the right.""I heard he was a fag," said a small man with a goatee.
  Langdon winced. "Historians don't generally put it quite that way, but yes, Da Vinci was ahomosexual.""Is that why he was into that whole feminine thing?""Actually, Da Vinci was in tune with the balance between male and female. He believed that ahuman soul could not be enlightened unless it had both male and female elements.""You mean like chicks with dicks?" someone called.
  This elicited a hearty round of laughs. Langdon considered offering an etymological sidebar aboutthe word hermaphrodite and its ties to Hermes and Aphrodite, but something told him it would belost on this crowd.
  "Hey, Mr. Langford," a muscle-bound man said. "Is it true that the Mona Lisa is a picture of DaVinci in drag? I heard that was true.""It's quite possible," Langdon said. "Da Vinci was a prankster, and computerized analysis of theMona Lisa and Da Vinci's self-portraits confirm some startling points of congruency in their faces.
  Whatever Da Vinci was up to," Langdon said, "his Mona Lisa is neither male nor female. It carriesa subtle message of androgyny. It is a fusing of both.""You sure that's not just some Harvard bullshit way of saying Mona Lisa is one ugly chick."Now Langdon laughed. "You may be right. But actually Da Vinci left a big clue that the paintingwas supposed to be androgynous. Has anyone here ever heard of an Egyptian god named Amon?""Hell yes!" the big guy said. "God of masculine fertility!"Langdon was stunned.
  "It says so on every box of Amon condoms." The muscular man gave a wide grin. "It's got a guywith a ram's head on the front and says he's the Egyptian god of fertility."Langdon was not familiar with the brand name, but he was glad to hear the prophylacticmanufacturers had gotten their hieroglyphs right. "Well done. Amon is indeed represented as a manwith a ram's head, and his promiscuity and curved horns are related to our modern sexual slang'horny.' ""No shit!""No shit," Langdon said. "And do you know who Amon's counterpart was? The Egyptian goddessof fertility?"The question met with several seconds of silence.
  "It was Isis," Langdon told them, grabbing a grease pen. "So we have the male god, Amon." Hewrote it down. "And the female goddess, Isis, whose ancient pictogram was once called L'ISA."Langdon finished writing and stepped back from the projector.
  AMON L'ISA"Ring any bells?" he asked.
  "Mona Lisa... holy crap," somebody gasped.
  Langdon nodded. "Gentlemen, not only does the face of Mona Lisa look androgynous, but hername is an anagram of the divine union of male and female. And that, my friends, is Da Vinci'slittle secret, and the reason for Mona Lisa's knowing smile.""My grandfather was here," Sophie said, dropping suddenly to her knees, now only ten feet fromthe Mona Lisa. She pointed the black light tentatively to a spot on the parquet floor.
  At first Langdon saw nothing. Then, as he knelt beside her, he saw a tiny droplet of dried liquidthat was luminescing. Ink? Suddenly he recalled what black lights were actually used for. Blood.
  His senses tingled. Sophie was right. Jacques Saunière had indeed paid a visit to the Mona Lisabefore he died.
  "He wouldn't have come here without a reason," Sophie whispered, standing up. "I know he left amessage for me here." Quickly striding the final few steps to the Mona Lisa, she illuminated thefloor directly in front of the painting. She waved the light back and forth across the bare parquet.
  "There's nothing here!"At that moment, Langdon saw a faint purple glimmer on the protective glass before the Mona Lisa.
  Reaching down, he took Sophie's wrist and slowly moved the light up to the painting itself.
  They both froze.
  On the glass, six words glowed in purple, scrawled directly across the Mona Lisa's face.
虽然《蒙娜丽莎》大名远扬,可它实际上只有三十一英寸长,二十一英寸宽,比卢浮宫礼品店中出售的《蒙娜丽莎》招贴画还小。它被挂在国家展厅西北墙那两英寸厚的防护玻璃框内。这幅画画在一块白杨木板上,达。芬奇的晕染法使它看上去飘逸而朦胧,事物的边界相互交融在一起。
自从被卢浮宫收藏以来,《蒙娜丽莎》已经两次被盗。最近的一次是在1911 年,它从卢浮宫的"神秘之室"--正方形展厅中消失了。巴黎人在街道上哭泣,在报纸上发表文章,乞求窃贼将画还回来。两年后,在佛罗伦萨饭店的一个房间中,有人在一个旅行箱的夹层中发现了这幅画。
现在,兰登已经向索菲表明他根本就不打算离开,他和索菲一起向国家展厅深处走去。在距离《蒙娜丽莎》还有二十码的时候,索菲打开了紫外线灯。紫外线灯在他们前方的地板上投射出一片扇形的青色光亮。索菲将光束在地板上前后晃动,寻找着感光墨水的痕迹,就像一艘扫雷艇在搜寻着水雷。
兰登走在索菲身边,为能与伟大的艺术作品面对面而兴奋不已。他瞪大眼睛,把目光投向紫外线灯的光影所不及的地方。在他们的左边,拼花地板上放着供参观者小憩的八边形大沙发,看上去就像广阔的海洋中有一座黑暗的孤岛。
此时,兰登已经可以看见那深色的防护玻璃框了。他知道,在那后面,悬挂着世界上最著名的油画。
兰登明白,《蒙娜丽莎》之所以成为世界艺术名品,并不是因为蒙娜丽莎拥有神秘微笑,也不是因为众多艺术史学家对它作出了神秘的说明,而仅仅是因为列昂纳多。达。芬奇声称这是他的得意之作。无论到哪里,他都带着这幅画,他说自己无法与它分离,因为它是对女性美的最完美表达。
尽管如此,许多艺术史学家认为达。芬奇对于《蒙娜丽莎》的喜爱与其艺术技法无关。
实际上,它不过是一幅运用了晕染法的普通肖像画。许多人认为达。芬奇对于这幅画的喜爱源于更深层的原因:它隐藏着信息。事实上,《蒙娜丽莎》是世界上记载最详实的玩笑之一。尽管多数艺术史的大部头专著都揭示了它那巧妙的影射和含义,但令人难以置信的是,大多数人还是认为她的微笑非常神秘。
一点儿都不神秘,兰登边想,边朝那幅画走去,那模糊的轮廓在他的眼中变得渐渐清晰起来。根本不神秘。
最近,兰登刚与一群人分享了《蒙娜丽莎》的秘密。这群人的身份出人意料--他们是埃塞克斯县监狱的囚犯。兰登的这场狱中研讨会是哈佛大学"送教育进监狱"项目的一个组成部分,兰登的同事们把这个项目称为"囚犯文化"。
收容所图书馆的灯都熄灭了。兰登站在幻灯机前与前来上课的囚犯们一起分享《蒙娜丽莎》的秘密。这些人的专注出乎他的意料--他们虽然长得粗壮,但很敏锐。兰登将《蒙娜丽莎》的图片投射到图书馆的墙壁上,说道。"你们可以发现蒙娜丽莎身后的背景不在一条水平线上。"兰登指着这明显的差异说:"达。芬奇将左边的地平线画得明显高于右边的地平线。""他把画挂歪了?"一个囚犯问道。
兰登暗自发笑。"不,达。芬奇可不常犯这样的错误。实际上,这是他玩的一个小把戏。
他把左边乡村景色的地平线画得低一些,这样就使得蒙娜丽莎的左侧看上去比右侧大一些。这是达。芬奇开的小玩笑。历史上,人们曾给男女指定了方位--左边代表女性,右边代表男性。因为达。芬奇是女性主义的信仰者,所以他让蒙娜丽莎从左边看上去更庄重美丽。""我听说达。芬奇是个同性恋男人。"一个留着山羊胡子的小个子男人说。
兰登不得不承认。"虽然历史学家们通常不提,但达。芬奇确实是一个同性恋者。"
"这就是他全身心投入女性崇拜中的原因吗?"
"实际上,达。芬奇也赞同男性与女性之间的和谐。他相信,只有男性元素和女性元素共存,人的心灵才能被照亮。""就像少妇身上长阴茎吧?"有人喊道。
这一问引得众人捧腹大笑。兰登本想指出单词"阴阳人(hermaphrodite)"的词根划分,并说明它与赫尔墨斯(Hermes)和阿芙洛蒂忒(Aphrodite)的联系,但他看出大家似乎无法接受,于是作罢。
"嗨,兰登先生。"一个肌肉发达的男人问。"《蒙娜丽莎》画的就是达。芬奇,这是真的吗?听说是真的。""很有可能。"兰登答道。"达。芬奇是个爱搞恶作剧的人。电脑分析显示,《蒙娜丽莎》和达。芬奇自画像在人物的脸部有许多相似之处。无论达。芬奇是怎么想的,他的蒙娜丽莎既不是男性也不是女性。她巧妙地隐藏着双性信息。她是两性的融合体。""你肯定,那些认为蒙娜丽莎是个丑陋少妇的说法不是哈佛大学的观点。"
兰登笑了起来。"说得对。其实,达。芬奇留下了一条重大的线索暗示人物是双性的。有没有人听说过有一个埃及传说中的神叫做阿蒙(Amon)?"
"知道!"那个大高个儿说。"代表男性生殖的神!"
兰登颇为吃惊。
"每一盒阿蒙牌避孕套上都这么写着。"那个肌肉发达的男人咧嘴笑了。"盒子上画着一个长着公羊头的家伙,还写着他是埃及传说中代表男性生殖的神。"兰登对这个牌子并不熟悉,但他还是很高兴,因为生产厂家没把象征意义弄错。"说得对。阿蒙的形象是一个长着公羊头的男人。我们现在所说的‘性冲动’的俚语,就与他那卷曲的羊角和性乱交行为有关。""他妈的,真想不到!"
"他妈的,想不到吧。"兰登说。"你们知道谁是与阿蒙对应的神吗?谁是埃及传说中代表女性生殖的神?"
好几秒钟的沉默。
"是伊西丝(Isis)",兰登告诉众人。他拿起一支水笔,边说边把话写了下来。"代表男性生殖的神叫阿蒙(Amon)。代表女性生殖的神叫伊西丝(Isis),古代文字曾将其读做L‘ISA.’兰登写完,退到幻灯机后。
AMONL’ISA"得到些什么启示?"兰登问。
"蒙娜丽莎(MonaLisa)……狗屁胡扯。"有人低声说。
兰登点点头。"先生们,不仅蒙娜丽莎的脸看上去是双性的,就连她的名字也是由男性元素和女性元素结合而成的。朋友们,这就是达。芬奇的小秘密,也是蒙娜丽莎为何总在会意地微笑的原因。""祖父在这里。"索菲突然在距《蒙娜丽莎》只有十英尺处蹲下身来。她将紫外线灯指向地板的一点。
起初,兰登什么也没看见。当他在索菲身边蹲下后,发现地板上有一小滴已经干掉的感光液体。墨水?忽然他意识到紫外线灯的用处。血。他激动起来。索菲说得对,雅克。索尼埃死前确实来过这里。
"他不会无缘无故地来到这里。"索菲轻声说着站起身来。"我知道他一定给我留下了信息。"她大步走到《蒙娜丽莎》跟前,用灯照亮画的正前方。她将光束在画前的地板上来回晃动。
"这儿什么也没有!"
正在这时,兰登发现《蒙娜丽莎》前面的防护玻璃框上有一个模糊的紫色亮点。兰登抓住索菲的手腕,将光束向上移,指向《蒙娜丽莎》本身。
两人都愣住了。
在蒙娜丽莎脸部前方的防护玻璃上,有六个潦草的单词闪着紫色的光。
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Chapter 27
Seated at Saunière's desk, Lieutenant Collet pressed the phone to his ear in disbelief. Did I hearFache correctly? "A bar of soap? But how could Langdon have known about the GPS dot?""Sophie Neveu," Fache replied. "She told him.""What! Why?""Damned good question, but I just heard a recording that confirms she tipped him off."Collet was speechless. What was Neveu thinking? Fache had proof that Sophie had interfered witha DCPJ sting operation? Sophie Neveu was not only going to be fired, she was also going to jail.
  "But, Captain... then where is Langdon now?""Have any fire alarms gone off there?""No, sir.""And no one has come out under the Grand Gallery gate?""No. We've got a Louvre security officer on the gate. Just as you requested.""Okay, Langdon must still be inside the Grand Gallery.""Inside? But what is he doing?""Is the Louvre security guard armed?""Yes, sir. He's a senior warden.""Send him in," Fache commanded. "I can't get my men back to the perimeter for a few minutes,and I don't want Langdon breaking for an exit." Fache paused. "And you'd better tell the guardAgent Neveu is probably in there with him.""Agent Neveu left, I thought.""Did you actually see her leave?""No, sir, but—""Well, nobody on the perimeter saw her leave either. They only saw her go in."Collet was flabbergasted by Sophie Neveu's bravado. She's still inside the building?
  "Handle it," Fache ordered. "I want Langdon and Neveu at gunpoint by the time I get back."As the Trailor truck drove off, Captain Fache rounded up his men. Robert Langdon had proven anelusive quarry tonight, and with Agent Neveu now helping him, he might be far harder to cornerthan expected.
  Fache decided not to take any chances.
  Hedging his bets, he ordered half of his men back to the Louvre perimeter. The other half he sent toguard the only location in Paris where Robert Langdon could find safe harbor.
科莱中尉坐在索尼埃的桌前,吃惊地将电话紧紧贴在耳朵上。我没有听错法希的话吧?"一块肥皂?可是兰登是怎么会知道有全球定位系统跟踪器的?"
"索菲。奈芙。"法希说道。"是索菲。奈芙告诉他的。"
"什么?怎么会这样?"
"他妈的,问得好,我刚刚听了一段电话录音,证实是索菲教唆的。"
科莱惊讶得说不出话来。奈芙到底是怎么想的?法希已经掌握了她妨碍警务的证据,她不仅将被开除,而且将被投入监狱。"警长……兰登现在在哪里呢?"
"火警有没有响起过?"
"没有,先生。"
"没有人走出艺术大画廊的大门?"
"没有。按您的吩咐,我们已经派了一个卢浮宫的保安人员守住大门。"
"好的,那么兰登一定还在艺术大画廊里面。"
"还在里面?可他在里面做什么呢?"
"卢浮宫的保安人员有武器吗?"
"有,先生。他是一名高级保卫人员。"
"让他进来。"法希命令道。"我无法在几分钟之内将我的人调回来,我可不想让兰登夺路而逃。"法希顿了顿,接着说。"你最好告诉那个保卫人员,索菲。奈芙说不定正和兰登在一起。""我想,奈芙警官已经走了。"
"你确实看见她走了吗?"
"没有,但是--"
"也没有警卫看见她离开。他们只看见她走了进去。"
科莱被虚张声势的索菲蒙住了。她还在卢浮宫里?
"你去办这件事。"法希命令道。"我希望回来的时候可以看到兰登和奈芙在熗口前。"
拖挂卡车开走后,法希探长将手下人集合起来。今晚的事已经证明了兰登是个难以捉摸的追捕目标,现在他又得到了奈芙警官的帮助,追捕工作将比想像中困难得多。
法希决定一切行动要稳扎稳打。
他把赌注一分为二,将一半人派回卢浮宫把守出口,将另一半人派往兰登在巴黎可以找到的惟一的避风港。


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Chapter 28
Inside the Salle des Etats, Langdon stared in astonishment at the six words glowing on thePlexiglas. The text seemed to hover in space, casting a jagged shadow across Mona Lisa'smysterious smile.
  "The Priory," Langdon whispered. "This proves your grandfather was a member!"Sophie looked at him in confusion. "You understand this?""It's flawless," Langdon said, nodding as his thoughts churned. "It's a proclamation of one of thePriory's most fundamental philosophies!"Sophie looked baffled in the glow of the message scrawled across the Mona Lisa's face.
  SO DARK THE CON OF MAN"Sophie," Langdon said, "the Priory's tradition of perpetuating goddess worship is based on a beliefthat powerful men in the early Christian church 'conned' the world by propagating lies thatdevalued the female and tipped the scales in favor of the masculine."Sophie remained silent, staring at the words.
  "The Priory believes that Constantine and his male successors successfully converted the worldfrom matriarchal paganism to patriarchal Christianity by waging a campaign of propaganda thatdemonized the sacred feminine, obliterating the goddess from modern religion forever."Sophie's expression remained uncertain. "My grandfather sent me to this spot to find this. He mustbe trying to tell me more than that."Langdon understood her meaning. She thinks this is another code. Whether a hidden meaningexisted here or not, Langdon could not immediately say. His mind was still grappling with the boldclarity of Saunière's outward message.
  So dark the con of man, he thought. So dark indeed.
  Nobody could deny the enormous good the modern Church did in today's troubled world, and yetthe Church had a deceitful and violent history. Their brutal crusade to "reeducate" the pagan andfeminine-worshipping religions spanned three centuries, employing methods as inspired as theywere horrific.
  The Catholic Inquisition published the book that arguably could be called the most blood-soakedpublication in human history. Malleus Maleficarum—or The Witches' Hammer—indoctrinated theworld to "the dangers of freethinking women" and instructed the clergy how to locate, torture, anddestroy them. Those deemed "witches" by the Church included all female scholars, priestesses,gypsies, mystics, nature lovers, herb gatherers, and any women "suspiciously attuned to the naturalworld." Midwives also were killed for their heretical practice of using medical knowledge to easethe pain of childbirth—a suffering, the Church claimed, that was God's rightful punishment forEve's partaking of the Apple of Knowledge, thus giving birth to the idea of Original Sin. Duringthree hundred years of witch hunts, the Church burned at the stake an astounding five millionwomen.
  The propaganda and bloodshed had worked.
  Today's world was living proof.
  Women, once celebrated as an essential half of spiritual enlightenment, had been banished from thetemples of the world. There were no female Orthodox rabbis, Catholic priests, nor Islamic clerics.
  The once hallowed act of Hieros Gamos—the natural sexual union between man and womanthrough which each became spiritually whole—had been recast as a shameful act. Holy men whohad once required sexual union with their female counterparts to commune with God now fearedtheir natural sexual urges as the work of the devil, collaborating with his favorite accomplice...
  woman.
  Not even the feminine association with the left-hand side could escape the Church's defamation. InFrance and Italy, the words for "left"—gauche and sinistra—came to have deeply negativeovertones, while their right-hand counterparts rang of righteousness, dexterity, and correctness. Tothis day, radical thought was considered left wing, irrational thought was left brain, and anythingevil, sinister.
  The days of the goddess were over. The pendulum had swung. Mother Earth had become a man'sworld, and the gods of destruction and war were taking their toll. The male ego had spent twomillennia running unchecked by its female counterpart. The Priory of Sion believed that it was thisobliteration of the sacred feminine in modern life that had caused what the Hopi Native Americanscalled koyanisquatsi—"life out of balance"—an unstable situation marked by testosterone-fueledwars, a plethora of misogynistic societies, and a growing disrespect for Mother Earth.
  "Robert!" Sophie said, her whisper yanking him back. "Someone's coming!"He heard the approaching footsteps out in the hallway.
  "Over here!" Sophie extinguished the black light and seemed to evaporate before Langdon's eyes.
  For an instant he felt totally blind. Over where! As his vision cleared he saw Sophie's silhouetteracing toward the center of the room and ducking out of sight behind the octagonal viewing bench.
  He was about to dash after her when a booming voice stopped him cold.
  "Arrêtez!" a man commanded from the doorway.
  The Louvre security agent advanced through the entrance to the Salle des Etats, his pistoloutstretched, taking deadly aim at Langdon's chest.
  Langdon felt his arms raise instinctively for the ceiling.
  "Couchez-vous!" the guard commanded. "Lie down!"Langdon was face first on the floor in a matter of seconds. The guard hurried over and kicked hislegs apart, spreading Langdon out.
  "Mauvaise idée, Monsieur Langdon," he said, pressing the gun hard into Langdon's back.
  "Mauvaise idée."Face down on the parquet floor with his arms and legs spread wide, Langdon found little humor inthe irony of his position. The Vitruvian Man, he thought. Face down.
