iancaldwell&dustinthomason.theruleoffour-第79章

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defatigable　Charlie；　hopeful　to　the　end。
　I　have　it　now；　in　front　of　me。　Genesis　45：19　es　at　the　conclusion　of　the　story　Botticelli　painted。　After　revealing　himself　to　his　brothers；　Joseph　bees　a　gift…giver；　just　like　his　father　before　him。　After　all　he　has　suffered；　he　says　he　will　take　his　brothers　back；　they　who　now　starve　in　Canaan；　and　let　them　share　in　the　bounty　of　his　Egypt。　And　I；　who　have　made　the　mistake　most　of　my　life　of　trying　to　leave　my　father　behind　me；　of　thinking　I　could　move　forward　by　keeping　him　in　the　past；　I　understand　perfectly。
　Get　your　father　and　e；　the　verse　says。　Never　mind　about　your　property；　for　the　best　of　all　Egypt　will　be　yours。
　I　pick　up　the　phone。
　Get　your　father　and　e；　I　think；　wondering　how　he　understood；　even　when　I　didn't。
　I　put　the　phone　back　down　and　reach　for　my　daybook；　to　copy　the　number　before　anything　can　happen　to　it。　In　those　lonely　pages；　the　new　H　of　Paul　Harris　and　the　old　M　of　Katie　Marchand　are　the　only　two　entries　on　the　spread。　It　feels　unnatural　to　add　a　name　now；　but　I　am　fighting　the　sensation　that　all　I　have　is　this　set　of　digits　on　the　mailing　tube；　a　single　chance　that　could　be　erased　by　the　simplest　mistake；　an　opportunity　that　could　bleed　into　nothing　beneath　a　single　drop　of　water。
　There　is　sweat　on　my　hands　as　I　lift　the　receiver　again；　hardly　aware　of　the　time　that　has　passed　as　I　sat　here；　trying　to　think　of　the　words　to　put　to　this。　Out　the　bay　window　of　my　bedroom；　in　the　glittering　Texas　night；　I　can　see　nothing　but　the　sky。
　Never　mind　about　your　property；　for　the　best　of　all　Egypt　will　be　yours。
　I　refresh　the　dial　tone　and　start　pushing　the　buttons　on　the　keypad。　A　number　I　never　thought　my　fingers　would　form；　a　voice　I　never　thought　I'd　hear　again。　There　is　a　distant　buzz；　the　ringing　of　a　telephone　in　another　time　zone。　Then；　after　the　fourth　ring；　a　voice。
　You've　reached　Katie　Marchand　at　Hudson　Gallery；　Manhattan。　Please　leave　a　message。
　Then　a　beep。
　〃Katie；〃　I　say；　into　the　hum　of　silence；　〃this　is　Tom。　It's　almost　midnight　here。　Texas　time。〃
　The　hush　of　the　other　end　is　haunting。　It　might　have　overwhelmed　me；　if　I　didn't　know　exactly　what　I　wanted　to　say。
　〃I'm　leaving　Austin　tomorrow　morning。　I'll　be　gone　for　a　while；　I'm　not　sure　how　long。〃
　There　is　a　photo　of　the　two　of　us　in　a　small　frame　on　my　desk。　We're　slightly　off…center；　both　holding　one　side　of　the　camera　and　pointing　it　toward　ourselves。　The　campus　chapel　is　behind　us；　stony　and　still；　Princeton　whispering　in　the　background　even　now。
　〃When　I　get　back　from　Florence；〃　I　tell　her；　the　sophomore　in　my　picture；　my　accidental　gift；　just　before　the　machine　in　New　York　cuts　off；　〃I　want　to　see　you。〃
　Then　I　place　the　receiver　back　in　its　cradle　and　stare　out　the　window　again。　There　will　be　bags　to　pack；　travel　agents　to　call；　new　pictures　to　take。　Even　as　I　begin　to　realize　the　magnitude　of　what　I'm　doing；　a　thought　occurs　to　me。　Somewhere　in　the　city　of　rebirth；　Paul　is　lifting　himself　out　of　bed；　staring　out　his　window；　and　waiting。　There　are　pigeons　cooing　on　rooftops；　cathedral　bells　tolling　from　towers　in　the　distance。　We　are　sitting　here；　continents　apart；　the　same　way　we　always　did：　at　the　edges　of　our　mattresses；　together。　On　the　ceilings　where　I　am　going　there　will　be　saints　and　gods　and　flights　of　angels。　Everywhere　I　walk　there　will　be　reminders　of　all　that　time　can't　touch。　My　heart　is　a　bird　in　a　cage；　ruffling　its　wings　with　the　ache　of　expectation。　In　Italy；　the　sun　is　rising。
　Authors'　Note
　
　The　identity　of　the　Hypnerotomachia's　author　has　remained　uncertain　for　over　five　hundred　years。　In　the　absence　of　definitive　proof　favoring　the　Roman　Francesco　Colonna　or　his　Venetian　namesake；　scholars　have　continued　to　grapple　with　the　strange　acrostic；　〃Poliam　Frater　Franciscus　Columna　Peramavit；〃　sometimes　citing　it　as　evidence　of　the　author's　mysterious　intent。
