Struggling with the gear shift, Langdon managed to maneuver1 the hijacked2 taxi to the far side ofthe Bois de Boulogne while stalling only twice. Unfortunately, the inherent humor in the situationwas 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 thebrakes. "You'd better drive."Sophie looked relieved as she jumped behind the wheel. Within seconds she had the car hummingsmoothly westward3 along Allée de Longchamp, leaving the Garden of Earthly Delights behind.
"Which way is Rue4 Haxo?" Langdon asked, watching Sophie edge the speedometer over a hundredkilometers an hour.
Sophie's eyes remained focused on the road. "The cab driver said it's adjacent to the Roland Garrostennis stadium. I know that area."Langdon pulled the heavy key from his pocket again, feeling the weight in his palm. He sensed itwas an object of enormous consequence. Quite possibly the key to his own freedom.
Earlier, while telling Sophie about the Knights5 Templar, Langdon had realized that this key, inaddition to having the Priory seal embossed on it, possessed6 a more subtle tie to the Priory of Sion.
The equal-armed cruciform was symbolic7 of balance and harmony but also of the Knights Templar.
Everyone had seen the paintings of Knights Templar wearing white tunics8 emblazoned with redequal-armed crosses. Granted, the arms of the Templar cross were slightly flared9 at the ends, butthey 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. TheHoly Grail. He almost laughed out loud at the absurdity10 of it. The Grail was believed to besomewhere in England, buried in a hidden chamber11 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 manytimes in the early centuries. Historians now suspected as many as six different Grail relocationssince its arrival in Europe from Jerusalem. The last Grail "sighting" had been in 1447 whennumerous eyewitnesses12 described a fire that had broken out and almost engulfed13 the documentsbefore they were carried to safety in four huge chests that each required six men to carry. Afterthat, nobody claimed to see the Grail ever again. All that remained were occasional whisperingsthat 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 enthusiasts14 still pored over Da Vinci's art and diaries in hopes of unearthing15 ahidden clue as to the Grail's current location. Some claimed the mountainous backdrop in Madonnaof the Rocks matched the topography of a series of cave-ridden hills in Scotland. Others insistedthat the suspicious placement of disciples16 in The Last Supper was some kind of code. Still othersclaimed that X rays of the Mona Lisa revealed she originally had been painted wearing a lapislazuli pendant of Isis—a detail Da Vinci purportedly17 later decided18 to paint over. Langdon hadnever seen any evidence of the pendant, nor could he imagine how it could possibly reveal theHoly Grail, and yet Grail aficionados19 still discussed it ad nauseum on Internet bulletin boards andworldwide-web chat rooms.
Everyone loves a conspiracy20.
And the conspiracies21 kept coming. Most recently, of course, had been the earthshaking discoverythat Da Vinci's famed Adoration22 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 YorkTimes Magazine carried prominently in a story titled "The Leonardo Cover-Up."Seracini had revealed beyond any doubt that while the Adoration's gray-green sketchedunderdrawing was indeed Da Vinci's work, the painting itself was not. The truth was that someanonymous painter had filled in Da Vinci's sketch23 like a paint-by-numbers years after Da Vinci'sdeath. Far more troubling, however, was what lay beneath the impostor's paint. Photographs takenwith infrared24 reflectography and X ray suggested that this rogue25 painter, while filling in Da Vinci'ssketched study, had made suspicious departures from the underdrawing... as if to subvert26 DaVinci'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 banished27 the painting to awarehouse across the street. Visitors at the gallery's Leonardo Room now found a misleading andunapologetic plaque28 where the Adoration once hung.
THIS WORK IS UNDERGOINGDIAGNOSTIC TESTS IN PREPARATIONFOR RESTORATION.
In the bizarre underworld of modern Grail seekers, Leonardo da Vinci remained the quest's greatenigma. 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 plethora29 of tantalizing30 clues was nothing but an empty promise left behind tofrustrate the curious and bring a smirk31 to the face of his knowing Mona Lisa.
"Is it possible," Sophie asked, drawing Langdon back, "that the key you're holding unlocks thehiding place of the Holy Grail?"Langdon's laugh sounded forced, even to him. "I really can't imagine. Besides, the Grail is believedto 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—abrotherhood which, you just told me, are guardians33 of the Holy Grail."Langdon knew her contention34 was logical, and yet intuitively he could not possibly accept it.