国家展厅里,兰登惊讶地望着防护玻璃上那闪着紫光的六个单词。这文字像是飘荡在天际,在蒙娜丽莎那神秘的微笑上投下了依稀可见的阴影。
"隐修会。"兰登低声说。"这证明你的祖父是隐修会成员。"
索菲大惑不解地望着他。"你看得懂?"
"一点都不差。"兰登点头说着,思绪万千。"这宣扬了隐修会的最基本理念。"
索菲困惑地看着蒙娜丽莎脸上那潦草写就的信息。
男人的欺骗是多么黑暗。
兰登解释说:"索菲,隐修会违规崇拜女神是基于这样一个信念:早期基督教中的强权男性散布贬低女性的谣言惑众,唆使大众偏爱男性。"索菲看着那几个单词,保持沉默。
"隐修会认为,君士坦丁大帝和他的男性继位者们通过将女性神灵邪恶化的宣传活动,成功地将基督教转变为男性统治的宗教,将女神的地位从现代宗教中抹去了。"索菲还是将信将疑。"祖父让我到这里来发现这些文字,他一定不仅仅想告诉我这些。"
兰登明白她的意思,她认为这又是一个密码。兰登无法立即判断出这里面是否还有其他什么意义,他的注意力还在那清晰明了的字面意义上。
男人的欺骗是多么黑暗,他想,的确是很黑暗。
不可否认,现代的基督教为当今麻烦重重的世界做了许多有益的事,但它却有一段充满欺骗和暴力的历史。他们对异教和女性崇拜宗教组织的残忍圣战延续了三个世纪,采用的手段既鼓动人心,同时又是耸人听闻的。
由天主教裁判所发行的《巫婆之锤》无疑堪称人类历史上最血腥的出版物。它向人们灌输"自由思考的女人们给世界带来威胁"的思想,并教导神职人员如何去识别、折磨并消灭她们。教会所指认的"女巫"包括所有的女学者、女神职人员、吉普赛女人、女巫师、自然爱好者、草本采集者以及任何"涉嫌与自然世界协调一致的女性"。助产士们也被杀害,因为她们用医学知识来缓解分娩的疼痛被视为异教徒的做法--教会声称,生育的痛苦是上帝为夏娃偷食禁果而给予她的正当惩罚,这样生育和原罪的思想就紧密地联系在一起了。在追捕女巫的三百年中,被教会绑在柱子上烧死的女性多达五百万。
今天的世界就是活生生的例证。
女性曾被认为对文明开化作出了不容忽视的贡献,发挥了与男性同等的作用,但世界各地的神庙却将她们抹去了。犹太教、天主教和伊斯兰教中都没有女性神职人员。就连每年产生春季生殖力的神圣婚礼--巴比伦生殖神塔模斯教派的宗教礼仪,即男女通过肉体上的结合实现心灵的融合--也被视为是羞耻之举。曾经把与女性进行性融合视为遵从上帝旨意的男性们,现在则担心这是性冲动魔鬼在作祟,而这些魔鬼的最好帮凶就是……女人。
甚至就连与女性有关联的方位"左"也难逃教会的诽谤。法语和意大利语中表示"左"的单词--gauche 和sinistra--都包含着贬义,而表示"右"的单词则包含着褒义,暗示着"正直"、"机敏"、"正确"。直到今天,激进的思想被称为左翼,大凡邪恶、阴险、不理智的东西都与"左"有关联。
女神的时代结束了。随着时间的推移,大地母亲已经变成了男人的世界,毁灭之神和战争正在夺去无数人的生命。男性时代已经延续了两千多年,而没有受到女性的阻挠。郇山隐修会认为,正是由于女性的神圣地位在现代生活中的被剥夺才造成了"生活的不平衡"--即霍皮族印第安人所说的"koyanisquatsi"。这种"不平衡"状态的显著表现是由睾丸激素诱发的战争不时打响,各种神秘组织团体泛滥,人们对于大地母亲愈发不敬。
"罗伯特!"索菲的低语将兰登从沉思中唤醒。"有人来了!"
兰登听到走廊里的脚步声在向这里逼近。
"到这儿来!"索菲熄灭了紫外线灯,消失在兰登的视线中。
好几秒钟,兰登两眼一片漆黑。到哪儿?兰登适应了黑暗后,他看见索菲的影子朝展厅中央跑去,躲到了八边形长沙发的后面。他正想跟着跑过去,有人冷冷地喝住了他。
"站住!"那个人站在门口,叫道。
卢浮宫的保卫人员举熗进入国家展厅,用熗口直指兰登的胸口。
兰登本能地将双手高举过头。
"趴下!"保卫人员命令。
兰登立即脸冲地板趴在地上。保卫人员匆忙走过来,将他的双腿踢分开,让兰登四肢伸展。
"老实点儿,兰登先生。"他用熗顶着兰登的背。"老实点儿。
兰登脸冲地板,四肢伸展着趴在那里,觉得这样的姿势颇具幽默感。《维特鲁威人》,他想道,不过是脸冲下的。
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Chapter 29
Inside Saint-Sulpice, Silas carried the heavy iron votive candle holder from the altar back towardthe obelisk. The shaft would do nicely as a battering ram. Eyeing the gray marble panel thatcovered the apparent hollow in the floor, he realized he could not possibly shatter the coveringwithout making considerable noise.
  Iron on marble. It would echo off the vaulted ceilings.
  Would the nun hear him? She should be asleep by now. Even so, it was a chance Silas preferrednot to take. Looking around for a cloth to wrap around the tip of the iron pole, he saw nothingexcept the altar's linen mantle, which he refused to defile. My cloak, he thought. Knowing he wasalone in the great church, Silas untied his cloak and slipped it off his body. As he removed it, hefelt a sting as the wool fibers stuck to the fresh wounds on his back.
  Naked now, except for his loin swaddle, Silas wrapped his cloak over the end of the iron rod. Then,aiming at the center of the floor tile, he drove the tip into it. A muffled thud. The stone did notbreak. He drove the pole into it again. Again a dull thud, but this time accompanied by a crack. Onthe third swing, the covering finally shattered, and stone shards fell into a hollow area beneath thefloor.
  A compartment!
  Quickly pulling the remaining pieces from the opening, Silas gazed into the void. His bloodpounded as he knelt down before it. Raising his pale bare arm, he reached inside.
  At first he felt nothing. The floor of the compartment was bare, smooth stone. Then, feeling deeper,reaching his arm in under the Rose Line, he touched something! A thick stone tablet. Getting hisfingers around the edge, he gripped it and gently lifted the tablet out. As he stood and examined hisfind, he realized he was holding a rough-hewn stone slab with engraved words. He felt for aninstant like a modern-day Moses.
  As Silas read the words on the tablet, he felt surprise. He had expected the keystone to be a map, ora complex series of directions, perhaps even encoded. The keystone, however, bore the simplest ofinscriptions.
  Job 38:11A Bible verse? Silas was stunned with the devilish simplicity. The secret location of that whichthey sought was revealed in a Bible verse? The brotherhood stopped at nothing to mock therighteous!
  Job. Chapter thirty-eight. Verse eleven.
  Although Silas did not recall the exact contents of verse eleven by heart, he knew the Book of Jobtold the story of a man whose faith in God survived repeated tests. Appropriate, he thought, barelyable to contain his excitement.
  Looking over his shoulder, he gazed down the shimmering Rose Line and couldn't help but smile.
  There atop the main altar, propped open on a gilded book stand, sat an enormous leather-boundBible.
  Up in the balcony, Sister Sandrine was shaking. Moments ago, she had been about to flee and carryout her orders, when the man below suddenly removed his cloak. When she saw his alabaster-whiteflesh, she was overcome with a horrified bewilderment. His broad, pale back was soaked withblood-red slashes. Even from here she could see the wounds were fresh.
  This man has been mercilessly whipped!
  She also saw the bloody cilice around his thigh, the wound beneath it dripping. What kind of Godwould want a body punished this way? The rituals of Opus Dei, Sister Sandrine knew, were notsomething she would ever understand. But that was hardly her concern at this instant. Opus Dei issearching for the keystone. How they knew of it, Sister Sandrine could not imagine, although sheknew she did not have time to think.
  The bloody monk was now quietly donning his cloak again, clutching his prize as he moved towardthe altar, toward the Bible.
  In breathless silence, Sister Sandrine left the balcony and raced down the hall to her quarters.
  Getting on her hands and knees, she reached beneath her wooden bed frame and retrieved thesealed envelope she had hidden there years ago.
  Tearing it open, she found four Paris phone numbers.
  Trembling, she began to dial.
  Downstairs, Silas laid the stone tablet on the altar and turned his eager hands to the leather Bible.
  His long white fingers were sweating now as he turned the pages. Flipping through the OldTestament, he found the Book of Job. He located chapter thirty-eight. As he ran his finger down thecolumn of text, he anticipated the words he was about to read.
  They will lead the way!
  Finding verse number eleven, Silas read the text. It was only seven words. Confused, he read itagain, sensing something had gone terribly wrong. The verse simply read:
  HITHERTO SHALT THOU COME, BUT NO FURTHER.
圣叙尔皮斯教堂中,塞拉斯从圣坛上取下烛台,走回方尖碑前。烛台架正好可以用来敲碎地砖。塞拉斯瞅了瞅那块下面有空洞的大理石地砖,意识到要想敲碎它而不发出声音是不可能的。
用铁家伙敲大理石,一定会在这圆拱屋顶下产生很大的回响。
会不会让修女听见?她现在一定睡着了。即使这样,塞拉斯也不想冒险。他环顾四周,想找块布把铁棒头包起来。他所能发现的,只有圣坛上的那块亚麻遮布,但那是他不愿玷污的。我的披风,他想道。塞拉斯知道这里没有旁人,于是解下了披风。当他脱下披风时,羊毛纤维刺痛了他背部的新伤口。
此时,塞拉斯赤裸着身体,只系着一根腰带。他将披风包在铁棒头上,然后瞄准那块地砖的中心,将铁棒砸了下去。一声闷响。地砖并没有破。他又砸了一下。这次的闷响伴随着石块开裂的声音。当他砸到第三下时,地砖终于碎了,碎石片纷纷落入下面的空洞中。
一个隔层!
塞拉斯迅速地拨开残留在洞口的碎石,向空洞里张望。他跪在那里,热血沸腾,将赤裸的白手臂伸进了洞里。
起先,他什么也没有摸到。隔层是空的,只有光溜溜的石头。他又向深处摸去,在玫瑰线的下方,他摸到了些什么!一块厚厚的石板。他抓住石板边缘,轻轻地把石板抬了出来。他站起身来,仔细地打量自己的发现,只见这是一块边缘粗糙、刻着文字的石板。好一阵子,他觉得自己成了当代的摩西。
塞拉斯定睛看那文字,颇感惊奇。他本以为这上面会刻着一幅地图,或一系列复杂的指令或是一串密码,但实际上石板上所刻的文字再简单不过了。
Job38:11《圣经》中的一节?这也太简略了,塞拉斯惊讶不已。他们所追寻的那个秘密地点竟由《圣经》的一节来揭示。隐修会的教友们不顾一切地掩饰真相!
《约伯记》第三十八章,十一节。
虽然塞拉斯背诵不出第十一节的内容,但他知道《约伯记》讲述的是一个上帝的信徒经历了种种考验,生存下来的故事。很符合实际情况,塞拉斯想着,抑制不住兴奋之情。
他低头看着闪光的玫瑰线,忍不住笑了起来。圣坛上支着一个金光闪闪的书架,书架上放着一本巨大的皮革封面的《圣经》。
桑德琳嬷嬷在唱诗班站台上不住地颤抖。几分钟前,当那个男人脱掉披风时,她正想逃走,去执行她的任务。当她看见他那雪白的肌肉时,感到无比震惊。他那宽厚而又苍白的后背上布满血红的伤痕。即使相距甚远,她也可以看出那都是新伤。
那个人被无情地鞭打过!
她还看见他的大腿上缠着印着血迹的纱布,纱布下的伤口还在流血。什么样的神灵想让人的肉体受到这样的惩罚?桑德琳嬷嬷知道,她永远也无法理解天主事工会的宗教礼仪。但那不是她现在要考虑的事。天主事工会在寻找拱顶石。他们是怎么知道的,桑德琳嬷嬷想不到答案,也没有时间去想。
那个浑身血淋淋的僧侣又穿上披风,拿着他的战利品向着圣坛,向着《圣经》走去。
在一片死寂中,桑德琳嬷嬷离开了唱诗班站台,快速返回她的房间。她趴在地上,从木板床下摸出一个信封,拆开了封口。那个信封是她三年前就藏到那里的。
打开信封后,她发现了四个巴黎市内的电话号码。
她用颤抖的手开始拨打电话。
楼下,塞拉斯将石板放到圣坛上,迫不及待地伸手去取《圣经》。当他翻阅书页时,那细长而苍白的手指渗出汗来。他从"旧约"部分翻出了《约伯记》,又找到了第三十八章。他一边用手指顺行向下指,一边猜想着他将会看到的文字。
那将为我们指路!
找到了第十一节,可那里面只有七个词。他不解地重读了一遍,感到大事不妙。这一节中只写着:你将到此,但切莫前行。(HITHERTOSHALTTHOUCOME,BUTNOFURTHER.)
小梨涡°

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Chapter 30
Security warden Claude Grouard simmered with rage as he stood over his prostrate captive in frontof the Mona Lisa. This bastard killed Jacques Saunière! Saunière had been like a well-loved fatherto Grouard and his security team.
  Grouard wanted nothing more than to pull the trigger and bury a bullet in Robert Langdon's back.
  As senior warden, Grouard was one of the few guards who actually carried a loaded weapon. Hereminded himself, however, that killing Langdon would be a generous fate compared to the miseryabout to be communicated by Bezu Fache and the French prison system.
  Grouard yanked his walkie-talkie off his belt and attempted to radio for backup. All he heard wasstatic. The additional electronic security in this chamber always wrought havoc with the guards'
  communications. I have to move to the doorway. Still aiming his weapon at Langdon, Grouardbegan backing slowly toward the entrance. On his third step, he spied something that made himstop short.
  What the hell is that!
  An inexplicable mirage was materializing near the center of the room. A silhouette. There wassomeone else in the room? A woman was moving through the darkness, walking briskly toward thefar left wall. In front of her, a purplish beam of light swung back and forth across the floor, as ifshe were searching for something with a colored flashlight.
  "Qui est là?" Grouard demanded, feeling his adrenaline spike for a second time in the last thirtyseconds. He suddenly didn't know where to aim his gun or what direction to move.
  "PTS," the woman replied calmly, still scanning the floor with her light.
  Police Technique et Scientifique. Grouard was sweating now. I thought all the agents were gone!
  He now recognized the purple light as ultraviolet, consistent with a PTS team, and yet he could notunderstand why DCPJ would be looking for evidence in here.
  "Votre nom!" Grouard yelled, instinct telling him something was amiss. "Répondez!""C'est mot," the voice responded in calm French. "Sophie Neveu."Somewhere in the distant recesses of Grouard's mind, the name registered. Sophie Neveu? Thatwas the name of Saunière's granddaughter, wasn't it? She used to come in here as a little kid, butthat was years ago. This couldn't possibly be her! And even if it were Sophie Neveu, that washardly a reason to trust her; Grouard had heard the rumors of the painful falling-out betweenSaunière and his granddaughter.
  "You know me," the woman called. "And Robert Langdon did not kill my grandfather. Believeme."Warden Grouard was not about to take that on faith. I need backup! Trying his walkie-talkie again,he got only static. The entrance was still a good twenty yards behind him, and Grouard beganbacking up slowly, choosing to leave his gun trained on the man on the floor. As Grouard inchedbackward, he could see the woman across the room raising her UV light and scrutinizing a largepainting that hung on the far side of the Salle des Etats, directly opposite the Mona Lisa.
  Grouard gasped, realizing which painting it was.
  What in the name of God is she doing?
  Across the room, Sophie Neveu felt a cold sweat breaking across her forehead. Langdon was stillspread-eagle on the floor. Hold on, Robert. Almost there. Knowing the guard would never actuallyshoot either of them, Sophie now turned her attention back to the matter at hand, scanning theentire area around one masterpiece in particular—another Da Vinci. But the UV light revealednothing out of the ordinary. Not on the floor, on the walls, or even on the canvas itself.
  There must be something here!
  Sophie felt totally certain she had deciphered her grandfather's intentions correctly.
  What else could he possibly intend?
  The masterpiece she was examining was a five-foot-tall canvas. The bizarre scene Da Vinci hadpainted included an awkwardly posed Virgin Mary sitting with Baby Jesus, John the Baptist, andthe Angel Uriel on a perilous outcropping of rocks. When Sophie was a little girl, no trip to theMona Lisa had been complete without her grandfather dragging her across the room to see thissecond painting.
  Grand-père, I'm here! But I don't see it!
  Behind her, Sophie could hear the guard trying to radio again for help.
  Think!
  She pictured the message scrawled on the protective glass of the Mona Lisa. So dark the con ofman. The painting before her had no protective glass on which to write a message, and Sophieknew her grandfather would never have defaced this masterpiece by writing on the painting itself.
  She paused. At least not on the front. Her eyes shot upward, climbing the long cables that dangledfrom the ceiling to support the canvas.
  Could that be it? Grabbing the left side of the carved wood frame, she pulled it toward her. Thepainting was large and the backing flexed as she swung it away from the wall. Sophie slipped herhead and shoulders in behind the painting and raised the black light to inspect the back.
  It took only seconds to realize her instinct had been wrong. The back of the painting was pale andblank. There was no purple text here, only the mottled brown backside of aging canvas and—Wait.
  Sophie's eyes locked on an incongruous glint of lustrous metal lodged near the bottom edge of theframe's wooden armature. The object was small, partially wedged in the slit where the canvas metthe frame. A shimmering gold chain dangled off it.
  To Sophie's utter amazement, the chain was affixed to a familiar gold key. The broad, sculptedhead was in the shape of a cross and bore an engraved seal she had not seen since she was nineyears old. A fleur-de-lis with the initials P.S. In that instant, Sophie felt the ghost of her grandfatherwhispering in her ear. When the time comes, the key will be yours. A tightness gripped her throat asshe realized that her grandfather, even in death, had kept his promise. This key opens a box, hisvoice was saying, where I keep many secrets.
  Sophie now realized that the entire purpose of tonight's word game had been this key. Hergrandfather had it with him when he was killed. Not wanting it to fall into the hands of the police,he hid it behind this painting. Then he devised an ingenious treasure hunt to ensure only Sophiewould find it.
  "Au secours!" the guard's voice yelled.
  Sophie snatched the key from behind the painting and slipped it deep in her pocket along with theUV penlight. Peering out from behind the canvas, she could see the guard was still tryingdesperately to raise someone on the walkie-talkie. He was backing toward the entrance, still aimingthe gun firmly at Langdon.
  "Au secours!" he shouted again into his radio.
  Static.
  He can't transmit, Sophie realized, recalling that tourists with cell phones often got frustrated inhere when they tried to call home to brag about seeing the Mona Lisa. The extra surveillancewiring in the walls made it virtually impossible to get a carrier unless you stepped out into the hall.
  The guard was backing quickly toward the exit now, and Sophie knew she had to act immediately.
  Gazing up at the large painting behind which she was partially ensconced, Sophie realized thatLeonardo da Vinci, for the second time tonight, was there to help.
  Another few meters, Grouard told himself, keeping his gun leveled.
  "Arrêtez! Ou je la détruis!" the woman's voice echoed across the room.
  Grouard glanced over and stopped in his tracks. "Mon dieu, non!"Through the reddish haze, he could see that the woman had actually lifted the large painting off itscables and propped it on the floor in front of her. At five feet tall, the canvas almost entirely hid herbody. Grouard's first thought was to wonder why the painting's trip wires hadn't set off alarms, butof course the artwork cable sensors had yet to be reset tonight. What is she doing!
  When he saw it, his blood went cold.
  The canvas started to bulge in the middle, the fragile outlines of the Virgin Mary, Baby Jesus, andJohn the Baptist beginning to distort.
