danbrown.thedavincicode-第17部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　A　fitting　image；　he　thought。　The　brotherhood's　ship　was　about　to　be　capsized　forever。　Feeling　eager　to　get　to　work；　Silas　wished　Sister　Sandrine　would　leave　him。　She　was　a　small　woman　whom　Silas　could　incapacitate　easily；　but　he　had　vowed　not　to　use　force　unless　absolutely　necessary。　She　is　a　woman　of　the　cloth；　and　it　is　not　her　fault　the　brotherhood　chose　her　church　as　a　hiding　place　for　their　keystone。　She　should　not　be　punished　for　the　sins　of　others。
　〃I　am　embarrassed；　Sister；　that　you　were　awoken　on　my　behalf。〃
　〃Not　at　all。　You　are　in　Paris　a　short　time。　You　should　not　miss　Saint…Sulpice。　Are　your　interests　in　the　church　more　architectural　or　historical？〃
　〃Actually；　Sister；　my　interests　are　spiritual。〃
　She　gave　a　pleasant　laugh。　〃That　goes　without　saying。　I　simply　wondered　where　to　begin　your　tour。〃
　Silas　felt　his　eyes　focus　on　the　altar。　〃A　tour　is　unnecessary。　You　have　been　more　than　kind。　I　can　show　myself　around。〃
　〃It　is　no　trouble；〃　she　said。　〃After　all；　I　am　awake。〃
　Silas　stopped　walking。　They　had　reached　the　front　pew　now；　and　the　altar　was　only　fifteen　yards　away。　He　turned　his　massive　body　fully　toward　the　small　woman；　and　he　could　sense　her　recoil　as　she　gazed　up　into　his　red　eyes。　〃If　it　does　not　seem　too　rude；　Sister；　I　am　not　accustomed　to　simply　walking　into　a　house　of　God　and　taking　a　tour。　Would　you　mind　if　I　took　some　time　alone　to　pray　before　I　look　around？〃
　Sister　Sandrine　hesitated。　〃Oh；　of　course。　I　shall　wait　in　the　rear　of　the　church　for　you。〃
　Silas　put　a　soft　but　heavy　hand　on　her　shoulder　and　peered　down。　〃Sister；　I　feel　guilty　already　for　having　awoken　you。　To　ask　you　to　stay　awake　is　too　much。　Please；　you　should　return　to　bed。　I　can　enjoy　your　sanctuary　and　then　let　myself　out。〃
　She　looked　uneasy。　〃Are　you　sure　you　won't　feel　abandoned？〃
　〃Not　at　all。　Prayer　is　a　solitary　joy。〃
　〃As　you　wish。〃
　Silas　took　his　hand　from　her　shoulder。　〃Sleep　well；　Sister。　May　the　peace　of　the　Lord　be　with　you。〃
　〃And　also　with　you。〃　Sister　Sandrine　headed　for　the　stairs。　〃Please　be　sure　the　door　closes　tightly　on　your　way　out。〃
　〃I　will　be　sure　of　it。〃　Silas　watched　her　climb　out　of　sight。　Then　he　turned　and　knelt　in　the　front　pew；　feeling　the　cilice　cut　into　his　leg。
　Dear　God；　I　offer　up　to　you　this　work　I　do　today。。。。
　　
　Crouching　in　the　shadows　of　the　choir　balcony　high　above　the　altar；　Sister　Sandrine　peered　silently　through　the　balustrade　at　the　cloaked　monk　kneeling　alone。　The　sudden　dread　in　her　soul　made　it　hard　to　stay　still。　For　a　fleeting　instant；　she　wondered　if　this　mysterious　visitor　could　be　the　enemy　they　had　warned　her　about；　and　if　tonight　she　would　have　to　carry　out　the　orders　she　had　been　holding　all　these　years。　She　decided　to　stay　there　in　the　darkness　and　watch　his　every　move。
　　
　CHAPTER　20
　
　Emerging　from　the　shadows；　Langdon　and　Sophie　moved　stealthily　up　the　deserted　Grand　Gallery　corridor　toward　the　emergency　exit　stairwell。
　As　he　moved；　Langdon　felt　like　he　was　trying　to　assemble　a　jigsaw　puzzle　in　the　dark。　The　newest　aspect　of　this　mystery　was　a　deeply　troubling　one：　The　captain　of　the　Judicial　Police　is　trying　to　frame　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　thought　writing　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　my　grandfather。〃
　Langdon　knew　she　was　right。　The　symbolism　of　the　clues　meshed　too　perfectly…the　pentacle；　The　Vitruvian　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'm　certain　his　message　at　the　Louvre　was　his　final　effort　to　tell　me　something　important；　something　he　thought　you　could　help　me　understand。〃
　Langdon　frowned。　O；　Draconian　devil！　Oh；　lame　saint。！　He　wished　he　could　prehend　the　message；　both　for　Sophie's　well…being　and　for　his　own。　Things　had　definitely　gotten　worse　since　he　first　laid　eyes　on　the　cryptic　words。　His　fake　leap　out　the　bathroom　window　was　not　going　to　help　Langdon's　popularity　with　Fache　one　bit。　Somehow　he　doubted　the　captain　of　the　French　police　would　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　to　understanding　the　other　lines？〃　Langdon　had　once　worked　on　a　series　of　Baconian　manuscripts　that　contained　epigraphical　ciphers　in　which　certain　lines　of　code　were　clues　as　to　how　to　decipher　the　other　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…like　writing　the　message　in　English；　or　arranging　himself　like　my　favorite　piece　of　art；　or　drawing　a　pentacle　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　my　grandfather　and　me　when　I　was　growing　up。　We　used　to　play　Tarot　cards　for　fun；　and　my　indicator　card　always　turned　out　to　be　from　the　suit　of　pentacles。　I'm　sure　he　stacked　the　deck；　but　pentacles　got　to　be　our　little　joke。〃
　Langdon　felt　a　chill。　They　played　Tarot？　The　medieval　Italian　card　game　was　so　replete　with　hidden　heretical　symbolism　that　Langdon　had　dedicated　an　entire　chapter　in　his　new　manuscript　to　the　Tarot。　The　game's　twenty…two　cards　bore　names　like　The　Female　Pope；　The　Empress；　and　The　Star。　Originally；　Tarot　had　been　devised　as　a　secret　means　to　pass　along　ideologies　banned　by　the　Church。　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　if　Saunière　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　alarm　sounded。　Only　the　doors　to　the　outside　were　wired。　Sophie　led　Langdon　down　a　tight　set　of　switchback　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；　did　he　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　I　was　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　were　even　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　that　Langdon　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。618
　
　Langdon　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　is　one　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　in　art。　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　beautiful　number　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　the　Fibonacci　sequence…a　progression　famous　not　only　because　the　sum　of　adjacent　terms　equaled　the　next　term；　but　because　the　quotients　of　adjacent　terms　possessed　the　astonishing　property　of　approaching　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；　and　even　human　beings　all　possessed　dimensional　properties　that　adhered　with　eerie　exactitude　to　the　ratio　of　PHI　to　1。
　〃PHI's　ubiquity　in　nature；〃　Langdon　said；　killing　the　lights；　〃clearly　exceeds　coincidence；　and　so　the　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　Divine　Proportion　in　nature。〃
　〃No？〃　Langdon　grinned。　〃Ever　study　the　relationship　between　females　and　males　in　a　honeybee　munity？〃
　〃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　male　bees　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　shell　to　adjust　its　buoyancy。〃
　〃Correct。　And　can