preston&child.thecabinetofcuriosities-第94节

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st　spotted　on　a　beach　somewhere　in　the　Netherlands　Antilles；　drinking　daiquiris　and　reading　the　Wall　Street　Journal。
　Smithback　had　spent　two　weeks　at　the　Feversham　Clinic；　north　of　Cold　Spring；　where　his　wound　had　been　sewn　and　dressed。　It　had　healed　surprisingly　quickly。　Pendergast　had　also　spent　several　weeks　recuperating　at　Feversham　after　a　series　of　operations　to　his　elbow　and　abdomen。　Then　he　had　disappeared；　and　neither　Nora　nor　Smithback　had　heard　from　him。　Until　this　mysterious　summons。
　〃I　still　can't　believe　we're　up　here　again；〃　Smithback　said　as　they　walked　northward。
　〃e　on；　Bill。　Aren't　you　curious　to　see　what　Pendergast　wants？〃
　〃Of　course。　I　just　don't　see　why　it　couldn't　be　someplace　else。　Someplace　fortable。　Like；　say；　the　restaurant　at　the　Carlyle。〃
　〃I'm　sure　we'll　learn　the　reason。〃
　〃I'm　sure　we　will。　But　if　he　offers　me　a　Leng　cocktail　out　of　one　of　those　mason　jars；　I'm　leaving。〃
　Now　the　old　house　appeared　in　the　distance；　up　the　Drive。　Even　in　the　bright　sunlight　it　seemed　somehow　dark：　sprawling；　haunted；　framed　by　bare　trees；　black　upper　windows　staring　westward　like　empty　eye　sockets。
　As　if　at　a　single　thought；　Nora　and　Smithback　paused。
　〃You　know；　just　the　sight　of　that　old　pile　still　scares　the　bejesus　out　of　me；〃　Smithback　muttered。　〃I'll　tell　you；　when　Fairhaven　had　me　laid　out　on　that　operating　table；　and　I　felt　the　knife　slice　into　my…〃
　〃Bill；　please；〃　Nora　pleaded。　Smithback　had　grown　fond　of　regaling　her　with　gory　details。
　He　drew　his　arm　around　her。　He　was　wearing　the　blue　Armani　suit；　but　it　hung　a　little　loosely　now；　his　gaunt　frame　thinner　for　the　ordeal。　His　face　was　pale　and　drawn；　but　the　old　humor；　the　mischievous　twinkle；　had　returned　to　his　eyes。
　They　continued　walking　north；　crossing　137th　Street。　There　was　the　carriage　entrance；　still　partially　blocked　by　windblown　piles　of　trash。　Smithback　stopped　again；　and　Nora　watched　his　eye　travel　up　the　facade　of　the　building；　toward　a　broken　window　on　the　second　floor。　For　all　his　display　of　bravado；　the　writer's　face　paled　for　a　moment。　Then　he　stepped　forward　resolutely；　following　Nora　under　the　porte…cochère；　and　they　knocked。
　A　minute　passed；　then　two。　And　then　at　last　the　door　creaked　open；　and　Pendergast　stood　before　them。　He　was　wearing　heavy　rubber　gloves；　and　his　elegant　black　suit　was　covered　in　plaster　dust。　Without　a　word　of　greeting　he　turned　away；　and　they　followed　him　through　silent　echoing　passages　toward　the　library。　Portable　halogen　lamps　were　arrayed　along　the　hallways；　throwing　cold　white　light　onto　the　surfaces　of　the　old　house。　Even　with　the　light；　however；　Nora　felt　a　shiver　of　fear　as　she　retraced　the　corridors。　The　foul　odor　of　decay　was　gone；　replaced　by　a　faint　chemical　wash。　The　interior　was　barely　recognizable：　panels　had　been　taken　off　walls；　drawers　stood　open；　plumbing　and　gas　lines　exposed　or　removed；　boards　ripped　from　the　floor。　It　looked　as　if　the　house　had　been　torn　apart　in　an　unbelievably　exhaustive　search。