  "Non!" Grouard screamed, frozen in horror as he watched the priceless Da Vinci stretching. Thewoman was pushing her knee into the center of the canvas from behind! "NON!"Grouard wheeled and aimed his gun at her but instantly realized it was an empty threat. The canvaswas only fabric, but it was utterly impenetrable—a six-million-dollar piece of body armor.
  I can't put a bullet through a Da Vinci!
  "Set down your gun and radio," the woman said in calm French, "or I'll put my knee through thispainting. I think you know how my grandfather would feel about that."Grouard felt dizzy. "Please... no. That's Madonna of the Rocks!" He dropped his gun and radio,raising his hands over his head.
  "Thank you," the woman said. "Now do exactly as I tell you, and everything will work out fine."Moments later, Langdon's pulse was still thundering as he ran beside Sophie down the emergencystairwell toward the ground level. Neither of them had said a word since leaving the tremblingLouvre guard lying in the Salle des Etats. The guard's pistol was now clutched tightly in Langdon'shands, and he couldn't wait to get rid of it. The weapon felt heavy and dangerously foreign.
  Taking the stairs two at a time, Langdon wondered if Sophie had any idea how valuable a paintingshe had almost ruined. Her choice in art seemed eerily pertinent to tonight's adventure. The DaVinci she had grabbed, much like the Mona Lisa, was notorious among art historians for itsplethora of hidden pagan symbolism.
  "You chose a valuable hostage," he said as they ran.
  "Madonna of the Rocks," she replied. "But I didn't choose it, my grandfather did. He left me a littlesomething behind the painting."Langdon shot her a startled look. "What!? But how did you know which painting? Why Madonnaof the Rocks?""So dark the con of man." She flashed a triumphant smile. "I missed the first two anagrams,Robert. I wasn't about to miss the third."
保安人员克劳德。格鲁阿尔站在《蒙娜丽莎》前,看着这个被制服的俘虏无比愤怒。这个杂种杀了雅克。索尼埃。对格鲁阿尔和整个保安队的队员来说,索尼埃就像一位慈爱的父亲。
格鲁阿尔想立即扣动扳机,对罗伯特。兰登的后背来上一熗。格鲁阿尔是为数不多的真正荷熗实弹的高级保安人员之一。但他提醒自己,如果不让兰登接受贝祖。法希的审问,也不经受牢狱之苦就杀了他,倒是便宜了他。
格鲁阿尔拔出腰间的对讲机,大声请求派人支援。但对讲机中只有嘈杂的静电干扰声。这间展厅中附加的安全装置总是对保安人员的通讯产生干扰。我必须到门口去。格鲁阿尔一边用熗指着兰登,一边向门口退去。刚退出几步,他察觉到了些什么,停了下来。
那是什么?
在展厅的中间出现了一个奇怪的幻影。一个人影。还有其他人在?一个女人快步地在黑暗中穿行,向远处左边墙走去。她拿着紫光灯在身前来回晃动,好像在找什么感光的东西。
"什么人?"格鲁阿尔大喝道,又极度紧张起来。他一时间不知道应该将熗指向谁,也不知道应该往哪里移步了。
"PTS."那个女人镇静地回答,仍晃动着紫光灯,扫视着地面。
科技警察(PoliceTechniqueetScientifique)。格鲁阿尔冒出了冷汗。我还以为所有的警察都走了呢!他这才想起来,那紫光灯是紫外线灯,科技警察总是带着那家伙,但他还是不明白为什么警署要在这里寻找证据。
"你叫什么名字?"直觉告诉格鲁阿尔,此事蹊跷。"快说!"
"我叫索菲。奈芙。"那人用法语平静地回答。
这个名字在格鲁阿尔记忆深处留有一点儿印象。索菲。奈芙?这不是索尼埃孙女的名字吗?她很小的时候曾经来过这里,但那是很久以前的事了。不可能是她!就算她是索菲。奈芙,也不能信任她,因为格鲁阿尔已经听说索尼埃和孙女的关系决裂了。
"你知道我是谁。"那个女人大声说道。"罗伯特不是凶手。请相信我。"
克劳德。格鲁阿尔可没打算把她的话当真。我需要支援!他又听了听对讲机,里面还是静电干扰声。他离出口还足有二十码,他仍用熗指着趴在地上的兰登,向后退去。他一边退,一边注意着索菲,她正举着紫外线灯细细地打量着挂在《蒙娜丽莎》对面的那张大幅油画。
格鲁阿尔意识到那是什么画,倒吸了一口凉气。上帝呀,她到底想干什么?
索菲站在展厅的那头,额角直冒冷汗。兰登还趴在地上--像一只展翅的老鹰。坚持住,罗伯特。索菲知道格鲁阿尔不会向他们开熗,就又将注意力转到了手头的问题上。她特意用紫外线灯扫视达。芬奇的另一幅作品。她扫视了画前的地板,画周围的墙壁以及油画本身,但什么也没有发现。这儿一定会有些什么!
索菲坚信她可以正确地理解祖父的意图。他还可能会告诉我些什么呢?她正在审视的这幅油画有五英尺高,上面画的是坐在那里抱着婴儿耶稣的圣母玛丽娅、施洗者约翰和站在峭壁上的乌列天使。小时候,每次来看《蒙娜丽莎》,祖父都会把索菲拉到展厅这头也看一看这幅画。
祖父,我来了!可是我什么也没看见!
索菲听见格鲁阿尔又在通过对讲机请求支援了。
快点想!
她的脑海中又浮现出了《蒙娜丽莎》防护玻璃上的潦草字迹。男人的欺骗是多么黑暗。
眼前的这幅画前却没有可供写信息的防护玻璃,而索菲知道祖父绝不会直接在画上写字而损坏艺术品的。她愣了一下。至少不会在正面。她抬头看了看那从屋顶上垂下、用以悬挂油画的钢丝绳。
可能在画后面吗?她抓住油画木框,用力把画向自己身前拽。画很大,索菲将其从墙上掀起时,画布向前弯曲。索菲把头和肩膀都伸到了画布后面,举着紫外线灯审视画的背面。
很快,索菲就意识到自己想错了。油画背后一片空白,没有紫色的感光文字,只有陈旧画布上的点点棕褐的色斑--等一等。
索菲突然看见在靠近油画底部的木框上,有一个金属物发出耀眼的光。那个东西很小,嵌在木框与画布的空隙中,还拖着一条闪光的金链。索菲极为震惊,那正是挂在那把金钥匙上的链子。钥匙柄呈十字形,正面还刻着法国百合的图案和首字母缩写P.S.,这是索菲九岁以后第一次重见它。那一刻,索菲仿佛听见祖父的鬼魂在她耳边低语:有一天,我会将它给你。索菲的喉头像被什么东西哽住了,祖父死了,还不忘履行他的诺言。她听见祖父在说,它是用来开一个盒子的,在那盒子里藏着我的许多秘密。
索菲这才明白过来,今晚的那些文字游戏都是为这把钥匙而设的。祖父被害时,还带着那把钥匙。他不想让钥匙落人警方手中,所以将它藏到了这里,并精心设计了"寻宝"的密码,以确保索菲--也只有索菲--可以发现它。
"请求支援!"格鲁阿尔喊道。
索菲从油画背后拿起钥匙,将它连同紫外线灯一起放入口袋的深处。她向后瞟了一眼,发现格鲁阿尔还在拼命地试图通过对讲机找来援助。他背对着出口,仍然用熗指着兰登。
"请求支援!"格鲁阿尔再次大喊道。
只有静电的干扰声。
他无法与别人取得联系,索菲可以肯定,因为她知道,那些在这里想通过手机向家人炫耀自己看到了《蒙娜丽莎》的游客往往不能如愿。墙壁上特别附加的监控线路使移动通讯设备无法正常工作,要想通话,只有走出展厅,站到走廊中去。格鲁阿尔快步走出了展厅大门,这时索菲意识到她应该立刻采取行动。
抬头望了这幅遮住了她一部分身躯的大油画,索菲暗自思忖:看来今晚达。芬奇要帮我们第二次了。再走几米,格鲁阿尔暗暗告诫自己,要把熗端稳。
"别动!否则,我就毁了它!"那个女人的声音在展厅中回响。
格鲁阿尔循声望去,停住了脚步。"我的上帝呀,不!"
透过那雾蒙蒙的红色灯光,他看见那个女人已经将大幅油画从吊绳上取下,支在她面前。那五英尺高的画几乎把她整个人都挡住了。起先格鲁阿尔感到惊异--为什么吊绳上的电线没有接通警报呢?接着,他想起来今晚艺术展厅的警报系统还没有重新启动过。
她在干什么!
格鲁阿尔看着眼前的一切,惊讶得血液都要凝固了。
画布中间开始鼓了起来,那勾勒圣母玛丽娅、婴儿耶稣和施洗者约翰的细致线条开始扭曲了。
"不!"格鲁阿尔看着达。芬奇的无价画作被这样折腾,惊恐地叫道,那女人正用膝盖从背面抵着画布!
"不!"格鲁阿尔迅速转身,将熗对准索菲,但他又立即明白过来这是徒劳。画布虽然是纤维制成的,但实际上它是牢不可破的--它外面加了价值六百万美元的防护层。
我可不能对着达。芬奇的作品打一熗!
"把你的熗和对讲机都放下。"索菲用法语平静地说道。"否则我将用膝盖顶破这幅画。你一定知道如果祖父在天有灵的话,会有什么样的感受。"格鲁阿尔不知所措。"求你……不要。那是《岩间圣母》!"他把熗和对讲机扔在了地上,把手举过头顶。
"谢谢。"索菲说道。"现在照我说的做,一切都会很顺利的。"
几分钟后,当兰登和索菲逃到紧急楼梯通道里时,兰登的心还在怦怦地狂跳,他们离开那浑身打颤的保安人员,逃出国家展厅后,一句话也没说。兰登还紧紧地攥着保安人员的手熗,不过他迫不及待地想把它扔掉,因为那又沉又危险,感觉怪怪的。
兰登一边三步并做两步地逃,一边暗自猜测索菲是否知道那幅差点儿被她毁掉的画有多大的价值。她选的那幅画倒是与今晚的历险颇有关联。她所拿的那幅画,就像《蒙娜丽莎》一样,由于隐藏着太多的异教象征符号,而遭致了历史学家们的许多负面评价。
"你选的‘人质’价值连城呀。"兰登边跑边说。
"男人的欺骗是多么黑暗。"索菲得意地一笑。"罗伯特,我没解开前两个字谜,但我不会错过第三个。"
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Chapter 31
"They're dead!" Sister Sandrine stammered into the telephone in her Saint-Sulpice residence. Shewas leaving a message on an answering machine. "Please pick up! They're all dead!"The first three phone numbers on the list had produced terrifying results—a hysterical widow, adetective working late at a murder scene, and a somber priest consoling a bereaved family. Allthree contacts were dead. And now, as she called the fourth and final number—the number she wasnot supposed to call unless the first three could not be reached—she got an answering machine.
  The outgoing message offered no name but simply asked the caller to leave a message.
  "The floor panel has been broken!" she pleaded as she left the message. "The other three are dead!"Sister Sandrine did not know the identities of the four men she protected, but the private phonenumbers stashed beneath her bed were for use on only one condition.
  If that floor panel is ever broken, the faceless messenger had told her, it means the upper echelonhas been breached. One of us has been mortally threatened and been forced to tell a desperate lie.
  Call the numbers. Warn the others. Do not fail us in this.
  It was a silent alarm. Foolproof in its simplicity. The plan had amazed her when she first heard it. Ifthe identity of one brother was compromised, he could tell a lie that would start in motion amechanism to warn the others. Tonight, however, it seemed that more than one had beencompromised.
  "Please answer," she whispered in fear. "Where are you?""Hang up the phone," a deep voice said from the doorway.
  Turning in terror, she saw the massive monk. He was clutching the heavy iron candle stand.
  Shaking, she set the phone back in the cradle.
  "They are dead," the monk said. "All four of them. And they have played me for a fool. Tell mewhere the keystone is.""I don't know!" Sister Sandrine said truthfully. "That secret is guarded by others." Others who aredead!
  The man advanced, his white fists gripping the iron stand. "You are a sister of the Church, and yetyou serve them?""Jesus had but one true message," Sister Sandrine said defiantly. "I cannot see that message inOpus Dei."A sudden explosion of rage erupted behind the monk's eyes. He lunged, lashing out with the candlestand like a club. As Sister Sandrine fell, her last feeling was an overwhelming sense offoreboding.
  All four are dead.
  The precious truth is lost forever.
"他们都死了!"桑德琳嬷嬷在圣叙尔皮斯教堂的房间中结结巴巴地对着留言机说。"请接听电话!他们都死了!"桑德琳嬷嬷拨通了前三个号码,得到的结果却非常可怕--第一个接听的是一个歇斯底里的寡妇,第二个接听的是正在谋杀现场加班工作的侦探,还有一个是正在安慰死者家属的牧师。三个联系人都死了。现在,她又拨通了第四个--也是最后一个--的电话号码。只有在她找不到其他三个联系人时,才可以拨打那个号码。电话接通的是对方的留言机,留言机并没有说机主的姓名,只是让对方留言。
"地砖已经被打碎了!"她又补充解释道。"其他三个人都死了!"
桑德琳嬷嬷并不知道她要保护的那四个人是谁,但她知道只有在一种情况下,才能打开藏在床底下的那个信封。
那个没有露面的人捎信给她说,地砖一旦被打破,就说明上层组织遭到了破坏。我们其中的一个人受到了生命威胁,并被迫说了一个谎。你就拨打这些电话,提醒其他人。千万要帮我们办成。
起初,她听到这样的安排时,十分诧异,但后来明白这再简单不过了。如果一个教友的身份被发现了,他可以撒一个谎,这样可以启动警报机制。但今晚,被发现的教友不只一个。
"请回答。"她惊恐地问。"你在哪里?"
"把电话挂了。"一个低沉的声音从门口传来。
桑德琳嬷嬷惊恐地转过头,看见了那个身材魁梧的僧侣正手握着烛台站在门口。她颤抖着挂上了电话。
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Chapter 32
The security alarm on the west end of the Denon Wing sent the pigeons in the nearby TuileriesGardens scattering as Langdon and Sophie dashed out of the bulkhead into the Paris night. As theyran across the plaza to Sophie's car, Langdon could hear police sirens wailing in the distance.
  "That's it there," Sophie called, pointing to a red snub-nosed two-seater parked on the plaza.
  She's kidding, right? The vehicle was easily the smallest car Langdon had ever seen.
  "SmartCar," she said. "A hundred kilometers to the liter."Langdon had barely thrown himself into the passenger seat before Sophie gunned the SmartCar upand over a curb onto a gravel divider. He gripped the dash as the car shot out across a sidewalk andbounced back down over into the small rotary at Carrousel du Louvre.
  For an instant, Sophie seemed to consider taking the shortcut across the rotary by plowing straightahead, through the median's perimeter hedge, and bisecting the large circle of grass in the center.
  "No!" Langdon shouted, knowing the hedges around Carrousel du Louvre were there to hide theperilous chasm in the center—La Pyramide Inversée—the upside-down pyramid skylight he hadseen earlier from inside the museum. It was large enough to swallow their Smart-Car in a singlegulp. Fortunately, Sophie decided on the more conventional route, jamming the wheel hard to theright, circling properly until she exited, cut left, and swung into the northbound lane, acceleratingtoward Rue de Rivoli.
  The two-tone police sirens blared louder behind them, and Langdon could see the lights now in hisside view mirror. The SmartCar engine whined in protest as Sophie urged it faster away from theLouvre. Fifty yards ahead, the traffic light at Rivoli turned red. Sophie cursed under her breath andkept racing toward it. Langdon felt his muscles tighten.
  "Sophie?"Slowing only slightly as they reached the intersection, Sophie flicked her headlights and stole aquick glance both ways before flooring the accelerator again and carving a sharp left turn throughthe empty intersection onto Rivoli. Accelerating west for a quarter of a mile, Sophie banked to theright around a wide rotary. Soon they were shooting out the other side onto the wide avenue ofChamps-Elysées.
  As they straightened out, Langdon turned in his seat, craning his neck to look out the rear windowtoward the Louvre. The police did not seem to be chasing them. The sea of blue lights wasassembling at the museum.
  His heartbeat finally slowing, Langdon turned back around. "That was interesting."Sophie didn't seem to hear. Her eyes remained fixed ahead down the long thoroughfare of Champs-Elysées, the two-mile stretch of posh storefronts that was often called the Fifth Avenue of Paris.
  The embassy was only about a mile away, and Langdon settled into his seat. So dark the con ofman. Sophie's quick thinking had been impressive. Madonna of the Rocks.
  Sophie had said her grandfather left her something behind the painting. A final message? Langdoncould not help but marvel over Saunière's brilliant hiding place; Madonna of the Rocks was yetanother fitting link in the evening's chain of interconnected symbolism. Saunière, it seemed, atevery turn, was reinforcing his fondness for the dark and mischievous side of Leonardo da Vinci.
  Da Vinci's original commission for Madonna of the Rocks had come from an organization knownas the Confraternity of the Immaculate Conception, which needed a painting for the centerpiece ofan altar triptych in their church of San Francesco in Milan. The nuns gave Leonardo specificdimensions, and the desired theme for the painting—the Virgin Mary, baby John the Baptist, Uriel,and Baby Jesus sheltering in a cave. Although Da Vinci did as they requested, when he deliveredthe work, the group reacted with horror. He had filled the painting with explosive and disturbingdetails.
  The painting showed a blue-robed Virgin Mary sitting with her arm around an infant child,presumably Baby Jesus. Opposite Mary sat Uriel, also with an infant, presumably baby John theBaptist. Oddly, though, rather than the usual Jesus-blessing-John scenario, it was baby John whowas blessing Jesus... and Jesus was submitting to his authority! More troubling still, Mary washolding one hand high above the head of infant John and making a decidedly threateninggesture—her fingers looking like eagle's talons, gripping an invisible head. Finally, the mostobvious and frightening image: Just below Mary's curled fingers, Uriel was making a cuttinggesture with his hand—as if slicing the neck of the invisible head gripped by Mary's claw-likehand.
  Langdon's students were always amused to learn that Da Vinci eventually mollified theconfraternity by painting them a second, "watered-down" version of Madonna of the Rocks inwhich everyone was arranged in a more orthodox manner. The second version now hung inLondon's National Gallery under the name Virgin of the Rocks, although Langdon still preferredthe Louvre's more intriguing original.
  As Sophie gunned the car up Champs-Elysées, Langdon said, "The painting. What was behind it?"Her eyes remained on the road. "I'll show you once we're safely inside the embassy.""You'll show it to me?" Langdon was surprised. "He left you a physical object?"Sophie gave a curt nod. "Embossed with a fleur-de-lis and the initials P.S."Langdon couldn't believe his ears.
  We're going to make it, Sophie thought as she swung the SmartCar's wheel to the right, cuttingsharply past the luxurious H.tel de Crillon into Paris's tree-lined diplomatic neighborhood. Theembassy was less than a mile away now. She was finally feeling like she could breathe normallyagain.
  Even as she drove, Sophie's mind remained locked on the key in her pocket, her memories ofseeing it many years ago, the gold head shaped as an equal-armed cross, the triangular shaft, theindentations, the embossed flowery seal, and the letters P.S.
  Although the key barely had entered Sophie's thoughts through the years, her work in theintelligence community had taught her plenty about security, and now the key's peculiar tooling nolonger looked so mystifying. A laser-tooled varying matrix. Impossible to duplicate. Rather thanteeth that moved tumblers, this key's complex series of laser-burned pockmarks was examined byan electric eye. If the eye determined that the hexagonal pockmarks were correctly spaced,arranged, and rotated, then the lock would open.
  Sophie could not begin to imagine what a key like this opened, but she sensed Robert would beable to tell her. After all, he had described the key's embossed seal without ever seeing it. Thecruciform on top implied the key belonged to some kind of Christian organization, and yet Sophieknew of no churches that used laser-tooled varying matrix keys.
  Besides, my grandfather was no Christian....
