danbrown.angels&demons-第38节

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　somewhere。　I'm　sure。〃
　Vittoria　reached　down　and　flipped　her　first　page　by　hand。
　〃Spatula！〃　Langdon　said；　grabbing　her　an　extra　tool　from　the　tray。　〃Use　the　spatula。〃
　〃I'm　wearing　gloves；〃　she　grumbled。　〃How　much　damage　could　I　cause？〃　
　〃Just　use　it。〃
　Vittoria　picked　up　the　spatula。　〃You　feeling　what　I'm　feeling？〃
　〃Tense？〃　
　〃No。　Short　of　breath。〃
　Langdon　was　definitely　starting　to　feel　it　too。　The　air　was　thinning　faster　than　he　had　imagined。　He　knew　they　had　to　hurry。　Archival　conundrums　were　nothing　new　for　him；　but　usually　he　had　more　than　a　few　minutes　to　work　them　out。　Without　another　word；　Langdon　bowed　his　head　and　began　translating　the　first　page　in　his　stack。　
　Show　yourself；　damn　it！　Show　yourself！　
　
　53

　S　omewhere　beneath　Rome　the　dark　figure　prowled　down　a　stone　ramp　into　the　underground　tunnel。　The　ancient　passageway　was　lit　only　by　torches；　making　the　air　hot　and　thick。　Up　ahead　the　frightened　voices　of　grown　men　called　out　in　vain；　echoing　in　the　cramped　spaces。
　As　he　rounded　the　corner　he　saw　them；　exactly　as　he　had　left　them…four　old　men；　terrified；　sealed　behind　rusted　iron　bars　in　a　stone　cubicle。
　〃Qui　кtes…vous？〃　one　of　the　men　demanded　in　French。　〃What　do　you　want　with　us？〃
　〃Hilfe！〃　another　said　in　German。　〃Let　us　go！〃
　〃Are　you　aware　who　we　are？〃　one　asked　in　English；　his　accent　Spanish。
　〃Silence；〃　the　raspy　voice　manded。　There　was　a　finality　about　the　word。
　The　fourth　prisoner；　an　Italian；　quiet　and　thoughtful；　looked　into　the　inky　void　of　his　captor's　eyes　and　swore　he　saw　hell　itself。　God　help　us；　he　thought。
　The　killer　checked　his　watch　and　then　returned　his　gaze　to　the　prisoners。　〃Now　then；〃　he　said。　〃Who　will　be　first？〃
　
　54

　Inside　Archive　Vault　10　Robert　Langdon　recited　Italian　numbers　as　he　scanned　the　calligraphy　before　him。　Mille　。　。　。　centi　。　。　。　uno；　duo；　tre　。　。　。　cincuanta。　I　need　a　numerical　reference！　Anything；　damnit！　
　When　he　reached　the　end　of　his　current　folio；　he　lifted　the　spatula　to　flip　the　page。　As　he　aligned　the　blade　with　the　next　page；　he　fumbled；　having　difficulty　holding　the　tool　steady。　Minutes　later；　he　looked　down　and　realized　he　had　abandoned　his　spatula　and　was　turning　pages　by　hand。　Oops；　he　thought；　feeling　vaguely　criminal。　The　lack　of　oxygen　was　affecting　his　inhibitions。　Looks　like　I'll　burn　in　archivist's　hell。
　〃About　damn　time；〃　Vittoria　choked　when　she　saw　Langdon　turning　pages　by　hand。　She　dropped　her　spatula　and　followed　suit。　
　〃Any　luck？〃
　Vittoria　shook　her　head。　〃Nothing　that　looks　purely　mathematical。　I'm　skimming　。　。　。　but　none　of　this　reads　like　a　clue。〃
　Langdon　continued　translating　his　folios　with　increasing　difficulty。　His　Italian　skills　were　rocky　at　best；　and　the　tiny　penmanship　and　archaic　language　was　making　it　slow　going。　Vittoria　reached　the　end　of　her　stack　before　Langdon　and　looked　disheartened　as　she　flipped　the　pages　back　over。　She　hunkered　down　for　another　more　intense　inspection。