Rumors existed that the Priory had vowed35 someday to bring the Grail back to France to a finalresting 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 atennis stadium hardly sounded like a noble final resting place. "Sophie, I really don't see how thiskey 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. Priorymembers wait decades proving themselves trustworthy before being elevated to the highestechelons of the fraternity and learning where the Grail is. That secret is protected by an intricatesystem of compartmentalized knowledge, and although the Priory brotherhood32 is very large, onlyfour members at any given time know where the Grail is hidden—the Grand Master and his threesénéchaux. 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 animage stamped in her memory that confirmed her grandfather's status within the brotherhoodbeyond any doubt.
"And even if your grandfather were in the upper echelon36, he would never be allowed to revealanything to anyone outside the brotherhood. It is inconceivable that he would bring you into theinner circle."I've already been there, Sophie thought, picturing the ritual in the basement. She wondered if thiswere the moment to tell Langdon what she had witnessed that night in the Normandy chateau37. Forten years now, simple shame had kept her from telling a soul. Just thinking about it, she shuddered38.
Sirens howled somewhere in the distance, and she felt a thickening shroud39 of fatigue40 settling overher.
"There!" Langdon said, feeling excited to see the huge complex of the Roland Garros tennisstadium looming41 ahead.
Sophie snaked her way toward the stadium. After several passes, they located the intersection42 ofRue Haxo and turned onto it, driving in the direction of the lower numbers. The road became moreindustrial, lined with businesses.
We need number twenty-four, Langdon told himself, realizing he was secretly scanning the horizonfor the spires43 of a church. Don't be ridiculous. A forgotten Templar church in this neighborhood?
"There it is," Sophie exclaimed, pointing.
Langdon's eyes followed to the structure ahead.
What in the world?
The building was modern. A squat44 citadel45 with a giant, neon equal-armed cross emblazoned atopits facade46. Beneath the cross were the words:
DEPOSITORY BANK OF ZURICHLangdon was thankful not to have shared his Templar church hopes with Sophie. A career hazardof symbologists was a tendency to extract hidden meaning from situations that had none. In thiscase, Langdon had entirely47 forgotten that the peaceful, equal-armed cross had been adopted as theperfect symbol for the flag of neutral Switzerland.
At least the mystery was solved.
Sophie and Langdon were holding the key to a Swiss bank deposit box.
兰登竭力试图换档。出租车在熄了两次火后，终于被开到了路边。然而，此刻的轻松却被出租车调度员的声音打破了。
"喂？听到请回答。"
兰登勉强将车开到公园门口，实在开不下去了。于是，他不得不放下男子汉的架子，对索菲说："还是由你来开吧。"
索菲跳到驾驶座上，长吁了一口气。几秒钟之后，出租车就平稳地驶离了"尘世乐土"。
索菲越开越快，渐渐地把车速提到了一百公里以上。兰登问道："你知道路吗？"
索菲盯着前方的路，说道："根据出租车司机的描述，我应该是知道那个地方的。"
兰登又掏出了那把钥匙，觉得它沉甸甸的。他意识到这把钥匙事关重大，也许还关系到自己的自由。
刚才在给索菲讲述圣殿武士团故事的时候，他就忽然意识到这把钥匙除了带有隐修会的标记外，还跟隐修会有着更微妙的关系。等边十字架除了代表圣殿武士外，也象征着平衡与和谐。凡是见过圣殿武土肖像的人，都会发现他们的白色战袍上绣着红色的等边十字图案。
等边十字。跟这把钥匙上的图案一模一样。
兰登一边猜想着他们可能会发现什么，一边感叹自己的想象力真是太丰富了。圣杯。
他不禁为自己的荒唐猜测笑出了声。要知道，人们都认为1500 多年以来，圣杯一直被藏在英国某个教堂的地底下。
从达。芬奇时代以来就一直被藏在那里。
早期的几百年里，隐修会为了保护那些具有神奇力量的文件，曾多次被迫迁址。据历史学家估计，自隐修会从耶路撒冷迁到欧洲以后，曾先后六次更换埋藏圣杯的地方。圣杯的最后一次"露面"是在1447 年。当时，许多人都证实说一场大火险些把那些文件吞没，幸亏它们被装进了几个六个人才能抬动的大箱子里，随后被运到了安全的地方。从那以后，没有人再见过圣杯的踪迹。只是偶尔有些传说，说它被藏在了养育亚瑟王和他的圆桌骑土的地方--大英帝国。
不管它被藏在哪里，有两点重要事实可以肯定：达。芬奇在世的时候知道圣杯藏在哪里！
那个埋藏圣杯的地点极有可能至今未变！
因此，那些圣杯的狂热追寻者依然痴狂地钻研着达。芬奇的艺术作品和日记，试图找出有关圣杯埋藏地的蛛丝马迹。有人声称，《岩间圣母》那山峦连绵的背景，好像画的是苏格兰境内某个布满了山洞的小山群。而有人则坚持，《最后的晚餐》中耶稣门徒们的位置安排令人生疑，那是暗示圣杯埋藏地的密码。而另外还有人宣称，通过对《蒙娜丽莎》进行X光检查可以发现，蒙娜丽莎原本戴着青金石的耳环，耳环上有古埃及生育女神伊希斯的肖像。可是，传说后来达。芬奇又把耳环用油彩涂上了。兰登从来就没发现那幅画上有什么耳环的迹象，也想象不出它跟圣杯有什么关系。然而，那些圣杯迷们还是在国际互联网的留言版和聊天室里激烈地讨论着这一假想。
人人都喜欢带有传奇色彩的秘密。
这样的神奇秘密还有许多。最近揭开的一个秘密要数对达。芬奇名画《受膜拜的麦琪》的新发现。意大利艺术家毛瑞梓里奥。萨拉斯尼揭开了一个鲜为人知的真相，而纽约《时代》杂志则以《列昂纳多掩盖的秘密》为题对此作了大篇幅的报道。