  Sophie had witnessed proof of that ten years ago. Ironically, it had been another key—a far morenormal one—that had revealed his true nature to her.
  The afternoon had been warm when she landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport and hailed a taxihome. Grand-père will be so surprised to see me, she thought. Returning from graduate school inBritain for spring break a few days early, Sophie couldn't wait to see him and tell him all about theencryption methods she was studying.
  When she arrived at their Paris home, however, her grandfather was not there. Disappointed, sheknew he had not been expecting her and was probably working at the Louvre. But it's Saturdayafternoon, she realized. He seldom worked on weekends. On weekends, he usually—Grinning, Sophie ran out to the garage. Sure enough, his car was gone. It was the weekend. JacquesSaunière despised city driving and owned a car for one destination only—his vacation chateau inNormandy, north of Paris. Sophie, after months in the congestion of London, was eager for thesmells of nature and to start her vacation right away. It was still early evening, and she decided toleave immediately and surprise him. Borrowing a friend's car, Sophie drove north, winding into thedeserted moon-swept hills near Creully. She arrived just after ten o'clock, turning down the longprivate driveway toward her grandfather's retreat. The access road was over a mile long, and shewas halfway down it before she could start to see the house through the trees—a mammoth, oldstone chateau nestled in the woods on the side of a hill.
  Sophie had half expected to find her grandfather asleep at this hour and was excited to see thehouse twinkling with lights. Her delight turned to surprise, however, when she arrived to find thedriveway filled with parked cars—Mercedeses, BMWs, Audis, and a Rolls-Royce.
  Sophie stared a moment and then burst out laughing. My grand-père, the famous recluse! JacquesSaunière, it seemed, was far less reclusive than he liked to pretend. Clearly he was hosting a partywhile Sophie was away at school, and from the looks of the automobiles, some of Paris's mostinfluential people were in attendance.
  Eager to surprise him, she hurried to the front door. When she got there, though, she found itlocked. She knocked. Nobody answered. Puzzled, she walked around and tried the back door. It toowas locked. No answer.
  Confused, she stood a moment and listened. The only sound she heard was the cool Normandy airletting out a low moan as it swirled through the valley.
  No music.
  No voices.
  Nothing.
  In the silence of the woods, Sophie hurried to the side of the house and clambered up on awoodpile, pressing her face to the living room window. What she saw inside made no sense at all.
  "Nobody's here!"The entire first floor looked deserted.
  Where are all the people?
  Heart racing, Sophie ran to the woodshed and got the spare key her grandfather kept hidden underthe kindling box. She ran to the front door and let herself in. As she stepped into the deserted foyer,the control panel for the security system started blinking red—a warning that the entrant had tenseconds to type the proper code before the security alarms went off.
  He has the alarm on during a party?
  Sophie quickly typed the code and deactivated the system.
  Entering, she found the entire house uninhabited. Upstairs too. As she descended again to thedeserted living room, she stood a moment in the silence, wondering what could possibly behappening.
  It was then that Sophie heard it.
  Muffled voices. And they seemed to be coming from underneath her. Sophie could not imagine.
  Crouching, she put her ear to the floor and listened. Yes, the sound was definitely coming frombelow. The voices seemed to be singing, or... chanting? She was frightened. Almost more eeriethan the sound itself was the realization that this house did not even have a basement.
  At least none I've ever seen.
  Turning now and scanning the living room, Sophie's eyes fell to the only object in the entire housethat seemed out of place—her grandfather's favorite antique, a sprawling Aubusson tapestry. Itusually hung on the east wall beside the fireplace, but tonight it had been pulled aside on its brassrod, exposing the wall behind it.
  Walking toward the bare wooden wall, Sophie sensed the chanting getting louder. Hesitant, sheleaned her ear against the wood. The voices were clearer now. People were definitely chanting...
  intoning words Sophie could not discern.
  The space behind this wall is hollow!
  Feeling around the edge of the panels, Sophie found a recessed fingerhold. It was discreetlycrafted. A sliding door. Heart pounding, she placed her finger in the slot and pulled it. Withnoiseless precision, the heavy wall slid sideways. From out of the darkness beyond, the voicesechoed up.
  Sophie slipped through the door and found herself on a rough-hewn stone staircase that spiraleddownward. She'd been coming to this house since she was a child and yet had no idea this staircaseeven existed!
  As she descended, the air grew cooler. The voices clearer. She heard men and women now. Herline of sight was limited by the spiral of the staircase, but the last step was now rounding into view.
  Beyond it, she could see a small patch of the basement floor—stone, illuminated by the flickeringorange blaze of firelight.
  Holding her breath, Sophie inched down another few steps and crouched down to look. It took herseveral seconds to process what she was seeing.
  The room was a grotto—a coarse chamber that appeared to have been hollowed from the granite ofthe hillside. The only light came from torches on the walls. In the glow of the flames, thirty or sopeople stood in a circle in the center of the room.
  I'm dreaming, Sophie told herself. A dream. What else could this be?
  Everyone in the room was wearing a mask. The women were dressed in white gossamer gowns andgolden shoes. Their masks were white, and in their hands they carried golden orbs. The men worelong black tunics, and their masks were black. They looked like pieces in a giant chess set.
  Everyone in the circle rocked back and forth and chanted in reverence to something on the floorbefore them... something Sophie could not see.
  The chanting grew steady again. Accelerating. Thundering now. Faster. The participants took astep inward and knelt. In that instant, Sophie could finally see what they all were witnessing. Evenas she staggered back in horror, she felt the image searing itself into her memory forever.
  Overtaken by nausea, Sophie spun, clutching at the stone walls as she clambered back up the stairs.
  Pulling the door closed, she fled the deserted house, and drove in a tearful stupor back to Paris.
  That night, with her life shattered by disillusionment and betrayal, she packed her belongings andleft her home. On the dining room table, she left a note.
  I WAS THERE. DON'T TRY TO FIND ME.
  Beside the note, she laid the old spare key from the chateau's woodshed.
  "Sophie! Langdon's voice intruded. "Stop! Stop!"Emerging from the memory, Sophie slammed on the brakes, skidding to a halt. "What? Whathappened?!"Langdon pointed down the long street before them.
  When she saw it, Sophie's blood went cold. A hundred yards ahead, the intersection was blockedby a couple of DCPJ police cars, parked askew, their purpose obvious. They've sealed off AvenueGabriel!
  Langdon gave a grim sigh. "I take it the embassy is off-limits this evening?"Down the street, the two DCPJ officers who stood beside their cars were now staring in theirdirection, apparently curious about the headlights that had halted so abruptly up the street fromthem.
  Okay, Sophie, turn around very slowly.
  Putting the SmartCar in reverse, she performed a composed three-point turn and reversed herdirection. As she drove away, she heard the sound of squealing tires behind them. Sirens blared tolife.
  Cursing, Sophie slammed down the accelerator.
当索菲和兰登逃出卢浮宫,跑进巴黎的夜色中时,德农馆西侧的警报把杜伊勒里花园里的鸽子吓得四处飞散。他们穿过广场,向索菲的汽车跑去,兰登听见远处传来了警笛声。
"在那里。"索菲指着停在广场上的一辆红色平头双人座汽车喊道。
她不是在开玩笑吧?兰登还从来没有见过这么小的车。
"都市精灵。"她说。"开一百公里就扔了。"
兰登刚钻到乘客席上,索菲就把"都市精灵"发动了起来,而后又缓速驶过了碎石隔离线。汽车冲下了人行道,颠簸了一下,驶入了环行的卢浮宫卡鲁塞勒商廊。兰登紧紧地抓住车里的隔栏。
索菲似乎一度想抄近路,冲破中间的防护栏,从圆形草坪中间开过去。
"不!"兰登叫道,他知道卢浮宫卡鲁塞勒商廊周围的防护栏遮挡着草坪中心的一个危险的坑洞--倒置的玻璃金字塔。刚才,兰登已经在博物馆里看到了通过这个玻璃金字塔照射进去的光线。它就像一张大嘴,可以一口将他们的"都市精灵"吞下去。幸亏索菲又决定按常规路线行驶,她将方向盘向左猛转,又出了商廊,然后向左拐进一条朝北的街道,向着利沃里街急速行驶。后面传来的警笛声离他们越来越近了,兰登已经可以从车边镜中看到闪烁的警灯。索菲急着要加速离开卢浮宫的时候,都市精灵的发动机已经发出闷响开始抗议了。前方五十码的地方,利沃里街口又亮起了红灯。索菲轻声骂了几句,继续驾车向前冲。
"索菲?"
到达十字路口,索菲只稍微地放慢了一点车速,打亮了车灯,然后迅速地扫视了一下左右,又踩下了油门。汽车向左拐了个大弯,穿过空荡荡的十字路口,驶进了利沃里街。
向西加速行驶了一公里后,索菲将车开向右边的高架。很快,他们从环形高架的另一边下来,驶入了宽阔的香榭丽舍大街。
汽车开始径直行驶,兰登转过身,伸长了脖子,透过后窗朝卢浮宫方向张望。好像警察并没有追他们。远处那蓝色的警灯聚集在博物馆前像是一片海洋。
他那颗悬在半空的心终于放了下来,他回过头来说道。"这还真有趣。"
索菲像是没有听见。她注视着前方长长的香榭丽舍大街。眼前这条有许多时尚小店的路段通常被叫做巴黎第五大街。离使馆大约只有一英里了,兰登在座位上放松了下来。
男人的欺骗是多么黑暗。
索菲敏捷的思维已经给兰登留下了深刻的印象。
《岩间圣母》。
索菲说她的祖父在油画后留下了些东西。最终的信息?兰登不禁为索尼埃能找到这样的藏宝之处而赞叹不已。《岩间圣母》那相互关联的象征符号之链上的又一个环节。看来,索尼埃在每个环节上都愈发表现出对达。芬奇的反叛和恶作剧的欣赏。
《岩间圣母》原本是达。芬奇受净念慈善会的委托为米兰圣弗朗切斯科教堂的礼拜堂所作的祭坛画。修女们事先确定了油画的尺寸和主题--山洞中的圣母玛丽娅、施洗者约翰、乌列和婴儿耶稣。虽然达。芬奇按照她们的要求来做画,但当他交上画作的时候,引起了慈善会里的一片惊恐。这幅画作中充满了引发争议的、令人不安的细节。
画作描绘了身着蓝袍的圣母玛丽娅抱着一个婴儿坐在那里,那个婴儿应该就是耶稣。
乌列坐在玛丽娅的对面,也怀抱着婴儿,那个婴儿应该就是施洗者约翰。奇怪的是,画作却一反常理,画的是约翰为耶稣祈福,而不是耶稣为约翰祈福……耶稣正服从于约翰的权威!更成问题的是,画中玛丽娅一手置于约翰头上,另一只手则做出一个威胁的手势--她的手指看上去像鹰爪,仿佛正抓着一个无形的人头。最明显而又最令人毛骨悚然的形象要数玛丽娅弯曲的手指下方的乌列--他做出一个砍东西的手势,仿佛要把玛丽娅抓住的那个无形的人头从脖颈处砍下来。
后来,为了安慰慈善会,达。芬奇又为其画了第二幅"岩间圣母",画面的安排比较正统。第二幅画现藏于伦敦国立美术馆,取名为《岩间的玛丽娅》。兰登的学生每每听到这里,就会一片哗然。不过,兰登还是比较偏爱卢浮宫里暗藏玄机的那一幅。
车飞奔在香榭丽舍大街上,兰登问索菲:"那幅画后面藏了什么。"
"我们安全进入使馆后,我会给你看的。"索菲仍注视着前方的道路。
"你会给我看?"兰登诧异地问。"那是一件物品?"
索菲点了点头。"上面刻着法国百合和首字母缩写P.S."。
兰登简直不敢相信自己的耳朵。
我们马上就到了,索菲想着,将方向盘向右打,驶过豪华的克里昂士饭店,进入巴黎三车道的使馆区。离使馆不到一公里了。她终于感到自己又可以正常地呼吸了。
索菲一边驾车,一边惦记着口袋里的那把钥匙,她的脑海中浮现出许多年前关于那把钥匙的记忆,那加号形的金色钥匙柄,那三棱柱形的匙身,那钥匙上的小孔,以及那雕刻在钥匙柄上的花纹和字母P.S这么多年来,她很少想起这把钥匙,但多年来在科技安全部门工作的经验告诉她这样的钥匙设计并不神秘。激光塑模,无法复制。那种锁不是靠钥匙上的锯齿来转动制动栓,而是通过一个电子孔来检测钥匙上用激光烧制而成的小孔。如果电子孔检测出匙身六个截面上的小孔是按要求旋转排列的,那么锁就会开启。
索菲想不到这把钥匙会打开什么,但她感觉到罗伯特一定能告诉她答案。毕竟,他还没有看到钥匙就可以描绘出那上面的图案了。那十字架形的钥匙柄暗示着钥匙一定与某个基督教组织有关,但据索菲所知,并没有哪个教堂在使用激光塑模的钥匙。再说,祖父也不是基督教徒……
她十年前的所见所闻可以证实这一点。颇具讽刺意义的是,向她揭示出祖父本性的是另一把钥匙--比眼下的这把要普通得多的钥匙。
她到达戴高乐机场的那天下午,天气暖洋洋的。她拦了一辆出租车,祖父看到我一定会大吃一惊的,她想。她从英国的研究生院提前几天回家度春假,正迫不及待地想告诉祖父她新学到的加密方法。
当她赶到巴黎的家中时,却发现祖父不在家。她颇为失望。她知道祖父不知道她要回来,可能还在卢浮宫工作。但现在是礼拜天下午呀,她想起来。祖父很少在周末工作。周末的时候,他一般都会--索菲一笑,向车库跑去。可以肯定,他的车被开走了。现在是周末。雅克。索尼埃不喜欢在城市中开车,他驾车只会去一个地方,那就是他那位于巴黎北面的诺曼底的度假别墅。索菲已经在拥挤的伦敦呆了好几个月,正渴望去感受一下大自然的气息,于是决定到那里去度假。当时正值傍晚,时候尚早,索菲决定立即动身,给祖父一个惊喜。她向朋友借了一辆车,向北开,在克鲁里附近的盘山公路上行驶--那些寂静无人的小山丘上洒满了月光。当她到达别墅时,刚刚十点多钟。她将车开上一英里长的私家车道,向别墅驶去。当她开到一半,就可以透过树木看见那座房子了--那是一座用古老的石块搭建成的大房子,坐落在山腰上的树丛中。索菲原本猜想祖父可能已经睡下了,当她看到屋里还闪烁着灯光时非常兴奋。随即,她的兴奋之情又被惊异所取代,因为她看见车道上停满了汽车--奔驰、宝马、奥迪,还有罗尔斯。罗伊斯。
索菲瞧了瞧,忍不住笑出声来。我的祖父是著名的隐士!雅克。索尼埃这个隐士实在名不符实。显然,他趁索菲在校读书时在这里举行晚会,从车道上的车看来,一些巴黎名流也前来参加了。
索菲迫不及待地想给祖父一个惊喜,于是她急匆匆地来到前门。可是,前门却锁着。
她敲了敲,没人应答。她迷惑不解地转到后门,推了推,后门也锁着。没有人开门。
索菲不解地站在那里,竖起耳朵倾听周围的动静。她只听到诺曼底那凉飕飕的空气在山谷中回旋,发出低沉的呻吟。
没有音乐。
没有说话声。
什么声音也没有。
索菲急匆匆地赶到房子的侧面,爬上了一个木材堆,将脸紧紧地贴在客厅的窗户上。
她简直无法理解她所看到的景象。
"一个人也没有!"
整个一楼楼面都空荡荡的。
这些人都到哪里去了?
索菲的心怦怦直跳,她跑到柴房里,从引火柴底下取出祖父藏在那里的备用钥匙。她跑到前门,开锁进屋。当她走进空空如也的客厅时,安全系统控制板上的红灯闪烁了起来--那是在提醒来访者在十秒钟之内输入正确的密码,否则警报就会被拉响。
开晚会还用警报?
索菲迅速地键入了密码,不让警报拉响。
她再往里走,发现整幢房子,包括楼上,都空无一人。当她从楼上下来,回到空荡荡的客厅时,她默默地站了一会儿,思忖着这到底是怎么回事。
就在那时,索菲听见有声音传来。
沉闷的声音。那声音听上去是从索菲自己的脚下传来的。索菲大惑不解,趴在地板上,把耳朵紧紧地贴近地面。没错,声音就是从地下传来的。好像有人在唱歌或者……在唱赞歌?索菲觉得有点儿害怕。当她想起这幢房子并没有地下室的时候,更感到恐惧。
至少我没见有地下室。
索菲转身扫视了一下客厅,将目光锁定在那块皇宫挂毯上--那是祖父最喜爱的古董,但今天它是整幢房中唯一挪了位的东西。它原本是挂在火炉边的东墙上的,但今晚它却被拉到了挂竿的一边,把原本被挡住的墙壁暴露在外。
索菲朝那堵空白的木质墙壁走去,她感到赞歌的声音响了一些。她犹豫了一下,将耳朵贴近木墙。这下,声音变得很清晰。那些人一定是在唱赞歌……但索菲听不出曲调和歌词。
这堵墙后面有隔间!
索菲摸索着墙壁,发现了一个凹陷的、制作精致的扣指处。一扇滑门。索菲的心怦怦直跳,她将手指扣入那个小槽,移开了滑门。厚重的滑门悄无声息地向两侧移开了。赞歌在眼前的这一片黑暗中回响。
索菲闪进门内,站在了用石块搭建而成的盘旋而下的楼梯上。她小时候就常来别墅,可从来也不知道还有这么一个楼梯通道!
沿着楼梯,越往下走,空气就越凉,人声也越清晰。她现在可以分辨出那里面既有男人的声音,也有女人的声音。盘旋的楼梯挡住了她的部分视野,但她现在可以看到最后一级台阶了。台阶前,是地下室的一小块地面--石块铺就,被闪烁的橘红色火焰照得通亮。
索菲屏住呼吸,又向下走了几级台阶,俯身望去。好一阵子,她才明白过来自己看到了些什么。
地下室实际上是一个洞穴,是掏空了山坡上的岩体而形成的洞室。唯一的光源是墙上的火把。在那闪亮的火焰中,大约有三十个人围成圈,站在洞室的中间。
我是在做梦吧,索菲自语道。这难道不是一个梦吗?
洞室里的每个人都戴着面纱。女人们穿着白色的游丝长袍,穿着金黄色的鞋子。她们的面纱是白色的,她们手握着金黄色的宝珠。男人们则穿着黑色的及膝短袖衣,戴着黑色的面纱。他们看上去就像一个大棋盘上的棋子。他们前后晃动着身体,充满敬意地对身前地板上的一样东西唱着赞歌……索菲看不见那是什么东西。
赞歌的曲调舒缓了下来,接着又渐渐激昂起来,最后节奏加快,非常高亢。那些人向前迈了一步,跪倒在地。那一刻,索菲终于看到了他们注视的东西。在她吓得倒退几步的同时,那场景也永远留在了她的记忆中。她感到强烈的恶心,站起身来,抓着墙上的石块,顺着楼梯往回走。她拉上了滑门,逃离了空空的别墅,泪汪汪地驾车返回了巴黎。
那天晚上,她感到生活的理想由于亲人的背叛而被打碎了。她收拾了自己的东西,离开了家。她在餐桌上留下了一张纸条。
我去过那里了。不要来找我。
她把从别墅柴房里取出的那把陈旧的备用钥匙放在了纸条旁边。
"索菲!"兰登打断了她的回忆。"停车!停车!"
索菲这才回过神来,猛地踩下刹车,将车停了下来。"怎么了?发生什么事了?"
兰登指向前方那长长的街道。
索菲举目望去,心都凉了。前面一百码处,几辆警署的车斜堵在了十字路口,其意图显而易见。他们已经封住了加布里埃尔大街!
兰登板着脸,叹道。"看来今晚大使馆成了禁区了?"
