Chapter 22

Kneeling in the first pew, Silas pretended to pray as he scanned the layout of the sanctuary¹. Saint-Sulpice, like most churches, had been built in the shape of a giant Roman cross. Its long centralsection—the nave²—led directly to the main altar, where it was transversely intersected by a shortersection, known as the transept. The intersection³ of nave and transept occurred directly beneath themain cupola and was considered the heart of the church... her most sacred and mystical point.

　　Not tonight, Silas thought. Saint-Sulpice hides her secrets elsewhere.

　　Turning his head to the right, he gazed into the south transept, toward the open area of floor beyondthe end of the pews, to the object his victims had described.

　　There it is.

　　Embedded in the gray granite⁴ floor, a thin polished strip of brass⁵ glistened⁶ in the stone... a goldenline slanting⁷ across the church's floor. The line bore graduated markings, like a ruler. It was agnomon, Silas had been told, a pagan astronomical⁸ device like a sundial. Tourists, scientists,historians, and pagans from around the world came to Saint-Sulpice to gaze upon this famous line.

　　The Rose Line.

　　Slowly, Silas let his eyes trace the path of the brass strip as it made its way across the floor fromhis right to left, slanting in front of him at an awkward angle, entirely⁹ at odds¹⁰ with the symmetry ofthe church. Slicing across the main altar itself, the line looked to Silas like a slash¹¹ wound across abeautiful face. The strip cleaved¹² the communion rail in two and then crossed the entire width of thechurch, finally reaching the corner of the north transept, where it arrived at the base of a mostunexpected structure.

　　A colossal¹³ Egyptian obelisk¹⁴.

　　Here, the glistening¹⁵ Rose Line took a ninety-degree vertical¹⁶ turn and continued directly up the faceof the obelisk itself, ascending¹⁷ thirty-three feet to the very tip of the pyramidical apex¹⁸, where itfinally ceased.

　　The Rose Line, Silas thought. The brotherhood¹⁹ hid the keystone at the Rose Line.

　　Earlier tonight, when Silas told the Teacher that the Priory keystone was hidden inside Saint-Sulpice, the Teacher had sounded doubtful. But when Silas added that the brothers had all givenhim a precise location, with relation to a brass line running through Saint-Sulpice, the Teacher hadgasped with revelation. "You speak of the Rose Line!"The Teacher quickly told Silas of Saint-Sulpice's famed architectural oddity—a strip of brass thatsegmented the sanctuary on a perfect north-south axis²⁰. It was an ancient sundial of sorts, a vestigeof the pagan temple that had once stood on this very spot. The sun's rays, shining through theoculus on the south wall, moved farther down the line every day, indicating the passage of time,from solstice to solstice.

　　The north-south stripe had been known as the Rose Line. For centuries, the symbol of the Rose hadbeen associated with maps and guiding souls in the proper direction. The Compass Rose—drawnon almost every map—indicated North, East, South, and West. Originally known as the WindRose, it denoted the directions of the thirty-two winds, blowing from the directions of eight majorwinds, eight half-winds, and sixteen quarter-winds. When diagrammed inside a circle, these thirty-two points of the compass perfectly²² resembled a traditional thirty-two petal²³ rose bloom. To thisday, the fundamental navigational tool was still known as a Compass Rose, its northernmostdirection still marked by an arrowhead... or, more commonly, the symbol of the fleur-de-lis.

　　On a globe, a Rose Line—also called a meridian²⁴ or longitude²⁵—was any imaginary line drawn²¹ fromthe North Pole to the South Pole. There were, of course, an infinite number of Rose Lines becauseevery point on the globe could have a longitude drawn through it connecting north and south poles.

　　The question for early navigators was which of these lines would be called the Rose Line—the zerolongitude—the line from which all other longitudes²⁶ on earth would be measured.

　　Today that line was in Greenwich, England.

　　But it had not always been.

　　Long before the establishment of Greenwich as the prime meridian, the zero longitude of the entireworld had passed directly through Paris, and through the Church of Saint-Sulpice. The brassmarker in Saint-Sulpice was a memorial to the world's first prime meridian, and althoughGreenwich had stripped Paris of the honor in 1888, the original Rose Line was still visible today.

　　"And so the legend is true," the Teacher had told Silas. "The Priory keystone has been said to lie'beneath the Sign of the Rose.' "Now, still on his knees in a pew, Silas glanced around the church and listened to make sure no onewas there. For a moment, he thought he heard a rustling²⁷ in the choir²⁸ balcony. He turned and gazedup for several seconds. Nothing.