萨拉斯尼肯定地指出，虽然《受膜拜的麦琪》是达。芬奇起草的，但他却并没有完成创作。事实上，那是一位匿名画家在达。芬奇去世多年之后利用那幅草图完成的。而且那位匿名画家在画中还隐藏了秘密。用红外线反射仪和X 光照出的照片显示，这个调皮的画家，在完成达。芬奇的草图时，对原作作了令人费解的改动，好像要故意改变达。芬奇的真正意图。不管原画的意图是什么，它都应该被公之于众。然而，这个报道发表之后，佛罗伦萨幽夫斯展览馆的官员们还是停止了这幅画的展出，把它放到了街对面的储藏室里。现在去那个展览馆参观"达。芬奇展厅"的游客只能在原来挂画的地方看到一块敷衍游客的牌子，上面写着：此画正在接受检测，以备修复。
对圣杯的追寻者们而言，列昂纳多。达。芬奇始终是最大的谜团。他的作品里似乎充满了秘密，但所有的秘密都被掩藏着：也许藏在油彩的下面，也许藏在平面图的密码里，也许根本就不藏在任何地方。也许那么多的捉弄人的线索只不过是留着难为好奇的游客的，让他们冲着《蒙娜丽莎》傻笑。
索菲拽了拽兰登问道："那有可能是打开圣杯埋藏地的钥匙吗？"
兰登笑道："我想，根本就没有这种可能。另外，据说圣杯被藏在英国的某个地方，而不是法国。"然后，他简短地给索菲介绍了一下圣杯的历史。
"可是，通过这把钥匙能找到圣杯是唯一合理的解释呀。"她坚持道，我们有一把非常保险的钥匙，而这把钥匙上面印着隐修会的标记。另外，这把钥匙还是隐修会成员亲自留给我们的，而刚才你也说了，隐修会就是圣杯的保护人。"兰登觉得她的观点非常符合逻辑，可是出于本能，他还是无法接受这个推论。有谣传说隐修会曾发誓把圣杯带回法国，并将其永远埋藏在那里。然而，这并没有确凿的历史证据。即便隐修会确实把圣杯带回了法国。"豪克斯街24 号"听起来也不像是圣杯的永久埋藏地呀。"索菲，我真很难想象这把钥匙会和圣杯有关。"
"就是因为人们都认为圣杯藏在英国吗？"
"不仅如此。圣杯的埋藏地是历史上被保守得最好的秘密之一。人们必须等待好几十年以证明自己值得信任，才会被选人这个隐修会的最高领导层，从而得知圣杯的埋藏地。这个秘密一直通过间接的方式传递。而且，虽然隐修会很庞大，然而在任何时候，只有大导师和其他的三个高层领导才知道这个秘密。你祖父是高层领导的可能性微乎其微。"祖父是高层领导，索菲想道。她加大了油门。脑海中的烙印，使她确信祖父就是隐修会的高层领导。
"即使你祖父是高层领导之一，他也决不会向隐修会之外的人透露这个秘密。他不可能把你引入核心领导层。""我早已进入核心层了。"索菲想道，她又回忆起了地下室里的那个仪式。她举棋不定，不知道应不应该把她在诺曼底经历的那个夜晚讲给兰登听。十年过去了，出于羞愧，她从未向任何人提起过她的所见所闻。一想到那个夜晚，她就浑身打颤。远处传来了警笛声，一阵强烈的倦意向她袭来。
"看！"兰登兴奋地叫了起来，他看见罗兰德。伽罗斯网球馆就在前方。
索菲把车朝网球馆开了过去。过了几个路口，他们找到了豪克斯街。并开始在街上找门牌。街道两边显得越来越繁华，商店也多了起来。
"我们要找24 号。"兰登自言自语道。突然，他意识到自己正下意识地在搜寻教堂的尖顶。别傻了！在这么繁华的地段怎么会有个被遗忘的教堂？
"就在那儿！"索菲指着前方，大声喊道。
兰登举目望去。
那究竟是什么呀？
那是一座现代化的建筑。那座堡垒的正上方安装着一个硕大的等边霓虹十字架。十字架的下面有几个大字：苏黎世储蓄银行兰登庆幸自己没跟索菲一样，把那里当作圣殿武士教堂。作为一个符号学家，很容易为事物强加上隐含意义。刚才，兰登完全忘记了这个祥和的等边十字架也正是中立国瑞土的国旗图案。
谜团已经解开了。
索菲和兰登正拿着一把瑞士银行保险箱的钥匙。
收听单词发音 |
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maneuver
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| n.策略[pl.]演习；v.(巧妙)控制；用策略 | |
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hijacked
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| 劫持( hijack的过去式和过去分词 )； 绑架； 拦路抢劫； 操纵（会议等，以推销自己的意图） | |
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westward
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| n.西方，西部；adj.西方的，向西的；adv.向西 | |
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rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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knights
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| 骑士； （中古时代的）武士( knight的名词复数 )； 骑士； 爵士； （国际象棋中）马 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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symbolic
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| adj.象征性的，符号的，象征主义的 | |
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tunics
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| n.（动植物的）膜皮( tunic的名词复数 )；束腰宽松外衣；一套制服的短上衣；（天主教主教等穿的）短祭袍 | |
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Flared
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| adj. 端部张开的, 爆发的, 加宽的, 漏斗式的 动词flare的过去式和过去分词 | |
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absurdity
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| n.荒谬，愚蠢；谬论 | |
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chamber
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| n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所 | |
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eyewitnesses
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| 目击者( eyewitness的名词复数 ) | |
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engulfed
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| v.吞没，包住( engulf的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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enthusiasts
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| n.热心人，热衷者( enthusiast的名词复数 ) | |
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unearthing
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| 发掘或挖出某物( unearth的现在分词 )； 搜寻到某事物，发现并披露 | |
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disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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purportedly