街道尽头,站在车旁的警察们正注视着这个方向,他们显然发现了前方街道上有辆车突然停下,并对此产生了怀疑。
"好吧。"索菲慢慢地调转车头。
索菲向后倒了一下车,转了个弯,将车头调转过来。当她开动汽车时,听见后方传来轮胎摩擦地面发出的尖锐声响,警笛声大作。
"该死。"索菲踩下了油门。
小梨涡°

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看一篇设定正常的文好难。
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Chapter 33
Sophie's SmartCar tore through the diplomatic quarter, weaving past embassies and consulates,finally racing out a side street and taking a right turn back onto the massive thoroughfare ofChamps-Elysées.
  Langdon sat white-knuckled in the passenger seat, twisted backward, scanning behind them for anysigns of the police. He suddenly wished he had not decided to run. You didn't, he reminded himself.
  Sophie had made the decision for him when she threw the GPS dot out the bathroom window.
  Now, as they sped away from the embassy, serpentining through sparse traffic on Champs-Elysées,Langdon felt his options deteriorating. Although Sophie seemed to have lost the police, at least forthe moment, Langdon doubted their luck would hold for long.
  Behind the wheel Sophie was fishing in her sweater pocket. She removed a small metal object andheld it out for him. "Robert, you'd better have a look at this. This is what my grandfather left mebehind Madonna of the Rocks."Feeling a shiver of anticipation, Langdon took the object and examined it. It was heavy and shapedlike a cruciform. His first instinct was that he was holding a funeral pieu—a miniature version of amemorial spike designed to be stuck into the ground at a gravesite. But then he noted the shaftprotruding from the cruciform was prismatic and triangular. The shaft was also pockmarked withhundreds of tiny hexagons that appeared to be finely tooled and scattered at random.
  "It's a laser-cut key," Sophie told him. "Those hexagons are read by an electric eye."A key? Langdon had never seen anything like it.
  "Look at the other side," she said, changing lanes and sailing through an intersection.
  When Langdon turned the key, he felt his jaw drop. There, intricately embossed on the center ofthe cross, was a stylized fleur-de-lis with the initials P.S.! "Sophie," he said, "this is the seal I toldyou about! The official device of the Priory of Sion."She nodded. "As I told you, I saw the key a long time ago. He told me never to speak of it again."Langdon's eyes were still riveted on the embossed key. Its high-tech tooling and age-oldsymbolism exuded an eerie fusion of ancient and modern worlds.
  "He told me the key opened a box where he kept many secrets."Langdon felt a chill to imagine what kind of secrets a man like Jacques Saunière might keep. Whatan ancient brotherhood was doing with a futuristic key, Langdon had no idea. The Priory existedfor the sole purpose of protecting a secret. A secret of incredible power. Could this key havesomething to do with it? The thought was overwhelming. "Do you know what it opens?"Sophie looked disappointed. "I was hoping you knew."Langdon remained silent as he turned the cruciform in his hand, examining it.
  "It looks Christian," Sophie pressed.
  Langdon was not so sure about that. The head of this key was not the traditional long-stemmedChristian cross but rather was a square cross—with four arms of equal length—which predatedChristianity by fifteen hundred years. This kind of cross carried none of the Christian connotationsof crucifixion associated with the longer-stemmed Latin Cross, originated by Romans as a torturedevice. Langdon was always surprised how few Christians who gazed upon "the crucifix" realizedtheir symbol's violent history was reflected in its very name: "cross" and "crucifix" came from theLatin verb cruciare—to torture.
  "Sophie," he said, "all I can tell you is that equal-armed crosses like this one are consideredpeaceful crosses. Their square configurations make them impractical for use in crucifixion, andtheir balanced vertical and horizontal elements convey a natural union of male and female, makingthem symbolically consistent with Priory philosophy."She gave him a weary look. "You have no idea, do you?"Langdon frowned. "Not a clue.""Okay, we have to get off the road." Sophie checked her rearview mirror. "We need a safe place tofigure out what that key opens."Langdon thought longingly of his comfortable room at the Ritz. Obviously, that was not an option.
  "How about my hosts at the American University of Paris?""Too obvious. Fache will check with them.""You must know people. You live here.""Fache will run my phone and e-mail records, talk to my coworkers. My contacts arecompromised, and finding a hotel is no good because they all require identification."Langdon wondered again if he might have been better off taking his chances letting Fache arresthim at the Louvre. "Let's call the embassy. I can explain the situation and have the embassy sendsomeone to meet us somewhere.""Meet us?" Sophie turned and stared at him as if he were crazy. "Robert, you're dreaming. Yourembassy has no jurisdiction except on their own property. Sending someone to retrieve us would beconsidered aiding a fugitive of the French government. It won't happen. If you walk into yourembassy and request temporary asylum, that's one thing, but asking them to take action againstFrench law enforcement in the field?" She shook her head. "Call your embassy right now, and theyare going to tell you to avoid further damage and turn yourself over to Fache. Then they'll promiseto pursue diplomatic channels to get you a fair trial." She gazed up the line of elegant storefronts onChamps-Elysées. "How much cash do you have?"Langdon checked his wallet. "A hundred dollars. A few euro. Why?""Credit cards?""Of course."As Sophie accelerated, Langdon sensed she was formulating a plan. Dead ahead, at the end ofChamps-Elysées, stood the Arc de Triomphe—Napoleon's 164-foot-tall tribute to his own militarypotency—encircled by France's largest rotary, a nine-lane behemoth.
  Sophie's eyes were on the rearview mirror again as they approached the rotary. "We lost them forthe time being," she said, "but we won't last another five minutes if we stay in this car."So steal a different one, Langdon mused, now that we're criminals. "What are you going to do?"Sophie gunned the SmartCar into the rotary. "Trust me."Langdon made no response. Trust had not gotten him very far this evening. Pulling back the sleeveof his jacket, he checked his watch—a vintage, collector's-edition Mickey Mouse wristwatch thathad been a gift from his parents on his tenth birthday. Although its juvenile dial often drew oddlooks, Langdon had never owned any other watch; Disney animations had been his firstintroduction to the magic of form and color, and Mickey now served as Langdon's daily reminderto stay young at heart. At the moment, however, Mickey's arms were skewed at an awkward angle,indicating an equally awkward hour.
  2:51 A.M.
  "Interesting watch," Sophie said, glancing at his wrist and maneuvering the SmartCar around thewide, counterclockwise rotary.
  "Long story," he said, pulling his sleeve back down.
  "I imagine it would have to be." She gave him a quick smile and exited the rotary, heading duenorth, away from the city center. Barely making two green lights, she reached the third intersectionand took a hard right onto Boulevard Malesherbes. They'd left the rich, tree-lined streets of thediplomatic neighborhood and plunged into a darker industrial neighborhood. Sophie took a quickleft, and a moment later, Langdon realized where they were.
  Gare Saint-Lazare.
  Ahead of them, the glass-roofed train terminal resembled the awkward offspring of an airplanehangar and a greenhouse. European train stations never slept. Even at this hour, a half-dozen taxisidled near the main entrance. Vendors manned carts of sandwiches and mineral water while grungykids in backpacks emerged from the station rubbing their eyes, looking around as if trying toremember what city they were in now. Up ahead on the street, a couple of city policemen stood onthe curb giving directions to some confused tourists.
  Sophie pulled her SmartCar in behind the line of taxis and parked in a red zone despite plenty oflegal parking across the street. Before Langdon could ask what was going on, she was out of thecar. She hurried to the window of the taxi in front of them and began speaking to the driver.
  As Langdon got out of the SmartCar, he saw Sophie hand the taxi driver a big wad of cash. Thetaxi driver nodded and then, to Langdon's bewilderment, sped off without them.
  "What happened?" Langdon demanded, joining Sophie on the curb as the taxi disappeared.
  Sophie was already heading for the train station entrance. "Come on. We're buying two tickets onthe next train out of Paris."Langdon hurried along beside her. What had begun as a one-mile dash to the U.S. Embassy hadnow become a full-fledged evacuation from Paris. Langdon was liking this idea less and less.
索菲的"都市精灵"与大使馆和领事馆飞速地擦肩而过,穿越了使馆区,最后冲上一条人行道,右转返回到宽阔的香榭丽舍大街。
兰登攥着拳头坐在乘客席上,扭身向后张望,看看是否有警察的踪迹。忽然,他希望自己没有做出逃跑的决定。实际上,你也没做过这样的决定,他提醒自己。当索菲将全球定位系统跟踪器扔出厕所时,她已经替兰登做出了决定。现在,他们正加速离开大使馆,穿行在车辆行人稀少的香榭丽舍大街上。兰登觉得他刚才选择返回国家展厅的决定,使事情变得更糟了。虽然眼下索菲甩掉了警察,但谁知道这好运能停留多久呢。
索菲一手操纵着方向盘,一手在毛衣口袋中摸索。她拿出了一个金属小玩意儿,递给兰登。"罗伯特,你最好看看这个。这是祖父留在《岩间圣母》后面的。"
兰登急切地接过那个东西,仔细端详起来。它是十字形的,沉甸甸的。兰登感觉自己仿佛拿着一个微型的坟前十字架--那种插在墓前,用来纪念死者的十字桩。但他又注意到,十字形钥匙柄下的钥匙身是三棱柱形的,上面随机排列着上百个精致的小洞。
"这是一把激光塑模的钥匙。"索菲告诉他。"锁上的电子孔会读取钥匙身上小洞的排列信息。"一把钥匙?兰登从来没有见过这样的钥匙。
"看看另一面。"索菲将车开过一个十字路口,驶入另一条街道。
兰登将钥匙翻转过来,变得目瞪口呆,只见那十字形钥匙柄的中心刻着法国百合的花样和首字母缩写P.S.!"索菲。"他说。"这就是我说过的那个图案,这是郇山隐修会的标志。"索菲点了点头:"我说过,我很久以前就见过这把钥匙。祖父让我不要再提起它。"
兰登仍死死地盯着那把刻着图案的钥匙。它运用高科技制造而成,却刻着古老的象征符号,反映了古今世界的奇妙融合。
"他告诉我这把钥匙可以打开一个盒子,盒子里藏着他的许多秘密。"
雅克。索尼埃这样的人会保守什么样的秘密呢?兰登想到这个问题,不禁打了个冷战。
他无法理解为什么一个古老教会要使用如此现代化的钥匙。隐修会的存在只为了一个目的,那就是保守一个秘密--一个有巨大威力的秘密。这把钥匙会不会与此有关呢?兰登不禁要这样揣测。"你知道它是用来开什么的吗?"
索菲看上去很失望:"我希望你会知道。"
兰登不说话了,只是翻动、打量着手中的十字形钥匙。
"它看上去与基督教有关。"索菲接着说。
兰登无法确认这说法是否属实。钥匙柄并不是传统的基督教十字形,而是一个正方十字形--像交叉的两条线段那样长。这种符号的诞生比基督教的成立早了一千五百年。传统的基督教十字形源于罗马的一种刑具,但正方十字形则完全与此无关。兰登总是惊奇地发现,很少会有基督教徒知道他们的象征符号的名称反映了一段暴力的历史:英文单词十字架‘cross’、‘十字形crucifix’源于拉丁文"cruciare",而这个单词就表示"酷刑"、"折磨"。
"索菲。"兰登说道。"据我所知,这种正方十字形被视为‘和平’的十字。它的外形使得它不可能被用做刑具,交叉的两条线段一样长,暗含着男女自然融合的寓意。它的象征意义与隐修会的思想是一致的。"索菲不耐烦地看了他一眼。"你不知道它是用来开什么的吗?"
兰登皱了皱眉头。"一点儿也看不出来。"
"好吧,我们必须把车停了。"索菲对车后镜看了看。"我们必须找个地方来想想这钥匙到底是用来开什么的。"兰登非常渴望回到丽兹酒店的舒适客房中去,但很显然那是不可能的。
"去找驻巴黎的美国大学接待人怎么样?"
"太容易暴露目标了。法希会去检查他们的。"
"你一定认识人的。你住在这里呀。"
"法希会根据我的电话和电子邮件记录与我的同事取得联系,他们都会听法希的。找饭店也不行,那得要身份证。"兰登再次觉得被法希在卢浮宫逮捕会比现在更好些。"那我们打电话给大使馆。我可以向他们解释情况,让大使馆派人到什么地方接应我们。""接应我们?"索菲扭头看着兰登,那眼神仿佛在问兰登是否在说疯话。
"罗伯特,别做梦了。你们的大使馆在领地之外没有司法权。派人来接应我们就等于援助法国政府的逃犯。那是不可能的。如果你走进大使馆请求临时避难,那另当别论,但要让他们在这方面采取行动对抗法国的法律?"索菲摇了摇头。"如果你现在打电话给大使馆,他们只会让你避免更大的损失,向法希自首。然后,他们会保证将通过外交途径让你受到公正的审判。"她看了看香榭丽舍大街上那排优雅的时尚店。"你带了多少现金?"
兰登看了看钱包。"一百美元。还有一点儿欧元。怎么了?"
"带信用卡了吗?"
"当然。"
索菲加快了车速。兰登凭直觉知道她又在构想一个计划。前面是死路了,香榭丽舍大街的尽头矗立着凯旋门--那是拿破仑为炫耀其战果而建的高达164 英尺的拱门。它被法国最大的环行公路围绕着,那是拥有九车道的庞然大物。
当行驶到环行公路时,索菲又看了看车后镜。"我们暂时甩掉了他们。"索菲说。"但如果我们不下车的话,不出五分钟他们又会发现我们了。"那就偷一辆车,兰登暗自思忖,反正我们是罪犯。
索菲踩下油门,将车开上环行公路。"相信我。"
兰登没有回答。"相信"让他今晚遇到了太多的麻烦。他拉起夹克衫的袖子,看了看表,那是一块珍藏版的米奇老鼠手表,是兰登十岁生日时父母送给他的生日礼物。虽然那孩子气的表盘经常引来怪异的目光,但这是兰登所拥有的唯一的一块手表。是迪斯尼的动画把他引入了形象和颜色的神奇世界,现在米奇老鼠还每天提醒兰登永葆一颗童心。此刻,米奇的两个手臂形成了一个不自然的夹角,表明的时间:2:51 A.M.
"有趣的手表。"索菲边说,边让车顺着环行公路拐了一个逆时针的大弯。
"说来话长。"兰登把袖口拉了下来。
"我想也是。"她冲兰登一笑,把车开下了环行公路,又继续向北开去,离开了市中心。
他们穿过两个亮着绿灯的十字路口,来到第三个十字路口时,他们向右急转弯,驶上了梅尔歇布大道。他们已经离开了豪华的三车道使馆区,驶入了稍稍有点儿昏暗的工业区。索菲向左来了个急转弯,几分钟后,兰登方才辨认出他们的方位。
圣拉查尔火车站。
在他们前方,那玻璃屋顶的火车终点站聚集着刚下火车的人群。欧洲的火车站是通宵开放的。即使是在此时,还有很多出租车在出口处接客。小贩们推着小车叫卖三明治和矿泉水,刚从车站里出来的被大人背着的小家伙眨巴着眼睛,似乎要努力地记住眼前的这个城市。在路口,有几个警察站在路沿上,为找不着北的旅游者们指路。
虽然街对面有足够的停车空间,索菲还是将"都市精灵"停在于那排出租车的后面。还没等兰登问这是怎么回事,索菲已经跳下了车。她急匆匆地跑到一辆出租车的窗前,和司机交谈起来。
当兰登跳下车时,看见索菲正将一大叠现金交给出租车司机。司机点了点头。令兰登大惑不解的是,司机并没有带上他们,而是自个儿把车开走了。
"怎么了?"兰登跨上路沿,站到索菲跟前。这时那辆车已经从他们的视线中消失了。
索菲又向火车站人口走去。"来,我们买两张票,搭下一班车离开巴黎。"
兰登急匆匆地跟在她身旁。现在,到美国使馆的一英里冲刺已经彻头彻尾地变成了从巴黎向外潜逃。兰登越来越不喜欢这个主意了。
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Chapter 34
The driver who collected Bishop Aringarosa from Leonardo da Vinci International Airport pulledup in a small, unimpressive black Fiat sedan. Aringarosa recalled a day when all Vatican transportswere big luxury cars that sported grille-plate medallions and flags emblazoned with the seal of theHoly See. Those days are gone. Vatican cars were now less ostentatious and almost alwaysunmarked. The Vatican claimed this was to cut costs to better serve their dioceses, but Aringarosasuspected it was more of a security measure. The world had gone mad, and in many parts ofEurope, advertising your love of Jesus Christ was like painting a bull's-eye on the roof of your car.
  Bundling his black cassock around himself, Aringarosa climbed into the back seat and settled in forthe long drive to Castel Gandolfo. It would be the same ride he had taken five months ago.
  Last year's trip to Rome, he sighed. The longest night of my life.
  Five months ago, the Vatican had phoned to request Aringarosa's immediate presence in Rome.
  They offered no explanation. Your tickets are at the airport. The Holy See worked hard to retain aveil of mystery, even for its highest clergy.
  The mysterious summons, Aringarosa suspected, was probably a photo opportunity for the Popeand other Vatican officials to piggyback on Opus Dei's recent public success—the completion oftheir World Headquarters in New York City. Architectural Digest had called Opus Dei's building"a shining beacon of Catholicism sublimely integrated with the modern landscape," and lately theVatican seemed to be drawn to anything and everything that included the word "modern."Aringarosa had no choice but to accept the invitation, albeit reluctantly. Not a fan of the currentpapal administration, Aringarosa, like most conservative clergy, had watched with grave concernas the new Pope settled into his first year in office. An unprecedented liberal, His Holiness hadsecured the papacy through one of the most controversial and unusual conclaves in Vatican history.
  Now, rather than being humbled by his unexpected rise to power, the Holy Father had wasted notime flexing all the muscle associated with the highest office in Christendom. Drawing on anunsettling tide of liberal support within the College of Cardinals, the Pope was now declaring hispapal mission to be "rejuvenation of Vatican doctrine and updating Catholicism into the thirdmillennium."The translation, Aringarosa feared, was that the man was actually arrogant enough to think hecould rewrite God's laws and win back the hearts of those who felt the demands of true Catholicismhad become too inconvenient in a modern world.
  Aringarosa had been using all of his political sway—substantial considering the size of the OpusDei constituency and their bankroll—to persuade the Pope and his advisers that softening theChurch's laws was not only faithless and cowardly, but political suicide. He reminded them thatprevious tempering of Church law—the Vatican II fiasco—had left a devastating legacy: Churchattendance was now lower than ever, donations were drying up, and there were not even enoughCatholic priests to preside over their churches.
  People need structure and direction from the Church, Aringarosa insisted, not coddling andindulgence!
  On that night, months ago, as the Fiat had left the airport, Aringarosa was surprised to find himselfheading not toward Vatican City but rather eastward up a sinuous mountain road. "Where are wegoing?" he had demanded of his driver.
  "Alban Hills," the man replied. "Your meeting is at Castel Gandolfo."The Pope's summer residence? Aringarosa had never been, nor had he ever desired to see it. Inaddition to being the Pope's summer vacation home, the sixteenth-century citadel housed theSpecula Vaticana—the Vatican Observatory—one of the most advanced astronomicalobservatories in Europe. Aringarosa had never been comfortable with the Vatican's historical needto dabble in science. What was the rationale for fusing science and faith? Unbiased science couldnot possibly be performed by a man who possessed faith in God. Nor did faith have any need forphysical confirmation of its beliefs.
  Nonetheless, there it is, he thought as Castel Gandolfo came into view, rising against a star-filledNovember sky. From the access road, Gandolfo resembled a great stone monster pondering asuicidal leap. Perched at the very edge of a cliff, the castle leaned out over the cradle of Italiancivilization—the valley where the Curiazi and Orazi clans fought long before the founding ofRome.
  Even in silhouette, Gandolfo was a sight to behold—an impressive example of tiered, defensivearchitecture, echoing the potency of this dramatic cliffside setting. Sadly, Aringarosa now saw, theVatican had ruined the building by constructing two huge aluminum telescope domes atop the roof,leaving this once dignified edifice looking like a proud warrior wearing a couple of party hats.