　Within　the　library；　all　the　sheets　had　been　removed　from　the　skeletons　and　mounted　animals。　The　light　was　dimmer　here；　but　Nora　could　see　that　half　the　shelves　were　empty；　and　the　floor　covered　with　carefully　piled　stacks　of　books。　Pendergast　threaded　his　way　through　them　to　the　vast　fireplace　in　the　far　wall；　then…at　last…turned　back　toward　his　two　guests。
　〃Dr。　Kelly；〃　he　said；　nodding　to　her。　〃Mr。　Smithback。　I'm　pleased　to　see　you　looking　well。〃
　〃That　Dr。　Bloom　of　yours　is　as　much　an　artist　as　he　is　a　surgeon；〃　Smithback　replied；　with　strained　heartiness。　〃I　hope　he　takes　Blue　Cross。　I　have　yet　to　see　the　bill。〃
　Pendergast　smiled　thinly。　A　brief　silence　ensued。
　〃So　why　are　we　here；　Mr。　Pendergast？〃　Nora　asked。
　〃You　two　have　been　through　a　terrible　ordeal；〃　Pendergast　replied　as　he　pulled　off　the　heavy　gloves。　〃More　than　anyone　should　ever　have　to　endure。　I　feel　in　large　part　responsible。〃
　〃Hey；　that's　what　bequests　are　for；〃　Smithback　replied。
　〃I've　learned　some　things　in　the　last　several　weeks。　Far　too　many　are　already　past　help：　Mary　Greene；　Doreen　Hollander；　Mandy　Eklund；　Reinhart　Puck；　Patrick　O'Shaughnessy。　But　for　you　two；　I　thought　perhaps　hearing　the　real　story…a　story　nobody　else　must　ever　know…might　help　exorcize　the　demons。〃
　There　was　another　brief　pause。
　〃Go　ahead；〃　Smithback　said；　in　an　entirely　different　tone　of　voice。
　Pendergast　looked　from　Nora；　to　Smithback；　then　back　again。
　〃From　childhood；　Fairhaven　was　obsessed　with　mortality。　His　older　brother　died　at　age　sixteen　of　Hutchinson…Guilford　syndrome。〃
　〃Little　Arthur；〃　Smithback　said。
　Pendergast　looked　at　him　curiously。　〃That's　correct。〃
　〃Hutchinson…Guilford　syndrome？〃　Nora　asked。　〃Never　heard　of　it。〃
　〃Also　known　as　progeria。　After　a　normal　birth；　children　begin　to　age　extremely　rapidly。　Height　is　stunted。　Hair　turns　gray　and　then　falls　out；　leaving　prominent　veins。　There　are　usually　no　eyebrows　or　eyelashes；　and　the　eyes　grow　too　large　for　the　skull。　The　skin　turns　brown　and　wrinkled。　The　long　bones　bee　decalcified。　Basically；　by　adolescence　the　child　has　the　body　of　an　old　man。　They　bee　susceptible　to　atherosclerosis；　strokes；　heart　attacks。　The　last　is　what　killed　Arthur　Fairhaven；　when　he　was　sixteen。
　〃His　brother　saw　mortality　pressed　into　five　or　six　years　of　horror。　He　never　got　over　it。　We're　all　afraid　of　death；　but　for　Anthony　Fairhaven　the　fear　became　an　obsession。　He　attended　medical　school；　but　after　two　years　was　forced　to　leave　for　certain　unauthorized　experiments　he'd　undertaken；　I'm　still　looking　into　their　exact　nature。　So　by　default　he　went　into　the　family　business　of　real　estate。　But　health　remained　an　obsession　with　him。　He　experimented　with　health　foods；　diets；　vitamins　and　supplements；　German　spas；　Finnish　smoke　saunas。　Taking　hope　from　the　Christian　promise　of　eternal　life；　he　became　intensely　religious…but　when　his　prayers　were　slow　in　being　answered　he　began　hedging　his　bets；　supplementing　his　religious　fervor　with　an　equally　profound　and　misplaced　fervor　for　science；　medicine；　and　natural　history。　He　became　a　huge　benefactor　to　several　obscure　research　institutes；　as　well　as　to　Columbia　Medical　School；　the　Smithsonian；　and　of　course　the　New　York　Museum　of　Natural　History。　And　he　founded　the　Little　Arthur　Clinic；　which　in　fact　has　done　important　work　on　rare　diseases　of　children。