　When　Langdon　finished　his　final　page；　he　cursed　under　his　breath　and　looked　over　at　Vittoria。　She　was　scowling；　squinting　at　something　on　one　of　her　folios。　〃What　is　it？〃　he　asked。
　Vittoria　did　not　look　up。　〃Did　you　have　any　footnotes　on　your　pages？〃
　〃Not　that　I　noticed。　Why？〃
　〃This　page　has　a　footnote。　It's　obscured　in　a　crease。〃
　Langdon　tried　to　see　what　she　was　looking　at；　but　all　he　could　make　out　was　the　page　number　in　the　upper　right…hand　corner　of　the　sheet。　Folio　5。　It　took　a　moment　for　the　coincidence　to　register；　and　even　when　it　did　the　connection　seemed　vague。　Folio　Five。　Five；　Pythagoras；　pentagrams；　Illuminati。　Langdon　wondered　if　the　Illuminati　would　have　chosen　page　five　on　which　to　hide　their　clue。　Through　the　reddish　fog　surrounding　them；　Langdon　sensed　a　tiny　ray　of　hope。　〃Is　the　footnote　mathematical？〃　
　Vittoria　shook　her　head。　〃Text。　One　line。　Very　small　printing。　Almost　illegible。〃
　His　hopes　faded。　〃It's　supposed　to　be　math。　Lingua　pura。〃　
　〃Yeah；　I　know。〃　She　hesitated。　〃I　think　you'll　want　to　hear　this；　though。〃　Langdon　sensed　excitement　in　her　voice。　
　〃Go　ahead。〃
　Squinting　at　the　folio；　Vittoria　read　the　line。　〃The　path　of　light　is　laid；　the　sacred　test。〃
　The　words　were　nothing　like　what　Langdon　had　imagined。　〃I'm　sorry？〃　
　Vittoria　repeated　the　line。　〃The　path　of　light　is　laid；　the　sacred　test。〃
　〃Path　of　light？〃　Langdon　felt　his　posture　straightening。　
　〃That's　what　it　says。　Path　of　light。〃
　As　the　words　sank　in；　Langdon　felt　his　delirium　pierced　by　an　instant　of　clarity。　The　path　of　light　is　laid；　the　sacred　test。　He　had　no　idea　how　it　helped　them；　but　the　line　was　as　direct　a　reference　to　the　Path　of　Illumination　as　he　could　imagine。　Path　of　light。　Sacred　test。　His　head　felt　like　an　engine　revving　on　bad　fuel。　〃Are　you　sure　of　the　translation？〃
　Vittoria　hesitated。　〃Actually　。　。　。〃　She　glanced　over　at　him　with　a　strange　look。　〃It's　not　technically　a　translation。　The　line　is　written　in　English。〃　
　For　an　instant；　Langdon　thought　the　acoustics　in　the　chamber　had　affected　his　hearing。　〃English？〃　
　Vittoria　pushed　the　document　over　to　him；　and　Langdon　read　the　minuscule　printing　at　the　bottom　of　the　page。　〃The　path　of　light　is　laid；　the　sacred　test。　English？　What　is　English　doing　in　an　Italian　book？〃
　Vittoria　shrugged。　She　too　was　looking　tipsy。　〃Maybe　English　is　what　they　meant　by　the　lingua　pura？　It's　considered　the　international　language　of　science。　It's　all　we　speak　at　CERN。〃
　〃But　this　was　in　the　1600s；〃　Langdon　argued。　〃Nobody　spoke　English　in　Italy；　not　even…〃　He　stopped　short；　realizing　what　he　was　about　to　say。　〃Not　even　。　。　。　the　clergy。〃　Langdon's　academic　mind　hummed　in　high　gear。　〃In　the　1600s；〃　he　said；　talking　faster　now；　〃English　was　one　language　the　Vatican　had　not　yet　embraced。　They　dealt　in　Italian；　Latin；　German；　even　Spanish　and　French；　but　English　was　totally　foreign　inside　the　Vatican。　They　considered　English　a　polluted；　free…thinkers　language　for　profane　men　like　Chaucer　and　Shakespeare。〃　Langdon　flashed　suddenly　on　the　Illuminati　brands　of　Earth；　Air；　Fire；　Water。　The　legend　that　the　brands　were　in　English　now　made　a　bizarre　kind　of　sense。