  When Aringarosa got out of the car, a young Jesuit priest hurried out and greeted him. "Bishop,welcome. I am Father Mangano. An astronomer here."Good for you. Aringarosa grumbled his hello and followed his host into the castle's foyer—a wide-open space whose decor was a graceless blend of Renaissance art and astronomy images.
  Following his escort up the wide travertine marble staircase, Aringarosa saw signs for conferencecenters, science lecture halls, and tourist information services. It amazed him to think the Vaticanwas failing at every turn to provide coherent, stringent guidelines for spiritual growth and yetsomehow still found time to give astrophysics lectures to tourists.
  "Tell me," Aringarosa said to the young priest, "when did the tail start wagging the dog?"The priest gave him an odd look. "Sir?"Aringarosa waved it off, deciding not to launch into that particular offensive again this evening.
  The Vatican has gone mad. Like a lazy parent who found it easier to acquiesce to the whims of aspoiled child than to stand firm and teach values, the Church just kept softening at every turn,trying to reinvent itself to accommodate a culture gone astray.
  The top floor's corridor was wide, lushly appointed, and led in only one direction—toward a hugeset of oak doors with a brass sign.
  BIBLIOTECA ASTRONOMICAAringarosa had heard of this place—the Vatican's Astronomy Library—rumored to contain morethan twenty-five thousand volumes, including rare works of Copernicus, Galileo, Kepler, Newton,and Secchi. Allegedly, it was also the place in which the Pope's highest officers held privatemeetings... those meetings they preferred not to hold within the walls of Vatican City.
  Approaching the door, Bishop Aringarosa would never have imagined the shocking news he wasabout to receive inside, or the deadly chain of events it would put into motion. It was not until anhour later, as he staggered from the meeting, that the devastating implications settled in. Six monthsfrom now! he had thought. God help us!
  Now, seated in the Fiat, Bishop Aringarosa realized his fists were clenched just thinking about thatfirst meeting. He released his grip and forced a slow inhalation, relaxing his muscles.
  Everything will be fine, he told himself as the Fiat wound higher into the mountains. Still, hewished his cell phone would ring. Why hasn't the Teacher called me? Silas should have thekeystone by now.
  Trying to ease his nerves, the bishop meditated on the purple amethyst in his ring. Feeling thetextures of the mitre-crozier appliqué and the facets of the diamonds, he reminded himself that thisring was a symbol of power far less than that which he would soon attain.
到列昂纳多。达。芬奇国际机场来接阿林加洛沙的司机开来的是一辆不起眼的黑色菲亚特小轿车。阿林加洛沙想起了过去。那时,梵蒂冈的车都是大型的豪华轿车,上面有栏杆和圆形雕饰,插着印有梵蒂冈城邦标志的旗帜。那个时代一去不复返了。梵蒂冈城的车辆现在已没有那么多的装饰了,有时候连标志都没有。梵蒂冈城声称这是为了缩减开支,以便更好地为教区服务,但阿林加洛沙则认为这可能是为了求安稳。整个世界都疯了,在欧洲的许多地方,公然表达对基督教的热爱,往往被视为像在自己的车顶上画个公牛眼一样,让人无法接受。
阿林加洛沙裹着黑色长袍,爬到车的后座上,准备开始前往岗道尔夫堡的漫长旅途。
五个月前他已经去过一次了。
他感叹道,去年的罗马之行,是我有生以来经历的最漫长的一个黑夜。
五个月前,梵蒂冈城打来电话,让阿林加洛沙立即到罗马来,但没有做任何的解释说明。已经为你订好了飞机票。梵蒂冈城邦竭力保持着一层神秘的色彩,即使对最高级的神职人员也不例外。
阿林加洛沙怀疑,这次神秘的聚会是为了让主教和其他梵蒂冈的官员有一个机会,展示天主事工会最近的一项杰作--他们完成了纽约总部的建设。《建筑文摘》称天主事工会的建筑是"将天主教精神与现代风景精妙融合的光辉典范"。近来,梵蒂冈似乎和什么都能扯上点关系,包括"现代"这个词。
阿林加洛沙别无选择,只好无奈地接受了这个邀请。阿林加洛沙像许多保守派的神职人员一样,并不是现任天主教会管理层的衷心拥护者,新教皇上任的第一年,他们就忧心忡忡地观望着教会的发展。在梵蒂冈历史上最有争议、最不同寻常的一次选举会议上,新教皇登上了宝座,这是一次史无前例的变革。现在,教皇并没有因为他的当选来得突然而表现谦逊,他立即与基督教最高管理组织一起准备采取行动。新教皇获取了枢机团中革新力量的支持,宣布他任期中的使命是"恢复梵蒂冈楔石的活力,使天主教适应第三个世纪"。
阿林加洛沙担心这恐怕意味着新教皇会自以为可以重写上帝的旨意,将那些认为天主教戒律已经不合时宜的人重新吸引回来。
阿林加洛沙以他辖区的选民和选民的财力为后盾,竭力劝告主教和他的顾问,告诉他们放宽教堂的法规不仅是不忠于上帝的怯懦表现,而且是等于放弃一切权力的自杀。他提醒他们上次放宽教堂法规的行动--颁布《梵蒂冈Ⅱ》--不仅遭遇了重大失败而且留下了极坏的影响:来教堂的人比以往任何时候都少,捐赠物匮乏,甚至没有足够多的牧师去主持教堂活动。
阿林加洛沙坚持认为,人们需要从教堂得到教育和指导,而不是溺爱和纵容。
但几个月前的那个晚上,当菲亚特离开机场的时候,阿林加洛沙惊异地发现车不是开向梵蒂冈城的,而是向东开上了弯曲的山路。"我们这是要去哪儿?"他问司机。
"奥尔本山。"司机回答。"你们的会议在岗道尔夫堡举行。"
主教的避暑山庄?阿林加洛沙从来没有去过,也没有想过要去。那座16 世纪的古堡不仅是主教的避暑山庄,而且也是梵蒂冈天文台--欧洲最先进的天文台--的所在地。阿林加洛沙一想到梵蒂冈的古迹要和科学沾上边,心里就觉得不舒服。把科学和信仰搀和在一起有何道理?人们没有对上帝的信仰,就找不到科学真理。信仰也不需要任何形式来证明自己。
尽管如此,它还是存在着,阿林加洛沙正想着,岗道尔夫堡已经浮现在眼前,它高耸在十一月的星空下。城堡坐落在悬崖的边缘,并向外倾斜着。从路上望去,它就像一个企图跳崖自尽的僧侣的石像。悬崖下面是意大利文明的发源地--罗马帝国成立前库里亚兹与奥拉齐两个苏格兰民族交战的地方。
岗道尔夫堡的外形轮廓十分引人注目,那一排防御用的城墙,与它坐落在崖边的险要位置共同展现出古堡的威严。令阿林加洛沙难过的是,现在架在古堡顶上的两个巨大的铝制望远镜将梵蒂冈城堡的形象毁于一旦,使这个曾经威严的建筑就像一个顶着怪帽子的骄傲武士。
阿林加洛沙下车后,一个年轻的基督教牧师急忙迎了上来,问候道:"主教,欢迎您。我是曼古拉教父,也是这里的天文工作者。"
你还真行。阿林加洛沙敷衍地打了个招呼,跟随着接待人进入了城堡的前厅--那是一个开阔的空间,但装修却并不高雅,那文艺复兴时期的艺术风格中还夹杂进了天文学的元素。他跟随着陪同者走上了宽阔的大理石台阶,看到了会议室的标牌、科学讲堂的标牌以及旅行服务台的标牌。令他难以置信的是一贯为人们的精神升华提供指引的梵蒂冈城堡还会为旅游者提供天体物理学的讲座。
"你说说看。"阿林加洛沙问那个年轻的牧师。"尾巴什么时候开始摇狗了?"
牧师用惊异的眼光看着他:"先生,您说什么?"
阿林加洛沙摆手不再提这个话题,他决定今晚不再冒犯什么人。整个梵蒂冈城都疯了。就像一些懒惰的父母,认为默许孩子的娇纵任性比对他严加管教来得省事,教堂处处放宽法规,想重塑自己,去适应那迷乱的文化。
顶楼的走廊很宽阔,两旁有许多房间。它通往一扇挂着铜牌的橡木门,铜牌上写着:天文学图书馆。
阿林加洛沙听说过这个地方--梵蒂冈城的天文学图书馆--谣传那里有两万五千多卷藏书,其中包括哥白尼、伽利略、开普勒、牛顿和赛奇的珍贵著作。据说那也是教皇的最高级官员召开秘密集会的地方……他们不想在梵蒂冈城内召开那种会议。
走向那扇门的时候,阿林加洛沙主教无论如何也想象不到他将会听到怎样令人震惊的消息,也想象不到那消息将引起怎样的连锁反应。一个小时不到,他跌跌撞撞地从里面走出来,脑海中回荡着那个可怕的消息。从现在算起还有六个月!他想着,上帝救救我们吧!
此时,坐在菲亚特轿车中的阿林加洛沙意识到自己正在回想那次会议,拳头都捏得咯咯作响。他吐了口气,又慢慢地吸了口气,放松了一下肌肉。
一切都会好起来的,他自语道,此时菲亚特轿车正沿着蜿蜒的公路向山上行驶。导师怎么还不打电话给我?现在塞拉斯应该已经找到那块石头了。
为了缓解一下紧张的情绪,阿林加洛沙把玩着戒指上的那块紫水晶。抚摸着戒指上那教冠和教杖的花纹和宝石,他提醒自己,这个戒指所象征的权力可远远比不上他即将获得的大权。
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Chapter 35
The inside of Gare Saint-Lazare looked like every other train station in Europe, a gaping indoor-outdoor cavern dotted with the usual suspects—homeless men holding cardboard signs, collectionsof bleary-eyed college kids sleeping on backpacks and zoning out to their portable MP3 players,and clusters of blue-clad baggage porters smoking cigarettes.
  Sophie raised her eyes to the enormous departure board overhead. The black and white tabsreshuffled, ruffling downward as the information refreshed. When the update was finished,Langdon eyed the offerings. The topmost listing read: LYON—RAPIDE—3:06"I wish it left sooner," Sophie said, "but Lyon will have to do." Sooner? Langdon checked hiswatch 2:59 A.M. The train left in seven minutes and they didn't even have tickets yet.
  Sophie guided Langdon toward the ticket window and said, "Buy us two tickets with your creditcard.""I thought credit card usage could be traced by—""Exactly."Langdon decided to stop trying to keep ahead of Sophie Neveu. Using his Visa card, he purchasedtwo coach tickets to Lyon and handed them to Sophie.
  Sophie guided him out toward the tracks, where a familiar tone chimed overhead and a P.A.
  announcer gave the final boarding call for Lyon. Sixteen separate tracks spread out before them. Inthe distance to the right, at quay three, the train to Lyon was belching and wheezing in preparationfor departure, but Sophie already had her arm through Langdon's and was guiding him in the exactopposite direction. They hurried through a side lobby, past an all-night cafe, and finally out a sidedoor onto a quiet street on the west side of the station.
  A lone taxi sat idling by the doorway.
  The driver saw Sophie and flicked his lights.
  Sophie jumped in the back seat. Langdon got in after her.
  As the taxi pulled away from station, Sophie took out their newly purchased train tickets and torethem up.
  Langdon sighed. Seventy dollars well spent.
  It was not until their taxi had settled into a monotonous northbound hum on Rue de Clichy thatLangdon felt they'd actually escaped. Out the window to his right, he could see Montmartre and thebeautiful dome of Sacré-Coeur. The image was interrupted by the flash of police lights sailing pastthem in the opposite direction.
  Langdon and Sophie ducked down as the sirens faded.
  Sophie had told the cab driver simply to head out of the city, and from her firmly set jaw, Langdonsensed she was trying to figure out their next move.
  Langdon examined the cruciform key again, holding it to the window, bringing it close to his eyesin an effort to find any markings on it that might indicate where the key had been made. In theintermittent glow of passing streetlights, he saw no markings except the Priory seal.
  "It doesn't make sense," he finally said.
  "Which part?""That your grandfather would go to so much trouble to give you a key that you wouldn't knowwhat to do with.""I agree.""Are you sure he didn't write anything else on the back of the painting?""I searched the whole area. This is all there was. This key, wedged behind the painting. I saw thePriory seal, stuck the key in my pocket, then we left."Langdon frowned, peering now at the blunt end of the triangular shaft. Nothing. Squinting, hebrought the key close to his eyes and examined the rim of the head. Nothing there either. "I thinkthis key was cleaned recently.""Why?""It smells like rubbing alcohol."She turned. "I'm sorry?""It smells like somebody polished it with a cleaner." Langdon held the key to his nose and sniffed.
  "It's stronger on the other side." He flipped it over. "Yes, it's alcohol-based, like it's been buffedwith a cleaner or—" Langdon stopped.
  "What?"He angled the key to the light and looked at the smooth surface on the broad arm of the cross. Itseemed to shimmer in places... like it was wet. "How well did you look at the back of this keybefore you put it in your pocket?""What? Not well. I was in a hurry."Langdon turned to her. "Do you still have the black light?"Sophie reached in her pocket and produced the UV penlight. Langdon took it and switched it on,shining the beam on the back of the key.
  The back luminesced instantly. There was writing there. In penmanship that was hurried butlegible.
  "Well," Langdon said, smiling. "I guess we know what the alcohol smell was."Sophie stared in amazement at the purple writing on the back of the key.
  24 Rue HaxoAn address! My grandfather wrote down an address!
  "Where is this?" Langdon asked.
  Sophie had no idea. Facing front again, she leaned forward and excitedly asked the driver,"Connaissez-vous la Rue Haxo?"The driver thought a moment and then nodded. He told Sophie it was out near the tennis stadiumon the western outskirts of Paris. She asked him to take them there immediately.
  "Fastest route is through Bois de Boulogne," the driver told her in French. "Is that okay?"Sophie frowned. She could think of far less scandalous routes, but tonight she was not going to bepicky. "Oui." We can shock the visiting American.
  Sophie looked back at the key and wondered what they would possibly find at 24 Rue Haxo. Achurch? Some kind of Priory headquarters?
  Her mind filled again with images of the secret ritual she had witnessed in the basement grotto tenyears ago, and she heaved a long sigh. "Robert, I have a lot of things to tell you." She paused,locking eyes with him as the taxi raced westward. "But first I want you to tell me everything youknow about this Priory of Sion."
圣拉查尔火车站和其他的欧洲火车站没有什么两样,一个装着大门的洞里散布着犯罪嫌疑人--无家可归者举着硬纸板,枕在背包上的睡眼朦胧的学生听着MP3,还有一群群身穿蓝色制服的行李搬运工在抽烟。
索菲抬头看了看那块巨大的列车时刻牌。那白底黑字的表单一直在刷新。当最新的信息显示在表单上的时候,兰登举目搜寻可供选择的车次。表单的最上方写着:利立--特快--3:06"我希望它可以早点儿开。"索菲说。"但那是到利立的最早一班车了。"
早点儿开?兰登看了看表--2:59A.M.还有七分钟车就要开了,可他们还没有买票。
索菲把兰登带到购票窗口前,说道。"用你的信用卡买两张票。"
"我想使用信用卡会为警察的追捕提供线索--"
"一点儿不错。"
兰登已决定不在索菲。奈芙面前显示聪明了。他用Visa 卡买了两张去利立的车票交给索菲。
索菲将兰登领向站台。站台上响起了熟悉的报时声,闭路广播中播报着开往利立的特快即将发车的消息。他们眼前横着十六条铁轨。在远处右边的三号站台旁,开往利立的特快正喷着蒸汽,准备出发。但是,索菲却挎着兰登的胳膊,领着他往相反的方向走。他们匆匆地穿过一条边廊,经过一个通宵营业的餐厅,最后从边门出站,来到了车站西侧一条僻静的街道上。
一辆出租车在门口等候着。
司机看见索菲,打亮了车灯。
索菲跳上车的后排座位,兰登也随后钻进车内。
出租车离开了车站,索菲拿出新买的车票,把它们撕得粉碎。
兰登感叹道,七十美元花得真是地方。
出租车开始在克里希街上平稳而单调地行驶,兰登这才感觉他们真正逃脱了追捕。透过右边的车窗,他可以看见蒙马特高地和圣心堂美丽的圆形屋顶。忽闪着的警灯打破这美丽的画卷,几辆警车正朝着相反方向驶去。
索菲和兰登低下身,直到警报声渐渐消失。
索菲只告诉司机把他们送出城。兰登见她抿着嘴,知道她正在考虑下一步行动。
兰登将那把十字形的钥匙举到窗边,再次端详,试图找到产地的标记。路灯向车内投来忽闪忽闪的光亮,除了那隐修会的标志,兰登什么也没有发现。
"这不合常理。"最后,他说道。
"为什么?"
"你祖父想方设法地把钥匙留给你,而你却不知道这把钥匙的用途。"
"是呀。"
"你肯定他没有在画背后留下其他什么信息?"
"我查看过了,就发现了这个。这把钥匙是嵌在画框上的。我看见了上面的图案,把它放进了口袋,然后我们就离开了那间展厅。"兰登皱着眉头,端详着三角形的钥匙尖。他又斜着眼睛打量了一下钥匙柄的边缘。还是没有发现什么。"我想这把钥匙最近被清洗过。"
"为什么?"
"它闻上去像被酒精擦拭过。"
索菲扭过头:"对不起,你说什么?"
"它闻上去像被用清洁剂擦洗过。"兰登把钥匙放到鼻子前面嗅了嗅。"另外一面味道更浓。"他把钥匙翻转过来。"是的,有股酒精的味道,就像被用清洁剂擦洗过或者--"兰登愣了一下。
"或者什么?"
兰登在灯光下转动着钥匙,端详着十字形较宽的那条边。那上面有些闪亮的地方……
就像被弄湿了一样。"你在把它放入口袋前仔细看过朝匙的背面吗?"
"什么?没有仔细看。太匆忙了。"
兰登把头转向索菲:"你还带着紫外线灯吗?"
索菲将手伸进口袋,掏出了紫外线灯。兰登接过灯,打开开关,照了照钥匙背面十字形较宽的那条边。
在紫外线灯的照射下,钥匙背面立即显现出了文字。那文字匆匆写就,但仍可以辨认。
豪克斯街24 号地址!祖父留下了一个地址!
"是什么地方?"兰登问。
索菲也不知道。她转向司机,身体前倾,兴奋地问:"您知道豪克斯街吗?"
司机想了想,点点头。他告诉索菲那条街位于巴黎西郊网球馆附近。索菲让他立即开到那里去。
"要走最快的路,就得穿过布劳涅森林。"司机用法语问道。"行吗?"
索菲皱了皱眉头。她可以想到其他走法来取代那条讨厌的路线,但今晚她不想很挑剔。
"好的。"我们可以让这位美国的来访者大吃一惊。
她又看了看那把钥匙,猜想着他们会在豪克斯街24 号发现些什么。一个教堂?隐修会的总部?
她又回想起十年前自己在地下洞室目睹的那个秘密仪式,长长地叹了口气。"罗伯特,我有很多事要告诉你。"她顿了顿,看着兰登。这时出租车开始向西行驶。"但首先,请把你对郇山隐修会的了解全部告诉我。"
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Chapter 36
Outside the Salle des Etats, Bezu Fache was fuming as Louvre warden Grouard explained howSophie and Langdon had disarmed him. Why didn't you just shoot the blessed painting!
  "Captain?" Lieutenant Collet loped toward them from the direction of the command post. "Captain,I just heard. They located Agent Neveu's car.""Did she make the embassy?""No. Train station. Bought two tickets. Train just left."Fache waved off warden Grouard and led Collet to a nearby alcove, addressing him in hushedtones. "What was the destination?""Lyon.""Probably a decoy." Fache exhaled, formulating a plan. "Okay, alert the next station, have the trainstopped and searched, just in case. Leave her car where it is and put plainclothes on watch in casethey try to come back to it. Send men to search the streets around the station in case they fled onfoot. Are buses running from the station?""Not at this hour, sir. Only the taxi queue.""Good. Question the drivers. See if they saw anything. Then contact the taxi company dispatcherwith descriptions. I'm calling Interpol."Collet looked surprised. "You're putting this on the wire?"Fache regretted the potential embarrassment, but he saw no other choice.
