iancaldwell&dustinthomason.theruleoffour-第46部分

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ething　got　in　the　way。　Fantastic　mistress；　that　book；　flashing　leg　at　all　the　right　times。　Just　as　Katie　left；　the　solution　to　Colonna's　riddle　dawned　on　me；　and　like　a　whiff　of　perfume　and　an　eyeful　of　cleavage；　it　made　me　lose　sight　of　everything　else。
　The　horizon　in　a　painting　was　the　solution：　the　point　of　convergence　in　a　system　of　perspective。　The　riddle　wasn't　about　math；　it　was　about　art。　It　fit　the　profile　of　the　other　puzzles；　relying　on　a　discipline　peculiar　to　the　Renaissance；　developed　by　the　same　humanists　Colonna　seemed　to　be　defending。　The　measurement　we　needed　was　the　distance；　in　braccia；　between　the　foreground　of　the　painting；　where　the　characters　stood；　and　the　theoretical　horizon　line；　where　the　earth　met　the　sky。　And　remembering　Colonna's　preference　for　Alberti　in　architecture；　when　Paul　used　De　re　aedificatoria　to　decipher　the　first　riddle；　it　was　to　Alberti　I　turned　first。　On　the　surface　I　intend　to　paint；　Alberti　wrote　in　the　treatise　I　found　among　Paul's　books；　
　
　I　decide　how　large　I　wish　the　human　figures　in　the　foreground　of　the　painting　to　be。　I　divide　the　height　of　this　man　into　three　parts；　which　will　be　proportional　to　the　measure　monly　called　a　〃braccio〃；　for；　as　can　be　seen　from　the　relationship　of　his　limbs；　three　〃braccia〃　is　just　about　the　average　height　of　a　man's　body。　The　proper　position　for　the　centric　point　is　no　higher　from　the　base　line　than　the　height　of　the　man　to　be　represented　in　the　painting。　I　then　draw　a　line　through　the　centric　point；　and　this　line　is　a　limit　or　boundary　for　me；　which　no　quantity　exceeds。　This　is　why　men　depicted　standing　furthest　away　are　a　great　deal　smaller　than　the　nearer　ones。
　
　Alberti's　centric　line；　as　the　acpanying　illustrations　made　clear；　was　the　horizon。　According　to　this　system；　it　was　placed　at　the　same　height　as　a　man　drawn　standing　in　the　foreground；　who　in　turn　was　three　braccia　tall。　The　solution　to　the　riddle…the　number　of　braccia　from　the　man's　feet　to　the　horizon…was　just　that：　three。
　It　took　Paul　only　a　half　hour　to　figure　out　how　to　apply　it。　The　first　letter　of　every　third　word　in　the　following　chapters；　when　placed　in　a　row；　spelled　out　the　next　passage　from　Colonna。
　
　Now；　reader；　I　will　tell　you　the　nature　of　the　position　of　this　work。　With　the　help　of　my　brethren；　I　have　studied　the　code…making　books　of　the　Arabs；　Jews；　and　ancients。　I　have　learned　the　practice　called　gematria　from　the　kabalists；　according　to　which；　when　it　is　written　in　Genesis　that　Abraham　brought　318　servants　to　help　Lot；　we　see　that　the　number　318　signifies　only　Abraham's　servant　Eliezer；　for　that　is　the　sum　of　the　Hebrew　letters　of　Eliezer's　name。　I　have　learned　the　practices　of　the　Greeks；　whose　gods　spoke　in　riddles；　and　whose　generals；　as　the　Mythmaker　describes　in　his　History；　disguised　their　meanings　cunningly；　as　when　Histiaeus　tattooed　a　message　on　his　slave's　scalp；　so　that　Aristagoras　might　shave　the　man's　head　and　read　it。
　I　will　reveal　to　you　now　the　names　of　those　learned　men　whose　wisdom　forged　my　riddles。　Pomponio　Leto；　master　of　the　Roman　Academy；　pupil　of　Valla　and　old　friend　of　my　family's；　instructed　me　in　matters　of　language　and　translation；　where　my　own　eyes　and　ears　did　fail　me。　In　the　art　and　harmonies　of　numbers；　I　was　guided　by　the　Frenchman　Jacques　Lefèvre　d'Etaples；　admirer　of　Roger　Bacon　and　Boethius；　who　knew　all　manner　of　numeration　which　my　own　intellect　could　not　illuminate。　The　great　Alberti；　who　learned　his　art　in　turn　from　the　masters　Masaccio　and　Brunelleschi　（may　their　genius　never　be　forgotten）；　instructed　me　long　ago　in　the　science　of　horizons　and　paintings；　I　praise　him　now　and　always。　Knowledge　of　the　sacred　writing　of　the　descendants　of　Hermes　Thrice…Great；　first　prophet　of　Egypt；　I　owe　to　the　wise　Ficino；　master　of　languages　and　philosophies；　who　is　without　equal　among　the　followers　of　Plato。　Finally　it　is　to　Andrea　Alpago；　disciple　of　the　venerable　Ibn　al…Nafis；　that　I　am　indebted　for　matters　yet　to　be　disclosed；　and　may　this　contribution　be　looked　upon　even　more　favorably　than　all　the　rest；　for　it　is　in　man's　study　of　himself；　wherein　all　other　studies　find　their　origin；　that　he　most　closely　contemplates　perfection。
