danbrown.thedavincicode-第39章

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ast。
　Tu　es　un　désastre。　Un　spectre。
　Kneeling　on　the　wooden　floor；　Silas　prayed　for　forgiveness。　Then；　stripping　off　his　robe；　he　reached　again　for　the　Discipline。
　　
　CHAPTER　40
　
　Struggling　with　the　gear　shift；　Langdon　managed　to　maneuver　the　hijacked　taxi　to　the　far　side　of　the　Bois　de　Boulogne　while　stalling　only　twice。　Unfortunately；　the　inherent　humor　in　the　situation　was　overshadowed　by　the　taxi　dispatcher　repeatedly　hailing　their　cab　over　the　radio。
　〃Voiture　cinq…six…trois。　Où　êtes…vous？　Répondez！〃
　When　Langdon　reached　the　exit　of　the　park；　he　swallowed　his　machismo　and　jammed　on　the　brakes。　〃You'd　better　drive。〃
　Sophie　looked　relieved　as　she　jumped　behind　the　wheel。　Within　seconds　she　had　the　car　humming　smoothly　westward　along　Allée　de　Longchamp；　leaving　the　Garden　of　Earthly　Delights　behind。
　〃Which　way　is　Rue　Haxo？〃　Langdon　asked；　watching　Sophie　edge　the　speedometer　over　a　hundred　kilometers　an　hour。
　Sophie's　eyes　remained　focused　on　the　road。　〃The　cab　driver　said　it's　adjacent　to　the　Roland　Garros　tennis　stadium。　I　know　that　area。〃
　Langdon　pulled　the　heavy　key　from　his　pocket　again；　feeling　the　weight　in　his　palm。　He　sensed　it　was　an　object　of　enormous　consequence。　Quite　possibly　the　key　to　his　own　freedom。
　Earlier；　while　telling　Sophie　about　the　Knights　Templar；　Langdon　had　realized　that　this　key；　in　addition　to　having　the　Priory　seal　embossed　on　it；　possessed　a　more　subtle　tie　to　the　Priory　of　Sion。　The　equal…armed　cruciform　was　symbolic　of　balance　and　harmony　but　also　of　the　Knights　Templar。　Everyone　had　seen　the　paintings　of　Knights　Templar　wearing　white　tunics　emblazoned　with　red　equal…armed　crosses。　Granted；　the　arms　of　the　Templar　cross　were　slightly　flared　at　the　ends；　but　they　were　still　of　equal　length。
　A　square　cross。　Just　like　the　one　on　this　key。
　Langdon　felt　his　imagination　starting　to　run　wild　as　he　fantasized　about　what　they　might　find。　The　Holy　Grail。　He　almost　laughed　out　loud　at　the　absurdity　of　it。　The　Grail　was　believed　to　be　somewhere　in　England；　buried　in　a　hidden　chamber　beneath　one　of　the　many　Templar　churches；　where　it　had　been　hidden　since　at　least　1500。
　The　era　of　Grand　Master　Da　Vinci。
　The　Priory；　in　order　to　keep　their　powerful　documents　safe；　had　been　forced　to　move　them　many　times　in　the　early　centuries。　Historians　now　suspected　as　many　as　six　different　Grail　relocations　since　its　arrival　in　Europe　from　Jerusalem。　The　last　Grail　〃sighting〃　had　been　in　1447　when　numerous　eyewitnesses　described　a　fire　that　had　broken　out　and　almost　engulfed　the　documents　before　they　were　carried　to　safety　in　four　huge　chests　that　each　required　six　men　to　carry。　After　that；　nobody　claimed　to　see　the　Grail　ever　again。　All　that　remained　were　occasional　whisperings　that　it　was　hidden　in　Great　Britain；　the　land　of　King　Arthur　and　the　Knights　of　the　Round　Table。
　Wherever　it　was；　two　important　facts　remained：
　Leonardo　knew　where　the　Grail　resided　during　his　lifetime。
　That　hiding　place　had　probably　not　changed　to　this　day。
　For　this　reason；　Grail　enthusiasts　still　pored　over　Da　Vinci's　art　and　diaries　in　hopes　of　unearthing　a　hidden　clue　as　to　the　Grail's　current　location。　Some　claimed　the　mountainous　backdrop　in　Madonna　of　the　Rocks　matched　the　topography　of　a　series　of　cave…ridden　hills　in　Scotland。　Others　insisted　that　the　suspicious　placement　of　disciples　in　The　Last　Supper　was　some　kind　of　code。　Still　others　claimed　that　X　rays　of　the　Mona　Lisa　revealed　she　originally　had　been　painted　wearing　a　lapis　lazuli　pendant　of　Isis…a　detail　Da　Vinci　purportedly　later　decided　to　paint　over。　Langdon　had　never　seen　any　evidence　of　the　pendant；　nor　could　he　imagine　how　it　could　possibly　reveal　the　Holy　Grail；　and　yet　Grail　aficionados　still　discussed　it　ad　nauseum　on　Internet　bulletin　boards　and　worldwide…web　chat　rooms。
　Everyone　loves　a　conspiracy。
　And　the　conspiracies　kept　ing。　Most　recently；　of　course；　had　been　the　earthshaking　discovery　that　Da　Vinci's　famed　Adoration　of　the　Magi　was　hiding　a　dark　secret　beneath　its　layers　of　paint。　Italian　art　diagnostician　Maurizio　Seracini　had　unveiled　the　unsettling　truth；　which　the　New　York　Times　Magazine　carried　prominently　in　a　story　titled　〃The　Leonardo　Cover…Up。〃