  Close the net fast, and close it tight.
  The first hour was critical. Fugitives were predictable the first hour after escape. They alwaysneeded the same thing. Travel. Lodging. Cash. The Holy Trinity. Interpol had the power to makeall three disappear in the blink of an eye. By broadcast-faxing photos of Langdon and Sophie toParis travel authorities, hotels, and banks, Interpol would leave no options—no way to leave thecity, no place to hide, and no way to withdraw cash without being recognized. Usually, fugitivespanicked on the street and did something stupid. Stole a car. Robbed a store. Used a bank card indesperation. Whatever mistake they committed, they quickly made their whereabouts known tolocal authorities.
  "Only Langdon, right?" Collet said. "You're not flagging Sophie Neveu. She's our own agent.""Of course I'm flagging her!" Fache snapped. "What good is flagging Langdon if she can do all hisdirty work? I plan to run Neveu's employment file—friends, family, personal contacts—anyone shemight turn to for help. I don't know what she thinks she's doing out there, but it's going to cost herone hell of a lot more than her job!""Do you want me on the phones or in the field?""Field. Get over to the train station and coordinate the team. You've got the reins, but don't make amove without talking to me.""Yes, sir." Collet ran out.
  Fache felt rigid as he stood in the alcove. Outside the window, the glass pyramid shone, itsreflection rippling in the windswept pools. They slipped through my fingers. He told himself torelax.
  Even a trained field agent would be lucky to withstand the pressure that Interpol was about toapply.
  A female cryptologist and a schoolteacher?
  They wouldn't last till dawn.
贝祖。法希站在国家展厅外,火冒三丈地听着卢浮宫保安人员讲述他被索菲和兰登夺去手熗的经过。你为什么不冲着那宝贝的油画开一熗呢!
"警长。"科莱中尉从指挥部方向小跑了过来。"警长,我刚得到消息,他们找到了奈芙警官的车。""她进入大使馆了吗?"
"没有。在火车站发现的。他们买了两张票,那列火车刚刚开走。"
法希挥手示意保安人员格鲁阿尔离开,把科莱拉到附近一个墙角边,小声地问:"目的地是哪里?"
"利立。"
"可能是个骗局。"法希吁了口气,想了个主意。"好吧,通知下一站,将火车拦下搜查,以防他们真上了火车。把他们的车留在原地,并派便衣监视,以防他们回头用车。派人搜查火车站附近的街道,以防他们步行逃跑。有从火车站开出的公共汽车吗?"
"这会儿没有,先生。只有出租车在排队接客。"
"好。去盘问司机,看看他们是否能提供些线索。然后,和出租车公司的调度取得联系,向他们解释情况。我现在打电话给国际刑警组织。"科莱一脸惊异:"你要通报这件事吗?"
法希对这可能造成的尴尬也表示遗憾,但他别无选择。
收网要快,收网要紧。
追捕的第一个小时是很关键的。逃犯在逃跑后一小时内的行动是可以预测的。他们都有"交通、旅馆、现金"这三位一体的需要。国际刑警组织有能力在眨眼间使这些化为泡影。他们可以向巴黎的交管部门、饭店、银行传送索菲和兰登的照片,布下天罗地网,让他们无法离开这个城市,无处藏身,也无法顺利地提取现金。通常,惊恐的逃犯会做出些傻事,比如说偷汽车、抢商店或在绝望之中铤而走险使用银行卡。无论他们犯什么样的错误,都会向当地的警署暴露他们的行踪。
"只通缉兰登,是吗?"科莱说。"你不会通缉索菲。奈芙吧,她是我们自己人。"
"当然要通缉她!"法希打了个响指。"如果她能帮助兰登做所有的坏事,光通缉兰登有什么用?我要查看一下奈芙的人事档案,查找一下她可能求助的亲朋好友。我不知道她在干什么,但她的所作所为将不止让她丢了饭碗。""你想让我接听电话,还是出去?"
"出去。去火车站与警队合作。你有发布指令的权力,但事先要向我汇报。"
"是,先生。"科莱跑了出去。
法希站在墙角,浑身僵硬。窗外闪闪发光的玻璃金字塔倒映在微风拂过的水面。他们从我的指缝中溜走了。他告诫自己要放松。
即使是一个训练有素的干警也难以承受国际刑警组织即将施加的压力。
一个女密码破译员和一个教师?
他们坚持不到天亮。
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Chapter 37
The heavily forested park known as the Bois de Boulogne was called many things, but the Parisiancognoscenti knew it as "the Garden of Earthly Delights." The epithet, despite sounding flattering,was quite to the contrary. Anyone who had seen the lurid Bosch painting of the same nameunderstood the jab; the painting, like the forest, was dark and twisted, a purgatory for freaks andfetishists. At night, the forest's winding lanes were lined with hundreds of glistening bodies forhire, earthly delights to satisfy one's deepest unspoken desires—male, female, and everything inbetween.
  As Langdon gathered his thoughts to tell Sophie about the Priory of Sion, their taxi passed throughthe wooded entrance to the park and began heading west on the cobblestone crossfare. Langdonwas having trouble concentrating as a scattering of the park's nocturnal residents were alreadyemerging from the shadows and flaunting their wares in the glare of the headlights. Ahead, twotopless teenage girls shot smoldering gazes into the taxi. Beyond them, a well-oiled black man in aG-string turned and flexed his buttocks. Beside him, a gorgeous blond woman lifted her miniskirtto reveal that she was not, in fact, a woman.
  Heaven help me! Langdon turned his gaze back inside the cab and took a deep breath.
  "Tell me about the Priory of Sion," Sophie said.
  Langdon nodded, unable to imagine a less congruous a backdrop for the legend he was about totell. He wondered where to begin. The brotherhood's history spanned more than a millennium... anastonishing chronicle of secrets, blackmail, betrayal, and even brutal torture at the hands of anangry Pope.
  "The Priory of Sion," he began, "was founded in Jerusalem in 1099 by a French king namedGodefroi de Bouillon, immediately after he had conquered the city."Sophie nodded, her eyes riveted on him.
  "King Godefroi was allegedly the possessor of a powerful secret—a secret that had been in hisfamily since the time of Christ. Fearing his secret might be lost when he died, he founded a secretbrotherhood—the Priory of Sion—and charged them with protecting his secret by quietly passing iton from generation to generation. During their years in Jerusalem, the Priory learned of a stash ofhidden documents buried beneath the ruins of Herod's temple, which had been built atop the earlierruins of Solomon's Temple. These documents, they believed, corroborated Godefroi's powerfulsecret and were so explosive in nature that the Church would stop at nothing to get them." Sophielooked uncertain.
  "The Priory vowed that no matter how long it took, these documents must be recovered from therubble beneath the temple and protected forever, so the truth would never die. In order to retrievethe documents from within the ruins, the Priory created a military arm—a group of nine knightscalled the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ and the Temple of Solomon." Langdon paused.
  "More commonly known as the Knights Templar."Sophie glanced up with a surprised look of recognition. Langdon had lectured often enough on theKnights Templar to know that almost everyone on earth had heard of them, at least abstractedly.
  For academics, the Templars' history was a precarious world where fact, lore, and misinformationhad become so intertwined that extracting a pristine truth was almost impossible. Nowadays,Langdon hesitated even to mention the Knights Templar while lecturing because it invariably led toa barrage of convoluted inquiries into assorted conspiracy theories.
  Sophie already looked troubled. "You're saying the Knights Templar were founded by the Priory ofSion to retrieve a collection of secret documents? I thought the Templars were created to protectthe Holy Land.""A common misconception. The idea of protection of pilgrims was the guise under which theTemplars ran their mission. Their true goal in the Holy Land was to retrieve the documents frombeneath the ruins of the temple.""And did they find them?"Langdon grinned. "Nobody knows for sure, but the one thing on which all academics agree is this:
  The Knights discovered something down there in the ruins... something that made them wealthyand powerful beyond anyone's wildest imagination."Langdon quickly gave Sophie the standard academic sketch of the accepted Knights Templarhistory, explaining how the Knights were in the Holy Land during the Second Crusade and toldKing Baldwin II that they were there to protect Christian pilgrims on the roadways. Althoughunpaid and sworn to poverty, the Knights told the king they required basic shelter and requested hispermission to take up residence in the stables under the ruins of the temple. King Baldwin grantedthe soldiers' request, and the Knights took up their meager residence inside the devastated shrine.
  The odd choice of lodging, Langdon explained, had been anything but random. The Knightsbelieved the documents the Priory sought were buried deep under the ruins—beneath the Holy ofHolies, a sacred chamber where God Himself was believed to reside. Literally, the very center ofthe Jewish faith. For almost a decade, the nine Knights lived in the ruins, excavating in totalsecrecy through solid rock.
  Sophie looked over. "And you said they discovered something?""They certainly did," Langdon said, explaining how it had taken nine years, but the Knights hadfinally found what they had been searching for. They took the treasure from the temple andtraveled to Europe, where their influence seemed to solidify overnight.
  Nobody was certain whether the Knights had blackmailed the Vatican or whether the Churchsimply tried to buy the Knights' silence, but Pope Innocent II immediately issued an unprecedentedpapal bull that afforded the Knights Templar limitless power and declared them "a law untothemselves"—an autonomous army independent of all interference from kings and prelates, bothreligious and political.
  With their new carte blanche from the Vatican, the Knights Templar expanded at a staggering rate,both in numbers and political force, amassing vast estates in over a dozen countries. They beganextending credit to bankrupt royals and charging interest in return, thereby establishing modernbanking and broadening their wealth and influence still further.
  By the 1300s, the Vatican sanction had helped the Knights amass so much power that PopeClement V decided that something had to be done. Working in concert with France's King PhilippeIV, the Pope devised an ingeniously planned sting operation to quash the Templars and seize theirtreasure, thus taking control of the secrets held over the Vatican. In a military maneuver worthy ofthe CIA, Pope Clement issued secret sealed orders to be opened simultaneously by his soldiers allacross Europe on Friday, October 13 of 1307.
  At dawn on the thirteenth, the documents were unsealed and their appalling contents revealed.
  Clement's letter claimed that God had visited him in a vision and warned him that the KnightsTemplar were heretics guilty of devil worship, homosexuality, defiling the cross, sodomy, andother blasphemous behavior. Pope Clement had been asked by God to cleanse the earth byrounding up all the Knights and torturing them until they confessed their crimes against God.
  Clement's Machiavellian operation came off with clockwork precision. On that day, countlessKnights were captured, tortured mercilessly, and finally burned at the stake as heretics. Echoes ofthe tragedy still resonated in modern culture; to this day, Friday the thirteenth was consideredunlucky.
  Sophie looked confused. "The Knights Templar were obliterated? I thought fraternities of Templarsstill exist today?""They do, under a variety of names. Despite Clement's false charges and best efforts to eradicatethem, the Knights had powerful allies, and some managed to escape the Vatican purges. TheTemplars' potent treasure trove of documents, which had apparently been their source of power,was Clement's true objective, but it slipped through his fingers. The documents had long since beenentrusted to the Templars' shadowy architects, the Priory of Sion, whose veil of secrecy had keptthem safely out of range of the Vatican's onslaught. As the Vatican closed in, the Priory smuggledtheir documents from a Paris preceptory by night onto Templar ships in La Rochelle.""Where did the documents go?"Langdon shrugged. "That mystery's answer is known only to the Priory of Sion. Because thedocuments remain the source of constant investigation and speculation even today, they arebelieved to have been moved and rehidden several times. Current speculation places the documentssomewhere in the United Kingdom."Sophie looked uneasy.
  "For a thousand years," Langdon continued, "legends of this secret have been passed on. The entirecollection of documents, its power, and the secret it reveals have become known by a singlename—Sangreal. Hundreds of books have been written about it, and few mysteries have caused asmuch interest among historians as the Sangreal.""The Sangreal? Does the word have anything to do with the French word sang or Spanishsangre—meaning 'blood'?"Langdon nodded. Blood was the backbone of the Sangreal, and yet not in the way Sophie probablyimagined. "The legend is complicated, but the important thing to remember is that the Prioryguards the proof, and is purportedly awaiting the right moment in history to reveal the truth.""What truth? What secret could possibly be that powerful?"Langdon took a deep breath and gazed out at the underbelly of Paris leering in the shadows.
  "Sophie, the word Sangreal is an ancient word. It has evolved over the years into another term... amore modern name." He paused. "When I tell you its modern name, you'll realize you alreadyknow a lot about it. In fact, almost everyone on earth has heard the story of the Sangreal."Sophie looked skeptical. "I've never heard of it.""Sure you have." Langdon smiled. "You're just used to hearing it called by the name 'Holy Grail.' "
"布劳涅森林"是一个树荫浓密的公园,它有许多绰号,巴黎人把它叫做"尘世乐土"。
实际上,它与这样的溢美之辞毫不相符。大凡看过波希的同名油画的人,就会理解这颇具讽刺意味的命名原由:那幅颓废的油画就像这片树林一样,是一片黑暗而扭曲的景象,里面尽是些畸形变态和装神弄鬼的人。夜晚,树林里蜿蜒的小径上聚集着上百个全裸或半裸的人等待着满足肉体最深处难以言表的欲望--他们中有男人,有女人,也有非男非女的人。
正当兰登凝神要向索菲讲述郇山隐修会的情况时,出租车驶入了公园的木门,开始在鹅卵石铺成的小径上向西行驶。此时,兰登无法再集中注意力了,因为一群公园里的"夜游鬼"从树丛里跳了出来,在车灯的光亮下展示他们的把戏。前方,有两个袒胸露乳的女孩正向车内投来挑逗的目光。在她们后面,一个满身抹油只用一根布条系在裆下的黑人男子转身扭动着臀部。在他身边,有一个迷人的金发女郎掀起了她的迷你裙,向人展示她实际上并不是一个女人。
我的天呀!兰登急忙将目光转进车内,深深地吸了口气。
"说说郇山隐修会。"索菲催促道。
兰登点点头,心想:这样的背景真是再合适不过了。他一时不知从何说起。隐修会有长达一个多世纪的历史……那里面有秘密、有敲诈、有背叛,甚至还有教皇一怒之下实施的酷刑。
他开始说道:"1099 年,一个叫戈弗提的国王攻占了耶路撒冷,并在那里创建了郇山隐修会。"索菲点了点头,聚精会神地听着。
"据说,戈弗提国王继承了一个具有极大威力的秘密--从基督时代起这个秘密就在他的家族中世代流传。国王怕他死后秘密失传,就指定了一个秘密的教会组织--郇山隐修会--来保守这个秘密。在耶路撒冷的时候,隐修会得知希律神庙的废墟下埋藏着一些文件,而希律神庙则是在索罗门神庙的废墟上建立起来的。据他们所知,这些文件可以用来确认戈弗提国王的那个威力极大的秘密,正因如此,天主教会将不遗余力地要把它弄到手。"索菲将信将疑。
"隐修会发誓无论过多久也要将这些文件挖掘出来,让它们永远流传下去。为了保护废墟中的文件,他们成立了一支武装队伍--由九名骑士组成的‘基督和所罗门神庙的骑士团’。"兰登停了停,接着说。"就是众所周知的‘圣殿武士团’。"索菲用惊异的眼光看了看兰登,确实曾对此有所耳闻。
兰登经常做关于"圣殿"的讲座,所以他知道几乎每个人都会对此有所耳闻。在学术界。"圣殿武士团"的历史几乎是研究的禁区,因为这方面的事实、理论和讹传交织在一起,使人无法弄清真相。现在,兰登甚至不怎么想在讲座中提及"圣殿武土团",因为那势必会诱导听众围绕那些别有用心的理论展开无休止的提问。
索菲看上去很困惑:"你是说郇山隐修会成立了‘圣殿武士团’来保护秘密文件?我原本以为‘圣殿武士团’是保护圣地的。""这是一个普遍存在的误解。‘圣殿武士团’打着保护朝圣者的旗号,实则在完成他们的使命。他们的真正目标是取出埋藏在神庙废墟下的文件。""他们找到文件了吗?"
兰登冷笑道:"没有人知道,但学者们一致认为:武士团在废墟下发现了些什么……这一发现使他们变得极为富有,极为有权势。"兰登开始快速地用标准的学术观点向索菲介绍"圣殿武士团"的历史。他解释道,武士团参与了第二次圣战,他们告诉国王鲍德温二世说他们是为了保护赶路的朝圣者。他们分文不取,但却向国王提出基本的驻扎要求,请求国王允许他们住在神庙废墟的马厩中。鲍德温国王答应了他们的要求,于是武士团就住进了荒废的神殿中。
兰登解释道,武士团选择这样奇怪的驻扎地绝非偶然。武士团相信隐修会所追寻的文件就深深地埋藏在废墟下面--在圣地下面一个神圣的密室内,这个密室既是上帝所在的地方,也是犹太教的中心圣地。九名骑士在废墟中住了将近十年,秘密地在坚硬的石块中发掘文件。
索菲望着兰登。"你说过他们发现了些什么?"
"他们确实有所发现。"兰登说完又继续解释道,骑士们花了九年时间终于找到了他们所要搜寻的东西。他们带着发现的珍宝去了欧洲,在那里他们一夜之间就声名远扬。
不知是武士团敲诈了梵蒂冈城邦,还是天主教会想买通他们,伊诺森八世教皇立即下达了一个通告,赋予"圣殿武士团"至高无上的权力,宣布"他们的意志就是法律",国王、教士都不得以宗教或政治手段干涉这支独立自主的军队。这样的通告是史无前例的。
有了这样的新通告,武士团的人员迅速增加,政治势力急剧膨胀,在许多国家都有数量惊人的财产。他们开始向破产的王室贵族借贷,从中渔利。这样他们不仅创建了现代银行业,而且进一步增强了自身实力。
到13 世纪的时候,梵蒂冈的通告已经为武士团的扩张提供了极大的帮助,这让克莱蒙五世教皇下定决心对此采取一些遏制措施。他与法国国王菲利浦四世联手策划了镇压武士团、限制其财富扩张的一系列行动,以便将秘密控制在梵蒂冈城邦的手中。在一次秘密的军事演习中,克莱蒙五世教皇下达了一个命令。这个命令被事先密封了起来,欧洲各地的士兵必须等到1307 年10 月13 日--星期五--才能拆封这个命令。
十三号的清晨,士兵们拆封了命令,读到了可怕的内容。克莱蒙教皇声称他梦见了上帝,上帝警告他说"圣殿武士团"是崇拜魔鬼的异教徒,同性恋者,他们玷污了十字架,并有鸡奸和其他渎神行为。上帝让克莱蒙教皇清理世界,围歼武士团并严刑逼供他们亵渎上帝的罪行。克莱蒙教皇的阴谋按计划顺利进展。那一天,无数的武士团成员被逮捕,被施以酷刑,而后又作为异端分子被绑在柱子上烧死。那场悲剧在现代文化中还留有印记:时至今日,人们还认为星期五和十三很晦气。
索菲满脸疑惑:"‘圣殿武士团’被撤销了吗?现在不是还有武士团的兄弟会吗?"
"是的,他们还以各种名义存在着。虽然克莱蒙教皇捏造了他们的罪行,并竭力要斩草除根,但武士团有强大的同盟者,其中的一些成员逃过了梵蒂冈的屠杀。武士团拥有的威力无比的文件--也是他们的力量之源--是克莱蒙教皇真正想要得到的东西,但这些文件却从他的指缝中溜走了。长期以来,那些文件由武士团的缔造者一一郇山隐修会--保管着,而郇山隐修会的神秘面纱使得它在梵蒂冈的屠杀中安然无恙。梵蒂冈封城的时候,隐修会偷偷用船将其运往了拉罗舍尔。""后来文件到哪里去了?"