　　I am alone.

　　Standing now, he faced the altar and genuflected²⁹ three times. Then he turned left and followed thebrass line due north toward the obelisk.

　　At that moment, at Leonardo da Vinci International Airport in Rome, the jolt³⁰ of tires hitting therunway startled Bishop³¹ Aringarosa from his slumber³².

　　I drifted off, he thought, impressed he was relaxed enough to sleep.

　　"Benvenuto a Roma," the intercom announced.

　　Sitting up, Aringarosa straightened his black cassock and allowed himself a rare smile. This wasone trip he had been happy to make. I have been on the defensive³³ for too long. Tonight, however,the rules had changed. Only five months ago, Aringarosa had feared for the future of the Faith.

　　Now, as if by the will of God, the solution had presented itself.

　　Divine intervention³⁴.

　　If all went as planned tonight in Paris, Aringarosa would soon be in possession of something thatwould make him the most powerful man in Christendom.

塞拉斯跪在前排的座位上，一边假装祷告，一边扫视着圣殿的结构布局。与大多数教堂一样，圣叙尔皮斯教堂呈巨大的十字形。中间的较长的区域--中殿--直接通向圣坛，在圣坛处有较短的区域与中殿垂直交叉，这一区域叫做翼部。中殿与翼部在教堂圆顶中心的正下方相交，相交处被视为教堂的心脏--教堂中最为神圣和神秘的一点。

今晚例外，塞拉斯想。圣叙尔皮斯把秘密藏在了其他地方。

塞拉斯扭头向教堂的南翼望去，看着座位那头的地面--遇害者们所描述的目标。

就在那里。

一根光滑而又细长的铜条嵌在灰色的花岗岩地面中闪闪发光--这条金线斜穿教堂地面。这条线上标有刻度，就像一把尺。有人告诉过塞拉斯，这是指时针，是异教的一种天文仪器，与日晷相似。全世界的旅游者、科学家、历史学家和异教徒都来到圣叙尔皮斯教堂参观这条著名的金属线。

玫瑰线。

塞拉斯的目光慢慢地随着铜条的轨迹移动，铜条在地面的石砖中从他的右侧延伸至左侧，在他的面前折成一个难看的角，完全与教堂的对称设计格格不入。在塞拉斯看来，那穿越过圣坛地面的铜条，就像美丽的脸庞上的一道疤痕。铜条横贯教堂，将纵向的走道截为两段，最终延伸至教堂北翼的角落。在那个角落，树立着一座碑，这让人颇感意外。

一座巨大的埃及方尖碑。

闪闪发光的玫瑰线在方尖碑的基石处向上转了个九十度的弯，顺着碑面继续向上延伸了三十三米，终结于石碑的尖顶处。

玫瑰线，塞拉斯想，兄弟会的人将楔石藏在了玫瑰线的下面。

傍晚，当塞拉斯告诉教父，修道院的楔石藏在圣叙尔皮斯教堂里时，教父似乎有点儿不相信。但当塞拉斯补充说兄弟会的人已经交代了确切地点，那地点与横贯教堂地面的一条铜线有关时，教父立即明白过来。"你说的是玫瑰线。"

教父告诉塞拉斯，圣叙尔皮斯教堂有一奇异处赫赫有名--在南北轴线上的一根铜条分割了中殿。那是一种古代的日晷，是异教古庙的遗迹。每天，太阳光通过南墙上的洞眼照射进来，光束会顺铜线上的刻度一点一点地移动，这样就可以计量时间了。

这条南北向的铜线被称为玫瑰线。几个世纪以来，玫瑰的象征意义一直与地图或为灵魂指引方向有关。例如，每张地图上都会有"罗盘玫瑰"，指明东、南、西、北。它由"风向玫瑰"演变而来，那是一种可以指明三十二种风向的仪器，通过它可以辨别四面八方的来风。罗盘图上有个圆圈，圈上有三十二个点，酷似玫瑰花的三十二片花瓣。直到今天，最基本的航海工具依然被叫做"罗盘玫瑰"，它的正北方向一般会有一个法国百合的标志，当然，有时是一个箭头的标志。

地球仪上的玫瑰线--也叫做子午线或经线--是想象中连接南北两极的线。当然，玫瑰线有无数条，因为经过地球仪上的任意一点都可以画出条连接南北两极的经线。于是，早期的航海者就遇到了这样一个问题--如何确定玫瑰线，即零度经线，并依此来确定其他的经线的度数。