　〃We　cannot　be　sure；　exactly；　when　he　first　learned　of　Leng。　He　spent　a　lot　of　time　digging　around　in　the　Museum　Archives；　following　up　some　line　of　research　or　other。　At　some　point；　he　came　across　information　about　Leng　in　the　Museum's　Archives。　Whatever　he　found　gave　him　two　critical　pieces　of　information：　the　nature　of　Leng's　experiments；　and　the　location　of　his　first　lab。　Here　was　this　man　who　claimed　to　have　succeeded　in　extending　his　life。　You　can　imagine　how　Fairhaven　must　have　reacted。　He　had　to　find　out　what　this　man　had　done；　and　if　he　had　really　succeeded。　Of　course；　this　is　why　Puck　had　to　die：　he　alone　knew　of　Fairhaven's　visits　to　the　Archives。　He　alone　knew　what　Fairhaven　had　been　examining。　This　wasn't　a　problem　until　we　found　the　Shottum　letter：　but　then　it　became　essential　to　remove　Puck。　Even　a　casual　mention　by　Puck　of　Fairhaven's　visits　would　have　linked　him　directly　to　Leng。　It　would　have　made　him　suspect　number　one。　By　luring　you　down　there；　Dr。　Kelly；　Fairhaven　figured　he　could　kill　two　birds　with　one　stone。　You　had　proven　yourself　unusually　dangerous　and　effective。
　〃But　I　get　ahead　of　myself。　After　Fairhaven　discovered　Leng's　work；　he　next　wondered　if　Leng　had　succeeded…in　other　words；　if　Leng　was　still　alive。　So　he　began　to　track　him　down。　When　I　myself　started　to　hunt　for　Leng's　whereabouts；　I　often　had　the　sense　someone　had　walked　the　trail　before　me　in　the　not　too　distant　past。
　〃Ultimately；　Fairhaven　discovered　where　Leng　had　once　lived。　He　came　to　this　house。　Imagine　his　exultation　when　he　found　my　great…grand…uncle　still　alive…when　he　realized　that　Leng　had；　in　fact；　succeeded　in　his　attempt　to　prolong　life。　Leng　had　the　very　secret　that　Fairhaven　so　desperately　wanted。
　〃Fairhaven　tried　to　make　Leng　divulge　his　secret。　As　we　know；　Leng　had　abandoned　his　ultimate　project。　And　I　now　know　why。　Studying　the　papers　in　his　laboratory；　I　realized　that　Leng's　work　stopped　abruptly　around　the　first　of　March　1954。　I　wondered　a　long　time　about　the　significance　of　that　date。　And　then　I　understood。　That　was　the　date　of　Castle　Bravo。〃
　〃Castle　Bravo？〃　Nora　echoed。
　〃The　first　dry　thermonuclear　bomb；　exploded　at　Bikini。　It　'ran　away'　to　fifteen　megatons；　and　the　fireball　expanded　to　four　miles　in　diameter。　Leng　was　convinced　that；　with　the　invention　of　the　thermonuclear　bomb；　the　human　race　was　destined　to　kill　itself　anyway；　and　far　more　efficiently　than　he　ever　could。　The　march　of　technology　had　solved　his　problem　for　him。　So　he　gave　up　his　search　for　the　ultimate　poison。　He　could　grow　old　and　die　in　peace；　knowing　it　was　only　a　matter　of　time　before　his　dream　of　curing　the　earth　of　its　human　plague　came　true。
　〃So；　by　the　time　Fairhaven　found　him；　Leng　had　not　taken　the　elixir　for　many　years…since　March　1954；　in　fact。　He　had　grown　old。　Perhaps　he　almost　wanted　to　die。　At　any　rate；　he　refused；　even　under　brutal　torture；　t