兰登耸了耸肩说道:"只有郇山隐修会知道这个神秘的答案。因为时至今日,人们还在调查、揣测这些文件的下落,并普遍认为这些文件已被转移,并被重新隐藏多次。现在它们可能被藏在英国的某个地方。"索菲看上去有点儿不安。
兰登继续说道:"有关这个秘密的传说已经流传了千年。所有的文件,以及它们所具有的威力,所包含的秘密都与一样东西有关--圣杯(Sangreal)。有关圣杯的书成百上千,历史学家们对其也抱有极大的兴趣。""圣杯?这个单词与法语和西班牙语中表示"鲜血"的词"sang"和"sangre"有关吗?"
兰登点了点头。圣杯与鲜血密不可分,不过那倒不是索菲想象中的那种关系。"这个传说很复杂,但最重要的是隐修会守护着这个秘密,并等待着一个恰当的历史时机来公布真相。""什么真相?那个秘密真的威力无比吗?"
兰登深吸了一口气,看着窗外巴黎最难堪的景象。"索菲,圣杯(Sangreal)是个古语词。随着时间的推移,它演变成了另外一个词--一个更加现代的名称。"他停了一下。"如果我告诉你它的现代名称,你就会意识到其实你很熟悉它。实际上,几乎所有的人都听说过圣杯的故事。"索菲不相信:"我就从来都没有听说过。"
"你一定听说过。"兰登微笑着说。"你习惯听到的叫法是圣杯(HolyGrail)。"

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Chapter 38
Sophie scrutinized Langdon in the back of the taxi. He's joking. "The Holy Grail?"Langdon nodded, his expression serious. "Holy Grail is the literal meaning of Sangreal. The phrasederives from the French Sangraal, which evolved to Sangreal, and was eventually split into twowords, San Greal."Holy Grail. Sophie was surprised she had not spotted the linguistic ties immediately. Even so,Langdon's claim still made no sense to her. "I thought the Holy Grail was a cup. You just told methe Sangreal is a collection of documents that reveals some dark secret.""Yes, but the Sangreal documents are only half of the Holy Grail treasure. They are buried with theGrail itself... and reveal its true meaning. The documents gave the Knights Templar so much powerbecause the pages revealed the true nature of the Grail."The true nature of the Grail? Sophie felt even more lost now. The Holy Grail, she had thought, wasthe cup that Jesus drank from at the Last Supper and with which Joseph of Arimathea later caughtHis blood at the crucifixion. "The Holy Grail is the Cup of Christ," she said. "How much simplercould it be?""Sophie," Langdon whispered, leaning toward her now, "according to the Priory of Sion, the HolyGrail is not a cup at all. They claim the Grail legend—that of a chalice—is actually an ingeniouslyconceived allegory. That is, that the Grail story uses the chalice as a metaphor for something else,something far more powerful." He paused. "Something that fits perfectly with everything yourgrandfather has been trying to tell us tonight, including all his symbologic references to the sacredfeminine."Still unsure, Sophie sensed in Langdon's patient smile that he empathized with her confusion, andyet his eyes remained earnest. "But if the Holy Grail is not a cup," she asked, "what is it?"Langdon had known this question was coming, and yet he still felt uncertain exactly how to tellher. If he did not present the answer in the proper historical background, Sophie would be left witha vacant air of bewilderment—the exact expression Langdon had seen on his own editor's face afew months ago after Langdon handed him a draft of the manuscript he was working on.
  "This manuscript claims what?" his editor had choked, setting down his wineglass and staringacross his half-eaten power lunch. "You can't be serious.""Serious enough to have spent a year researching it."Prominent New York editor Jonas Faukman tugged nervously at his goatee. Faukman no doubt hadheard some wild book ideas in his illustrious career, but this one seemed to have left the manflabbergasted.
  "Robert," Faukman finally said, "don't get me wrong. I love your work, and we've had a great runtogether. But if I agree to publish an idea like this, I'll have people picketing outside my office formonths. Besides, it will kill your reputation. You're a Harvard historian, for God's sake, not a popschlockmeister looking for a quick buck. Where could you possibly find enough credible evidenceto support a theory like this?"With a quiet smile Langdon pulled a piece of paper from the pocket of his tweed coat and handed itto Faukman. The page listed a bibliography of over fifty titles—books by well-known historians,some contemporary, some centuries old—many of them academic bestsellers. All the book titlessuggested the same premise Langdon had just proposed. As Faukman read down the list, he lookedlike a man who had just discovered the earth was actually flat. "I know some of these authors.
  They're... real historians!"Langdon grinned. "As you can see, Jonas, this is not only my theory. It's been around for a longtime. I'm simply building on it. No book has yet explored the legend of the Holy Grail from asymbologic angle. The iconographic evidence I'm finding to support the theory is, well,staggeringly persuasive."Faukman was still staring at the list. "My God, one of these books was written by Sir LeighTeabing—a British Royal Historian.""Teabing has spent much of his life studying the Holy Grail. I've met with him. He was actually abig part of my inspiration. He's a believer, Jonas, along with all of the others on that list.""You're telling me all of these historians actually believe..." Faukman swallowed, apparentlyunable to say the words.
  Langdon grinned again. "The Holy Grail is arguably the most sought-after treasure in humanhistory. The Grail has spawned legends, wars, and lifelong quests. Does it make sense that it ismerely a cup? If so, then certainly other relics should generate similar or greater interest—theCrown of Thorns, the True Cross of the Crucifixion, the Titulus—and yet, they do not. Throughouthistory, the Holy Grail has been the most special." Langdon grinned. "Now you know why."Faukman was still shaking his head. "But with all these books written about it, why isn't this theorymore widely known?""These books can't possibly compete with centuries of established history, especially when thathistory is endorsed by the ultimate bestseller of all time."Faukman's eyes went wide. "Don't tell me Harry Potter is actually about the Holy Grail.""I was referring to the Bible."Faukman cringed. "I knew that.""Laissez-le!" Sophie's shouts cut the air inside the taxi. "Put it down!"Langdon jumped as Sophie leaned forward over the seat and yelled at the taxi driver. Langdoncould see the driver was clutching his radio mouthpiece and speaking into it.
  Sophie turned now and plunged her hand into the pocket of Langdon's tweed jacket. BeforeLangdon knew what had happened, she had yanked out the pistol, swung it around, and waspressing it to the back of the driver's head. The driver instantly dropped his radio, raising his onefree hand overhead.
  "Sophie!" Langdon choked. "What the hell—""Arrêtez!" Sophie commanded the driver.
  Trembling, the driver obeyed, stopping the car and putting it in park.
  It was then that Langdon heard the metallic voice of the taxi company's dispatcher coming from thedashboard. "...qui s'appette Agent Sophie Neveu..." the radio crackled. "Et un Américain, RobertLangdon..."Langdon's muscles turned rigid. They found us already?
  "Descendez," Sophie demanded.
  The trembling driver kept his arms over his head as he got out of his taxi and took several stepsbackward.
  Sophie had rolled down her window and now aimed the gun outside at the bewildered cabbie.
  "Robert," she said quietly, "take the wheel. You're driving."Langdon was not about to argue with a woman wielding a gun. He climbed out of the car andjumped back in behind the wheel. The driver was yelling curses, his arms still raised over his head.
  "Robert," Sophie said from the back seat, "I trust you've seen enough of our magic forest?"He nodded. Plenty.
  "Good. Drive us out of here."Langdon looked down at the car's controls and hesitated. Shit. He groped for the stick shift andclutch. "Sophie? Maybe you—""Go!" she yelled.
  Outside, several hookers were walking over to see what was going on. One woman was placing acall on her cell phone. Langdon depressed the clutch and jostled the stick into what he hoped wasfirst gear. He touched the accelerator, testing the gas.
  Langdon popped the clutch. The tires howled as the taxi leapt forward, fishtailing wildly andsending the gathering crowd diving for cover. The woman with the cell phone leapt into the woods,only narrowly avoiding being run down.
  "Doucement!" Sophie said, as the car lurched down the road. "What are you doing?""I tried to warn you," he shouted over the sound of gnashing gears. "I drive an automatic!"
索菲盯着汽车后座上的兰登。他一定是在开玩笑。"圣杯(HolyGrail)?"
兰登点子点头,表情严肃。"HolyGrail 就是Sangreal 的字面意义。Sangreal 由法语词Sangral 演变而来,最后分解为两个单词"SanGreal"。"圣杯。索菲为自己没能立即辨认出这几个词在语言学上的联系而感到惊奇。就算兰登所言不假,她还是难解其意。"我还以为圣杯是一个杯子。你刚才却说圣杯是揭示那些不可告人的秘密的文件。""是的,但那些文件只是圣杯珍宝的一部分。它们和圣杯埋藏在一起……它们可以揭示圣杯的真正意义。那些文件之所以能够赋予武土团极大的威力,就是因为它们揭示了圣杯的本质。"圣杯的本质?这下,索菲更加摸不着头脑了。她本以为圣杯是耶稣在"最后的晚餐"上用过的杯子,后来,阿里马西斯的约瑟夫曾到十字架前用这个杯子装过耶稣的鲜血。"圣杯是"基督之杯",索菲说。"这再简单不过了。""索菲。"兰登将身体侧向索菲,小声说道。"郇山隐修会可不认为圣杯是个杯子。他们认为那个关于圣杯的传说是个精心编造的谎言。圣杯的故事另有寓意,意指一些更具威力的东西。"他停了一下。"那正是你祖父今晚竭力要告诉我们的东西。"索菲还是不大明白,但她从兰登那耐心的微笑和真诚的眼神中看出他正在针对她的疑惑作答。"如果圣杯不是个杯子,那它是什么呢?"索菲问道。
虽然兰登早就意料到她会提出这样的问题,但还是一时不知从何说起。如果他不适当地结合历史背景来解释,索菲还是会一脸迷惑--几个月前,当兰登向编辑递上自己的研究报告时,就从编辑的脸上看到过这样的表情。
"这份稿件说了些什么?"正在吃午餐的编辑被噎住了,喝了口葡萄酒。"你一定是在开玩笑吧。""我可不是在开玩笑,我花费了一年的时间来研究它。"
《纽约时报》的著名编辑琼纳斯。福克曼紧张地捏着他的山羊胡。无疑,他在光辉的职业生涯中已经见识过一些极为大胆的创作思想,但这次兰登递上的稿子还是让他大吃一惊。
"罗伯特。"福克曼最终开口说道。"请不要误解。我很喜欢你的作品,我们也很成功地合作过。但是,如果我同意将这样的观点发表出去的话,一定会有人聚集在我的办公室前抗议好几个月。而且,这也会毁了你的名声。看在上帝的份上,你是哈佛大学的历史学家,可不是什么梦想一夜成名的通俗撰稿人。你是从哪里找到确凿的证据来证明这个理论的?"
兰登淡淡一笑,从呢大衣口袋里拿出一张纸递给福克曼。那张纸上开列了五十多条参考书目--都是著名历史学家的著作,既包括现代的作品也包括几个世纪之前的作品--其中有许多是学术界的畅销书。所有的著作所提出的前提都与兰登的观点一致。福克曼读着这个目录,就好像突然发现地球是扁的一样。"我听说过其中的一些作者。他们是……真正的历史学家。"兰登咧嘴笑了。"正如您所见,这不仅仅是我个人的理论。它已经存在很长时间了。我只是在前人的基础上加以总结。还没有什么书从象征学的角度研究过有关圣杯的传说。我从肖像学上所找来的这些论据是很有说服力的。"福克曼仍盯着那张书单:"我的上帝呀,还有一本书是雷。提彬先生写的--他可是英国皇家历史学家。""提彬一生花费了大量时间研究圣杯。我曾经与他会过面。他的大部分观点都与我的想法一致。琼纳斯,他和目录中的其他历史学家都赞同我的观点。""你是说这些历史学家都赞同……"福克曼把话又咽了回去,显然他不能再往下说了。
兰登又咧嘴一笑:"有人认为,圣杯是人类历史上最为人向往的珍宝。有许多传说围绕着圣杯展开,有许多战争因为圣杯而打响,有许多人为了圣杯一生都在追寻。那么它可能仅仅只是一个杯子吗?如果是这样,那么其他的古物一定能引起人们同样的关注,甚至是更大的兴趣--比如说荆棘皇冠、耶稣受难的十字架和领衔堂--但事实并非如此。有史以来,圣杯一直是极为特殊的。"兰登笑了笑。"现在你知道原因了。"福克曼还是一个劲地摇头:"既然有这么多书都这样写,为什么这个理论还不为人所知呢?"
"这些书当然比不过几世纪以来已成定论的历史,特别是当那些历史一直被作为畅销书的写作背景时,它给人们的印象已经根深蒂固了。"福克曼瞪大了眼睛:"你可别告诉我《哈利。波特》实际上写的是有关圣杯的故事。"
"我参看了《圣经》。"
福克曼不得不承认:"这,我知道。"
"住口!"索菲的叫喊打破了车内的平静。"把它放下!"
索菲趴到前排座位上,冲着司机大喊,把兰登吓了一跳。兰登看见司机正拿着无线电话筒,说着些什么。
索菲转过身来,将手伸进兰登的夹克衫口袋中。还没等兰登反应过来,她已经拔出了兰登口袋中的手熗,将其一晃,顶住了司机的后脑勺。司机立即扔掉了话筒,举起了不握方向盘的那只手。
"索菲!"兰登紧张地说。"这到底是怎么回事--"
"不许动!"索菲命令司机。
司机哆嗦着按索菲的命令将车停在了公园里。
这时兰登听见汽车的仪器板上传出出租车公司调度那铿锵有力的声音:"……是索菲。奈芙警官……"声音暂时中断了一下。"和美国人罗伯特。兰登……"兰登僵在那里。他们已经发现我们了吗?
浑身打颤的司机将双手高举过头,下了出租车,向后退了几步。
索菲摇下了车窗,用熗指着那个摸不着头脑的司机。"罗伯特。"她平静地说。"到驾驶座上去。你来开车。"兰登可不想和一个挥舞着手熗的女人争辩些什么。于是,他下了车,绕到靠驾驶座的车门边,开门上了车。司机一边高举双手,一边咒骂着他们。
"罗伯特。"索菲坐在后排座位上说。"我相信你已经看够了我们的神奇树林?"
兰登点了点头。足够了。
"好的。把车开出这里。"
兰登低头看了看控制仪器板,犹豫了一下。他XX 的。他摸索到了变速杆,一把抓住它。"索菲?也许你--"
"走呀!"索菲大喊。
车外,有几个妓女正朝这边走来,想看看这里究竟发生了什么事。其中一个女人正用手机打电话。兰登压下了手柄,把变速杆推到了猜想中的最高速档位置。他踩下油门,看了看还剩多少汽油。
他猛地将手柄一松,伴随着车轮与地面的尖厉摩擦声,出租车疯狂地摆动着车尾向前冲去,把那群妓女惊得四散逃窜。那个拿着手机的女人跳人树丛,险些被车撞倒。
"真糟糕!"汽车东歪西斜地开上公路,索菲问。"你在干什么?"
兰登在车内的轰鸣声中喊道:"我可要提醒你,这是辆自动排档汽车。"
小梨涡°

ZxID:31276791


等级: 明星作家
看一篇设定正常的文好难。
举报 只看该作者 39楼  发表于: 2013-10-23 0
Chapter 39
Although the spartan room in the brownstone on Rue La Bruyère had witnessed a lot of suffering,Silas doubted anything could match the anguish now gripping his pale body.
I was deceived.
  Everything is lost.
  Silas had been tricked. The brothers had lied, choosing death instead of revealing their true secret.
  Silas did not have the strength to call the Teacher. Not only had Silas killed the only four peoplewho knew where the keystone was hidden, he had killed a nun inside Saint-Sulpice. She wasworking against God! She scorned the work of Opus Dei!
  A crime of impulse, the woman's death complicated matters greatly. Bishop Aringarosa had placedthe phone call that got Silas into Saint-Sulpice; what would the abbé think when he discovered thenun was dead? Although Silas had placed her back in her bed, the wound on her head was obvious.
  Silas had attempted to replace the broken tiles in the floor, but that damage too was obvious. Theywould know someone had been there.
  Silas had planned to hide within Opus Dei when his task here was complete. Bishop Aringarosawill protect me. Silas could imagine no more blissful existence than a life of meditation and prayerdeep within the walls of Opus Dei's headquarters in New York City. He would never again set footoutside. Everything he needed was within that sanctuary. Nobody will miss me. Unfortunately,Silas knew, a prominent man like Bishop Aringarosa could not disappear so easily.
  I have endangered the bishop. Silas gazed blankly at the floor and pondered taking his own life.
  After all, it had been Aringarosa who gave Silas life in the first place... in that small rectory inSpain, educating him, giving him purpose.
  "My friend," Aringarosa had told him, "you were born an albino. Do not let others shame you forthis. Do you not understand how special this makes you? Were you not aware that Noah himselfwas an albino?""Noah of the Ark?" Silas had never heard this.
  Aringarosa was smiling. "Indeed, Noah of the Ark. An albino. Like you, he had skin white like anangel. Consider this. Noah saved all of life on the planet. You are destined for great things, Silas.
  The Lord has freed you for a reason. You have your calling. The Lord needs your help to do Hiswork."Over time, Silas learned to see himself in a new light. I am pure. White. Beautiful. Like an angel.
  At the moment, though, in his room at the residence hall, it was his father's disappointed voice thatwhispered to him from the past.
  Tu es un désastre. Un spectre.
  Kneeling on the wooden floor, Silas prayed for forgiveness. Then, stripping off his robe, hereached again for the Discipline.
虽然布吕耶尔街上那褐色的斯巴达克式石屋已经见证了无数的苦难,但塞拉斯却觉得他现在的痛苦才是世间最难堪的。我被骗了。一切都完了。
塞拉斯被骗了。隐修会的教友们宁愿选择死亡也不愿泄露秘密。塞拉斯连打电话给主教的力气都没有了。他不仅杀了知道楔石隐藏地的四个人,还杀了一个圣叙尔皮斯教堂的修女。她与上帝作对!她蔑视天主事工会!
修女之死把问题变得更加复杂了,这都是塞拉斯一时冲动惹的祸。阿林加洛沙主教曾打电话向修道院院长打了招呼,让塞拉斯进入圣叙尔皮斯教堂;但如果修道院院长发现修女死了,又会怎么想呢?虽然塞拉斯已经将她的尸体放在了床上,但她头部的伤痕是非常明显的。他也曾试图修复那块被砸碎的地砖,但那破坏的痕迹无法掩饰。他们一定会看出有人去过那里。
塞拉斯本想在完成任务后躲进天主事工会。阿林加洛沙主教会保护我的。在塞拉斯眼中,最幸福的生活方式莫过于整日在纽约的天主事工会总部里冥思和祈祷。他将再也不踏出那里半步。他的所有需求都可以在那个圣地得到满足。没有人会想起我。但此时,塞拉斯意识到,让阿林加洛沙主教那样的名人消失在人们的视线中可不容易。
我给主教带来了危险。塞拉斯茫然地看着地面,琢磨着如何逃生。毕竟,是阿林加洛沙给了塞拉斯新生……在西班牙的那个小教区时,阿林加洛沙教育他,给了他生活的目标。
"我的朋友。"阿林加洛沙告诉他。"你生来就是一个白化病人。不要让别人因此而瞧不起你。你不知道这让你多么地与众不同吗?你还不知道诺亚就是个白化病人吧?"
"是"诺亚方舟"传说里的那个诺亚吗?"塞拉斯从来没有听说过。
阿林加洛沙微笑着说:"没错,就是"诺亚方舟"里的那个诺亚。和你一样,他的皮肤像天使一样白。想想看,诺亚挽救了地球上的所有生命。塞拉斯,你注定要做出壮举。上帝将你解救出来,就是因为你有你的使命。上帝需要你去完成他的旨意。"一时间,塞拉斯学会了以新的眼光来看待自己。我是纯洁的,我是洁白的,我是美丽的,就像一个天使。
此时,父亲那失望的声音又从遥远的过去传来,传到他的房间里。
你是个祸星,一个幽灵。
塞拉斯跪在地板上祈求宽恕。然后,他解下长袍,伸手去拿那本戒律。
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