　These；　reader；　are　my　wisest　friends；　who　among　them　have　learned　what　I　have　not；　knowledge　that　in　prior　times　was　foreign　to　all　men。　One　by　one　they　have　agreed　to　my　single　demand：　each　man；　unbeknownst　to　the　others；　devised　a　riddle　to　which　only　I　and　he　know　the　solution；　and　which　only　another　lover　of　knowledge　could　solve。　These　riddles；　in　turn；　I　have　placed　within　my　text　in　fragments；　according　to　a　pattern　I　have　told　to　no　man；　and　the　answer　alone　can　produce　my　true　words。
　All　this　I　have　done；　reader；　to　protect　my　secret；　but　also　to　transmit　it　to　you；　should　you　find　what　I　have　written。　Solve　but　two　more　riddles；　and　I　will　begin　to　reveal　the　nature　of　my　crypt。
　
　Katie　didn't　wake　me　up　the　next　morning　to　go　running。　The　rest　of　that　week；　in　fact；　I　spoke　to　her　roommates　and　to　her　answering　machine；　but　never　to　Katie　herself。　Blinded　by　the　progress　I　was　making　with　Paul；　I　didn't　see　how　the　landscape　of　my　life　was　eroding。　The　jogging　paths　and　coffee　shops　fell　away　as　our　distance　grew。　Katie　didn't　eat　with　me　at　Cloister　anymore；　but　I　hardly　noticed；　because　for　weeks　I　rarely　ate　there　myself：　Paul　and　I　traveled　like　rats　through　the　tunnels　between　Dod　and　Ivy；　avoiding　daylight；　ignoring　the　sounds　of　bicker　above　our　heads；　buying　coffee　and　boxed　sandwiches　at　the　all…night　WaWa　off　campus　so　that　we　could　work　and　eat　on　our　own　schedule。
　The　whole　time；　Katie　was　only　one　floor　removed　from　me；　trying　not　to　bite　her　nails　as　she　moved　from　clique　to　clique；　searching　for　the　right　balance　between　assertiveness　and　pliance　so　that　upperclassmen　would　look　on　her　favorably。　That　she　wouldn't　have　wanted　my　interference　in　her　life　at　that　moment　was　a　conclusion　I'd　e　to　almost　from　the　beginning；　another　excuse　for　spending　long　days　and　late　nights　with　Paul。　That　she　might've　appreciated　some　pany；　a　friendly　face　to　return　to　at　night；　a　panion　as　her　mornings　grew　darker　and　colder…that　she　would've　expected　my　support　even　more　now　that　she'd　e　to　the　first　important　crossroads　in　her　time　at　Princeton…was　something　I　was　too　preoccupied　to　consider。　I　never　imagined　that　bicker　might've　been　a　trial　for　her；　an　experience　that　tested　her　tenacity　much　more　than　her　charm。　I　was　a　stranger　to　her；　I　never　knew　what　she　went　through　on　those　Ivy　nights。
　The　club　accepted　her；　Gil　told　me　the　following　week。　He　was　bracing　himself　for　a　long　night　of　breaking　the　news；　good　and　bad；　to　each　candidate。　Parker　Hassett　had　thrown　some　roadblocks　in　Katie's　way；　fixing　on　her　as　a　special　object　of　his　anger；　probably　because　he　knew　she　was　one　of　Gil's　favorites；　but　even　Parker　came　around　in　the　end。　The　induction　ceremony　for　the　new　section　was　the　following　week；　after　initiations；　and　the　annual　Ivy　ball　was　slated　for　Easter　weekend。　Gil　listed　the　events　so　carefully　that　I　realized　he　was　telling　me　something。　These　were　my　chances　to　fix　things　with　Katie。　This　was　the　calendar　of　my　rehabilitation。
　If　so；　then　I　was　no　better　a　boyfriend　than　I'd　been　a　Boy　Scout。　Love；　deflected　from　its　proper　object；　had　found　a　new　one。　In　the　weeks　that　ensued；　I　saw　less　and　less　of　Gil；　and　nothing　at　all　of　Katie。　I　heard　a　rumor　that　she　had　taken　an　interest　in　an　upperclassman　at　Ivy；　a　new　version　of　her　old　lacrosse　player；　a　man　in　a　yellow　hat　to　my　Curious　George。　But　by　then　Paul　had　found　another　riddle；　and　we'd　both　started　to　wonder　what　secret　lay　in　Colonna's　crypt。　An　old　mantra；　long　dormant；　rose　up　from　its　slumber　and　prepared　for　another　season　of　life。
　
　Make　no　friends；　and　kick　the　old。
　All　I　want　is　silver　and　gold。
　
　Chapter　17
　
　I　wake　in　daylight　to　the　sound　of　a　phone。　The　clock　reads　half…past　nine。　Stumbling　out　of　bed；　I　get　to　the　cordless　before　it　can　wake　Paul。
　〃Were　you　sleeping？〃　is　the　first　thing　Katie　says。
　〃Sort　of。〃
　〃I　can't　believe　that　was　Bill　Stein。〃
　〃Neither　can　we。　What's　going　on？〃
　〃I'm　at　the　newsroom。　Can　you　e　over？〃
　〃Now？〃