现在，玫瑰线在英国的格林威治。

但过去并非如此。

在将格林威治天文台确定为本初子午线所经过的一点之前，零度经线正好穿过巴黎，穿过圣叙尔皮斯教堂。为了纪念那根铜条的制作者，本初子午线最初被这样确定。虽然，格林威治于1888 年从巴黎手中夺走了这项殊荣，但当初的玫瑰线依然可见。

教父告诉塞拉斯："据说，修道院的楔石被藏在有玫瑰象征的东西下面。看来，这个传闻属实。"塞拉斯依旧跪在那里，他环视了一下教堂，又竖起耳朵听了听周围的动静，以确定周围是否真的没人。忽然，他好像听见唱诗班站台上有"沙沙"的响动。他转过头，盯着那里看了好几秒钟，但什么也没看见。

只有我一个人。

他这才起身，又向圣坛曲膝三次。接着，他向左转身，沿着铜线向北面的方尖碑走去。

此刻，在列昂纳多。达。芬奇机场，阿林加洛沙主教被飞机轮胎撞击跑道的震动惊醒了。

我飘了下来，他想着，还清楚地记得自己刚才放松得睡着了。

"欢迎您来到罗马。"飞机的扬声器里传来这样的语句。

阿林加洛沙坐直身体，拉了拉他的黑色长袍，露出了他那难得一见的微笑。他很乐意做这次旅行。我处于守势很久了。但今晚，规则改变了。五个月前，阿林加洛沙还在为这个宗教的前途而担忧，但现在，好像如有神助，出路自动呈现在他面前。

来得正好。

如果巴黎那头的事态发展顺利，阿林加洛沙很快就会拥有他想要的东西，那东西可以让他成为基督教界中最有权力的人。

1 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

2 nave   

n.教堂的中部；本堂

参考例句：

• People gathered in the nave of the house.人们聚拢在房子的中间。
• The family on the other side of the nave had a certain look about them,too.在中殿另一边的那一家人，也有着自己特有的相貌。

3 intersection   

n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集

参考例句：

• There is a stop sign at an intersection.在交叉路口处有停车标志。
• Bridges are used to avoid the intersection of a railway and a highway.桥用来避免铁路和公路直接交叉。

4 granite   

adj.花岗岩，花岗石

参考例句：

• They squared a block of granite.他们把一块花岗岩加工成四方形。
• The granite overlies the older rocks.花岗岩躺在磨损的岩石上面。

5 brass   

n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器

参考例句：

• Many of the workers play in the factory's brass band.许多工人都在工厂铜管乐队中演奏。
• Brass is formed by the fusion of copper and zinc.黄铜是通过铜和锌的熔合而成的。

6 glistened   

v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Pearls of dew glistened on the grass. 草地上珠露晶莹。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• Her eyes glistened with tears. 她的眼里闪着泪花。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

7 slanting   

倾斜的，歪斜的

参考例句：

• The rain is driving [slanting] in from the south. 南边潲雨。
• The line is slanting to the left. 这根线向左斜了。

8 astronomical   

adj.天文学的，（数字）极大的

参考例句：

• He was an expert on ancient Chinese astronomical literature.他是研究中国古代天文学文献的专家。
• Houses in the village are selling for astronomical prices.乡村的房价正在飙升。

9 entirely   

ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The fire was entirely caused by their neglect of duty. 那场火灾完全是由于他们失职而引起的。
• His life was entirely given up to the educational work. 他的一生统统献给了教育工作。

10 odds   

n.让步，机率，可能性，比率；胜败优劣之别

参考例句：

• The odds are 5 to 1 that she will win.她获胜的机会是五比一。
• Do you know the odds of winning the lottery once?你知道赢得一次彩票的几率多大吗？

11 slash   

vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩

参考例句：

• The shop plans to slash fur prices after Spring Festival.该店计划在春节之后把皮货降价。
• Don't slash your horse in that cruel way.不要那样残忍地鞭打你的马。

12 cleaved   

v.劈开，剁开，割开( cleave的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• His spade cleaved the firm sand with a satisfying crunch. 他的锹凿开了坚实的砂土，发出令人舒心的嘎扎声。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Eagles cleaved the sky. 鹰击长空。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

13 colossal   

adj.异常的，庞大的

参考例句：

• There has been a colossal waste of public money.一直存在巨大的公款浪费。
• Some of the tall buildings in that city are colossal.那座城市里的一些高层建筑很庞大。

14 obelisk   

n.方尖塔

参考例句：

• The obelisk was built in memory of those who died for their country.这座方尖塔是为了纪念那些为祖国献身的人而建造的。
• Far away on the last spur,there was a glittering obelisk.远处，在最后一个山峦上闪烁着一个方尖塔。