　Seracini　had　revealed　beyond　any　doubt　that　while　the　Adoration's　gray…green　sketched　underdrawing　was　indeed　Da　Vinci's　work；　the　painting　itself　was　not。　The　truth　was　that　some　anonymous　painter　had　filled　in　Da　Vinci's　sketch　like　a　paint…by…numbers　years　after　Da　Vinci's　death。　Far　more　troubling；　however；　was　what　lay　beneath　the　impostor's　paint。　Photographs　taken　with　infrared　reflectography　and　X　ray　suggested　that　this　rogue　painter；　while　filling　in　Da　Vinci's　sketched　study；　had　made　suspicious　departures　from　the　underdrawing。。。　as　if　to　subvert　Da　Vinci's　true　intention。　Whatever　the　true　nature　of　the　underdrawing；　it　had　yet　to　be　made　public。　Even　so；　embarrassed　officials　at　Florence's　Uffizi　Gallery　immediately　banished　the　painting　to　a　warehouse　across　the　street。　Visitors　at　the　gallery's　Leonardo　Room　now　found　a　misleading　and　unapologetic　plaque　where　the　Adoration　once　hung。
　THIS　WORK　IS　UNDERGOING
　DIAGNOSTIC　TESTS　IN　PREPARATION
　FOR　RESTORATION。
　　
　In　the　bizarre　underworld　of　modern　Grail　seekers；　Leonardo　da　Vinci　remained　the　quest's　great　enigma。　His　artwork　seemed　bursting　to　tell　a　secret；　and　yet　whatever　it　was　remained　hidden；　perhaps　beneath　a　layer　of　paint；　perhaps　enciphered　in　plain　view；　or　perhaps　nowhere　at　all。　Maybe　Da　Vinci's　plethora　of　tantalizing　clues　was　nothing　but　an　empty　promise　left　behind　to　frustrate　the　curious　and　bring　a　smirk　to　the　face　of　his　knowing　Mona　Lisa。
　〃Is　it　possible；〃　Sophie　asked；　drawing　Langdon　back；　〃that　the　key　you're　holding　unlocks　the　hiding　place　of　the　Holy　Grail？〃
　Langdon's　laugh　sounded　forced；　even　to　him。　〃I　really　can't　imagine。　Besides；　the　Grail　is　believed　to　be　hidden　in　the　United　Kingdom　somewhere；　not　France。〃　He　gave　her　the　quick　history。
　〃But　the　Grail　seems　the　only　rational　conclusion；〃　she　insisted。　〃We　have　an　extremely　secure　key；　stamped　with　the　Priory　of　Sion　seal；　delivered　to　us　by　a　member　of　the　Priory　of　Sion…a　brotherhood　which；　you　just　told　me；　are　guardians　of　the　Holy　Grail。〃
　Langdon　knew　her　contention　was　logical；　and　yet　intuitively　he　could　not　possibly　accept　it。　Rumors　existed　that　the　Priory　had　vowed　someday　to　bring　the　Grail　back　to　France　to　a　final　resting　place；　but　certainly　no　historical　evidence　existed　to　suggest　that　this　indeed　had　happened。　Even　if　the　Priory　had　managed　to　bring　the　Grail　back　to　France；　the　address　24　Rue　Haxo　near　a　tennis　stadium　hardly　sounded　like　a　noble　final　resting　place。　〃Sophie；　I　really　don't　see　how　this　key　could　have　anything　to　do　with　the　Grail。〃
　〃Because　the　Grail　is　supposed　to　be　in　England？〃
　〃Not　only　that。　The　location　of　the　Holy　Grail　is　one　of　the　best　kept　secrets　in　history。　Priory　members　wait　decades　proving　themselves　trustworthy　before　being　elevated　to　the　highest　echelons　of　the　fraternity　and　learning　where　the　Grail　is。　That　secret　is　protected　by　an　intricate　system　of　partmentalized　knowledge；　and　although　the　Priory　brotherhood　is　very　large；　only　four　members　at　any　given　time　know　where　the　Grail　is　hidden…the　Grand　Master　and　his　three　sénéchaux。　The　probability　of　your　grandfather　being　one　of　those　four　top　people　is　very　slim。〃
　My　grandfather　was　one　of　them；　Sophie　thought；　pressing　down　on　the　accelerator。　She　had　an　image　stamped　in　her　memory　that　confirmed　her　grandfather's　status　within　the　brotherhood　beyond　any　doubt。
　〃And　even　if　your　grandfather　were　in　the　upper　echelon；　he　would　never　be　allowed　to　reveal　anything　to　anyone　outside　the　brotherhood。　It　is　inconceivable　that　he　would　bring　you　into　the　inner　circle。〃
　I've　already　been　there；　Sophie　thought；　picturing　the　ritual　in　the　basement。　She　wondered　if　this　were　the　moment　to　tell　Langdon　what　she　had　witnessed　that　night　in　the　Normandy　chateau。　For　ten　years　now；　simple　shame　had　kept　her　from　telling　a　soul。　Just　thinking　about　it；　she　shuddered。　Sirens　howled　somewhere　in　the　distance；　and　she　felt　a　thickening　shroud　of　fatigue　settling