　〃So　you're　saying　maybe　Galileo　considered　English　la　lingua　pura　because　it　was　the　one　language　the　Vatican　did　not　control？〃
　〃Yes。　Or　maybe　by　putting　the　clue　in　English；　Galileo　was　subtly　restricting　the　readership　away　from　the　Vatican。〃
　〃But　it's　not　even　a　clue；〃　Vittoria　argued。　〃The　path　of　light　is　laid；　the　sacred　test？　What　the　hell　does　that　mean？〃
　She's　right；　Langdon　thought。　The　line　didn't　help　in　any　way。　But　as　he　spoke　the　phrase　again　in　his　mind；　a　strange　fact　hit　him。　Now　that's　odd；　he　thought。　What　are　the　chances　of　that？　
　〃We　need　to　get　out　of　here；〃　Vittoria　said；　sounding　hoarse。
　Langdon　wasn't　listening。　The　path　of　light　is　laid；　the　sacred　test。　〃It's　a　damn　line　of　iambic　pentameter；〃　he　said　suddenly；　counting　the　syllables　again。　〃Five　couplets　of　alternating　stressed　and　unstressed　syllables。〃
　Vittoria　looked　lost。　〃Iambic　who？〃
　For　an　instant　Langdon　was　back　at　Phillips　Exeter　Academy　sitting　in　a　Saturday　morning　English　class。　Hell　on　earth。　The　school　baseball　star；　Peter　Greer；　was　having　trouble　remembering　the　number　of　couplets　necessary　for　a　line　of　Shakespearean　iambic　pentameter。　Their　professor；　an　animated　schoolmaster　named　Bissell；　leapt　onto　the　table　and　bellowed；　〃Penta…meter；　Greer！　Think　of　home　plate！　A　penta…gon！　Five　sides！　Penta！　Penta！　Penta！　Jeeeesh！〃
　Five　couplets；　Langdon　thought。　Each　couplet；　by　definition；　having　two　syllables。　He　could　not　believe　in　his　entire　career　he　had　never　made　the　connection。　Iambic　pentameter　was　a　symmetrical　meter　based　on　the　sacred　Illuminati　numbers　of　5　and　2！　
　You're　reaching！　Langdon　told　himself；　trying　to　push　it　from　his　mind。　A　meaningless　coincidence！　But　the　thought　stuck。　Five　。　。　。　for　Pythagoras　and　the　pentagram。　Two　。　。　。　for　the　duality　of　all　things。　
　A　moment　later；　another　realization　sent　a　numbing　sensation　down　his　legs。　Iambic　pentameter；　on　account　of　its　simplicity；　was　often　called　〃pure　verse〃　or　〃pure　meter。〃　La　lingua　pura？　Could　this　have　been　the　pure　language　the　Illuminati　had　been　referring　to？　The　path　of　light　is　laid；　the　sacred　test　。　。　。　
　〃Uh　oh；〃　Vittoria　said。
　Langdon　wheeled　to　see　her　rotating　the　folio　upside　down。　He　felt　a　knot　in　his　gut。　Not　again。　〃There's　no　way　that　line　is　an　ambigram！〃
　〃No；　it's　not　an　ambigram　。　。　。　but　it's　。　。　。〃　She　kept　turning　the　document；　90　degrees　at　every　turn。
　〃It's　what？〃　
　Vittoria　looked　up。　〃It's　not　the　only　line。〃
　〃There's　another？〃
　〃There's　a　different　line　on　every　margin。　Top；　bottom；　left；　and　right。　I　think　it's　a　poem。〃
　〃Four　lines？〃　Langdon　bristled　with　excitement。　Galileo　was　a　poet？　〃Let　me　see！〃　
　Vittoria　did　not　relinquish　the　page。　She　kept　turning　the　page　in　quarter　turns。　〃I　didn't　see　the　lines　before　because　they're　on　the　edges。〃　She　cocked　her　head　over　the　last　line。　〃Huh。　You　know　what？　Galileo　didn't　even　write　this。〃
　〃What！〃
　〃The　poem　is　signed　John　Milton。〃
　〃John　Milton？〃　The　influential　English　poet　who　wrote　Paradise　Lost　was　a　contemporary　of　Galileo's　and　a　savant　who　conspiracy