15 glistening   

adj.闪耀的，反光的v.湿物闪耀，闪亮( glisten的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼里闪着晶莹的泪花。
• Her eyes were glistening with tears. 她眼睛中的泪水闪着柔和的光。 来自《用法词典》

16 vertical   

adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置

参考例句：

• The northern side of the mountain is almost vertical.这座山的北坡几乎是垂直的。
• Vertical air motions are not measured by this system.垂直气流的运动不用这种系统来测量。

17 ascending   

adj.上升的，向上的

参考例句：

• Now draw or trace ten dinosaurs in ascending order of size.现在按照体型由小到大的顺序画出或是临摹出10只恐龙。

18 apex   

n.顶点，最高点

参考例句：

• He reached the apex of power in the early 1930s.他在三十年代初达到了权力的顶峰。
• His election to the presidency was the apex of his career.当选总统是他一生事业的顶峰。

19 brotherhood   

n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊

参考例句：

• They broke up the brotherhood.他们断绝了兄弟关系。
• They live and work together in complete equality and brotherhood.他们完全平等和兄弟般地在一起生活和工作。

20 axis   

n.轴，轴线，中心线；坐标轴，基准线

参考例句：

• The earth's axis is the line between the North and South Poles.地轴是南北极之间的线。
• The axis of a circle is its diameter.圆的轴线是其直径。

21 drawn   

v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的

参考例句：

• All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
• Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。

22 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

23 petal   

n.花瓣

参考例句：

• Each white petal had a stripe of red.每一片白色的花瓣上都有一条红色的条纹。
• A petal fluttered to the ground.一片花瓣飘落到地上。

24 meridian   

adj.子午线的；全盛期的

参考例句：

• All places on the same meridian have the same longitude.在同一子午线上的地方都有相同的经度。
• He is now at the meridian of his intellectual power.他现在正值智力全盛期。

25 longitude   

n.经线，经度

参考例句：

• The city is at longitude 21°east.这个城市位于东经21度。
• He noted the latitude and longitude,then made a mark on the admiralty chart.他记下纬度和经度，然后在航海图上做了个标记。

26 longitudes   

经度

参考例句：

• Nothing makes earth seem so to have friends at a distance; they make latitudes and longitudes. 没有什么比得上有朋在远方更使地球显得如此巨大，他们构成了纬度和经度。

27 rustling   

n. 瑟瑟声，沙沙声 adj. 发沙沙声的

参考例句：

• the sound of the trees rustling in the breeze 树木在微风中发出的沙沙声
• the soft rustling of leaves 树叶柔和的沙沙声

28 choir   

n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱

参考例句：

• The choir sang the words out with great vigor.合唱团以极大的热情唱出了歌词。
• The church choir is singing tonight.今晚教堂歌唱队要唱诗。

29 genuflected   

v.屈膝（尤指宗教礼节中）( genuflect的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He genuflected in front of the altar. 他在祭坛前跪拜。 来自辞典例句
• The simulagent genuflected for the remote eye of the sphere. \"My lord.\" 替身向球幕里遥远的目光屈单膝跪地。“我的陛下。” 来自互联网

30 jolt   

v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸

参考例句：

• We were worried that one tiny jolt could worsen her injuries.我们担心稍微颠簸一下就可能会使她的伤势恶化。
• They were working frantically in the fear that an aftershock would jolt the house again.他们拼命地干着，担心余震可能会使房子再次受到震动。

31 bishop   

n.主教，（国际象棋）象

参考例句：

• He was a bishop who was held in reverence by all.他是一位被大家都尊敬的主教。
• Two years after his death the bishop was canonised.主教逝世两年后被正式封为圣者。

32 slumber   

n.睡眠，沉睡状态

参考例句：

• All the people in the hotels were wrapped in deep slumber.住在各旅馆里的人都已进入梦乡。
• Don't wake him from his slumber because he needs the rest.不要把他从睡眠中唤醒，因为他需要休息。

33 defensive   

adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的

参考例句：

• Their questions about the money put her on the defensive.他们问到钱的问题，使她警觉起来。
• The Government hastily organized defensive measures against the raids.政府急忙布置了防卫措施抵御空袭。

34 intervention   

n.介入，干涉，干预

参考例句：

• The government's intervention in this dispute will not help.政府对这场争论的干预不会起作用。
• Many people felt he would be hostile to the idea of foreign intervention.许多人觉得他会反对外来干预。