　Girolamo　Savonarola　（1452…1498）　was　both　respected　and　reviled　by　the　citizens　of　Florence　during　his　brief　tenure　as　the　city's　religious　leader。　Though　to　some　he　remains　a　symbol　of　spiritual　reform　against　the　excesses　of　his　time；　to　others　he　is　known　only　as　the　destroyer　of　countless　paintings；　sculptures；　and　manuscripts　in　the　bonfires　for　which　he　is　best　remembered。
　As　of　the　publication　of　The　Rule　of　Four；　no　connection　has　been　made　between　the　Hypnerotomachia　and　Savonarola。
　
　Richard　Curry　amends　Browning's　poem　〃Andrea　del　Sarto〃　to　suit　his　needs；　and　Tom；　remembering　Curry's　usage；　does　the　same。　Browning's　original　line　is：　〃I　do　what　many　dream　of；　all　their　lives〃　（emphasis　added）。　Tom　and　Paul　sometimes　refer　to　scholarly　books；　including　those　by　Braudel　and　Hartt；　by　shorthand　titles；　and　Paul；　in　his　enthusiastic　overview　of　Florence's　history；　indicates　that　Florentine　artists　and　intellectuals　spanning　several　centuries　were　living　〃at　the　same　time。〃　Tom　takes　the　liberty　of　shortening　the　official　name　of　Princeton　Battlefield　State　Park　to　Princeton　Battlefield　Park；　of　attributing　〃Take　the　'A'　Train〃　to　Duke　Ellington　instead　of　Billy　Strayhorn；　and　of　suggesting；　in　his　first　meeting　with　Katie；　that　the　name　of　poet　E。E。　Cummings　was　intended　to　appear　in　lowercase；　when　Cummings　himself　（in　this　respect；　at　least）　probably　preferred　conventional　capitalization。
　The　authors　take　responsibility　for　other　inventions　and　simplifications。　The　Nude　Olympics　traditionally　began　at　midnight…not　at　sunset；　as　The　Rule　of　Four　suggests。　Jonathan　Edwards　was　indeed　Princeton's　third　president；　and　died　as　described　in　this　novel；　but　he　did　not　initiate　the　Easter　ceremonies　described　here；　which　are　fully　invented。　Though　the　eating　clubs　on　Prospect　throw　many　formal　events　each　year；　the　particular　Ivy　ball　Tom　attends　is　fictional。　And　the　floor　plan　of　the　Ivy　Club；　like　those　of　a　few　other　locations　mentioned；　has　been　changed　to　suit　the　needs　of　the　story。
　Finally；　time　itself　has　taken　a　toll　on　some　of　the　Princeton　fixtures　so　familiar　to　Tom　and　his　friends。　Katie's　sophomore　class　was　the　last　to　run　naked　in　Holder　Courtyard　on　the　night　of　the　first　snowfall　（though　it　did　so　in　January；　not　in　April）：　the　university　outlawed　the　Nude　Olympics　just　before　Tom's　graduation　in　1999。　And　Katie's　beloved　tree；　the　Mercer　Oak　that　once　stood　in　Princeton　Battlefield　State　Park；　collapsed　on　March　3；　2000；　of　natural　causes。　It　can　still　be　seen　in　the　Walter　Matthau　movie　I。Q。
　In　nearly　all　other　respects；　we　have　tried　to　remain　as　faithful　as　possible　to　the　history　of　the　Italian　Renaissance　and　of　Princeton。　We　are　deeply　indebted　to　those　two　great　settings　of　the　mind。
　I。C。　and　D。T。
　Acknowledgments
　
　We　owe　many　thanks。　The　Rule　of　Four　was　nearly　six　years　in　the　making；　and　for　two　young　men　in　their　twenties　it　felt　like　a　lifetime。
　First　to　Jennifer　Joel…überagent；　friend；　muse…who　believed　in　us　long　before　anyone　else　did；　and　to　Susan　Kamil；　who　loved　us　as　her　own；　and　toiled　over　the　manuscript　as　feverishly　as　Tom　and　Paul　would　have。
　Many　thanks　to　the　others　without　whom　this　wouldn't　have　been　possible：　Kate　Elton；　Margo　Lipschultz；　Nick　Ellison；　Alyssa　Sheinmel；　Barb　Burg；　Theresa　Zoro；　Pam　Bernstein；　Abby　Koons；　and　Jennifer　Cayea。
　Ian　would　like　to　begin　by　thanking　Jonathan　Tze。　The　idea　for　Paul's　thesis；　from　which　much　of　this　book　sprang；　is　half　his。　At　Princeton；　thanks　also　go　to　Anthony　Grafton；　who　suggested　a　research　paper　on　the　Hypnerotomachia　；　to　Michael　Sugrue；　whose　enthusiasm　and　encouragement　were　never　in　short　supply；　and；　especially；　to　David　Thurn；　whose　wisdom　and　friendship　made　all　the　difference。　At　Thomas　Jefferson　High　School　for　Science　and　Technology；　Mary　O'　Brien　and　Bettie　Stegall　gave　literature　and　creative　writing　a　voice　in　the　wilderness。　Joshua　〃Ned〃　Gunsher　was　an　inspiration　for　Tom's　clapper　misadventure；　and　also　helped　to　map　out　the　Ivy　Club　of　fact；　before　we　reimagined　it　in　fiction。　For　fifteen　years；　Davin　Quinn's　writerly　panionship　has　been　a　fort　and　a　guiding　light；　with　Robert　McInturff；　Stewart　Young；　and　Karen　Palm；　he　formed　part　of　the　model　for　a　book　about　friendship。　Above　all；　my　mother　and　father；　my　sister；　Rachel；　and　my