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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aficionados
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| n.酷爱…者，…迷( aficionado的名词复数 )； 爱看斗牛的人 | |
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conspiracy
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| n.阴谋，密谋，共谋 | |
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conspiracies
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| n.阴谋，密谋( conspiracy的名词复数 ) | |
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adoration
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| n.爱慕，崇拜 | |
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sketch
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| n.草图；梗概；素描；v.素描；概述 | |
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infrared
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rogue
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| n.流氓；v.游手好闲 | |
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subvert
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| v.推翻；暗中破坏；搅乱 | |
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banished
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| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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plaque
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| n.饰板，匾，(医)血小板 | |
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plethora
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tantalizing
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| adj.逗人的；惹弄人的；撩人的；煽情的v.逗弄，引诱，折磨( tantalize的现在分词 ) | |
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31
smirk
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| n.得意地笑；v.傻笑；假笑着说 | |
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32
brotherhood
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| n.兄弟般的关系，手中情谊 | |
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33
guardians
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| 监护人( guardian的名词复数 )； 保护者，维护者 | |
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contention
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| n.争论，争辩，论战；论点，主张 | |
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vowed
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| 起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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36
echelon
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| n.梯队；组织系统中的等级；v.排成梯队 | |
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chateau
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| n.城堡，别墅 | |
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shuddered
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| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
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39
shroud
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| n.裹尸布，寿衣；罩，幕；vt.覆盖，隐藏 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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41
looming
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| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
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42
intersection
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| n.交集，十字路口，交叉点；[计算机] 交集 | |
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spires
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| n.（教堂的） 塔尖，尖顶( spire的名词复数 ) | |
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44
squat
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| v.蹲坐，蹲下；n.蹲下；adj.矮胖的，粗矮的 | |
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45
citadel
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| n.城堡；堡垒；避难所 | |
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facade
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| n.(建筑物的)正面，临街正面；外表 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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