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She looked uneasy。 〃Are you sure you won't feel abandoned？〃
〃Not at all。 Prayer is a solitary joy。〃
〃As you wish。〃
Silas took his hand from her shoulder。 〃Sleep well； Sister。 May the peace of the Lord be with you。〃
〃And also with you。〃 Sister Sandrine headed for the stairs。 〃Please be sure the door closes tightly on your way out。〃
〃I will be sure of it。〃 Silas watched her climb out of sight。 Then he turned and knelt in the front pew； feeling the cilice cut into his leg。
Dear God； I offer up to you this work I do today。。。。
Crouching in the shadows of the choir balcony high above the altar； Sister Sandrine peered silently through the balustrade at the cloaked monk kneeling alone。 The sudden dread in her soul made it hard to stay still。 For a fleeting instant； she wondered if this mysterious visitor could be the enemy they had warned her about； and if tonight she would have to carry out the orders she had been holding all these years。 She decided to stay there in the darkness and watch his every move。
CHAPTER 20
Emerging from the shadows； Langdon and Sophie moved stealthily up the deserted Grand Gallery corridor toward the emergency exit stairwell。
As he moved； Langdon felt like he was trying to assemble a jigsaw puzzle in the dark。 The newest aspect of this mystery was a deeply troubling one： The captain of the Judicial Police is trying to frame me for murder
〃Do you think；〃 he whispered； 〃that maybe Fache wrote that message on the floor？〃
Sophie didn't even turn。 〃Impossible。〃
Langdon wasn't so sure。 〃He seems pretty intent on making me look guilty。 Maybe he thought writing my name on the floor would help his case？〃
〃The Fibonacci sequence？ The P。S。？ All the Da Vinci and goddess symbolism？ That had to be my grandfather。〃
Langdon knew she was right。 The symbolism of the clues meshed too perfectly—the pentacle； The Vitruvian Man； Da Vinci； the goddess； and even the Fibonacci sequence。 A coherent symbolic set； as iconographers would call it。 All inextricably tied。
〃And his phone call to me this afternoon；〃 Sophie added。 〃He said he had to tell me something。 I'm certain his message at the Louvre was his final effort to tell me something important； something he thought you could help me understand。〃
Langdon frowned。 O； Draconian devil！ Oh； lame saint。！ He wished he could prehend the message； both for Sophie's well…being and for his own。 Things had definitely gotten worse since he first laid eyes on the cryptic words。 His fake leap out the bathroom window was not going to help Langdon's popularity with Fache one bit。 Somehow he doubted the captain of the French police would see the humor in chasing down and arresting a bar of soap。
〃The doorway isn't much farther；〃 Sophie said。
〃Do you think there's a possibility that the numbers in your grandfather's message hold the key to understanding the other lines？〃 Langdon had once worked on a series of Baconian manuscripts that contained epigraphical ciphers in which certain lines of code were clues as to how to decipher the other lines。
〃I've been thinking about the numbers all night。 Sums； quotients； products。 I don't see anything。 Mathematically； they're arranged at random。 Cryptographic gibberish。〃
〃And yet they're all part of the Fibonacci sequence。 That can't be coincidence。〃
〃It's not。 Using Fibonacci numbers was my grandfather's way of waving another flag at me—like writing the message in English； or arranging himself like my favorite piece of art； or drawing a pentacle on himself。 All of it was to catch my attention。〃
〃The pentacle has meaning to you？〃
〃Yes。 I didn't get a chance to tell you； but the pentacle was a special symbol between my grandfather and me when I was growing up。 We used to play Tarot cards for fun； and my indicator card always turned out to be from the suit of pentacles。 I'm sure he stacked the deck； but pentacles got to be our little joke。〃
Langdon felt a chill。 They played Tarot？ The medieval Italian card game was so replete with hidden heretical symbolism that Langdon had dedicated an entire chapter in his new manuscript to the Tarot。 The game's twenty…two cards bore names like The Female Pope； The Empress； and The Star。 Originally； Tarot had been devised as a secret means to pass along ideologies banned by the Church。 Now； Tarot's mystical qualities were passed on by modern fortune…tellers。
The Tarot indicator suit for feminine divinity is pentacles； Langdon thought； realizing that if Saunière had been stacking his granddaughter's deck for fun； pentacles was an apropos inside joke。
They arrived at the emergency stairwell； and Sophie carefully pulled open the door。 No alarm sounded。 Only the doors to the outside were wired。 Sophie led Langdon down a tight set of switchback stairs toward the ground level； picking up speed as they went。
〃Your grandfather；〃 Langdon said； hurrying behind her； 〃when he told you about the pentacle； did he mention goddess worship or any resentment of the Catholic Church？〃
Sophie shook her head。 〃I was more interested in the mathematics of it—the Divine Proportion； PHI； Fibonacci sequences； that sort of thing。〃
Langdon was surprised。 〃Your grandfather taught you about the number PHI？〃
〃Of course。 The Divine Proportion。〃 Her expression turned sheepish。 〃In fact； he used to joke that I was half divine。。。 you know； because of the letters in my name。〃
Langdon considered it a moment and then groaned。
s…o…PHI…e。
Still descending； Langdon refocused on PHI。 He was starting to realize that Saunière's clues were even more consistent than he had first imagined。
Da Vinci。。。 Fibonacci numbers。。。 the pentacle。
Incredibly； all of these things were connected by a single concept so fundamental to art history that Langdon often spent several class periods on the topic。
PHI。
He felt himself suddenly reeling back to Harvard； standing in front of his 〃Symbolism in Art〃 class； writing his favorite number on the chalkboard。
1。618
Langdon turned to face his sea of eager students。 〃Who can tell me what this number is？〃
A long…legged math major in back raised his hand。 〃That's the number PHI。〃 He pronounced it fee。
〃Nice job； Stettner；〃 Langdon said。 〃Everyone； meet PHI。〃
〃Not to be confused with PI；〃 Stettner added； grinning。 〃As we mathematicians like to say： PHI is one H of a lot cooler than PI！〃
Langdon laughed； but nobody else seemed to get the joke。
Stettner slumped。
〃This number PHI；〃 Langdon continued； 〃one…point…six…one…eight； is a very important number in art。 Who can tell me why？〃
Stettner tried to redeem himself。 〃Because it's so pretty？〃
Everyone laughed。
〃Actually；〃 Langdon said； 〃Stettner's right again。 PHI is generally considered the most beautiful number in the universe。〃
The laughter abruptly stopped； and Stettner gloated。
As Langdon loaded his slide projector； he explained that the number PHI was derived from the Fibonacci sequence—a progression famous not only because the sum of adjacent terms equaled the next term； but because the quotients of adjacent terms possessed the astonishing property of approaching the number 1。618—PHI！
Despite PHI's seemingly mystical mathematical origins； Langdon explained； the truly mind…boggling aspect of PHI was its role as a fundamental building block in nature。 Plants； animals； and even human beings all possessed dimensional properties that adhered with eerie exactitude to the ratio of PHI to 1。
〃PHI's ubiquity in nature；〃 Langdon said； killing the lights； 〃clearly exceeds coincidence； and so the ancients assumed the number PHI must have been preordained by the Creator of the universe。 Early scientists heralded one…point…six…one…eight as the Divine Proportion。〃
〃Hold on；〃 said a young woman in the front row。 〃I'm a bio major and I've never seen this Divine Proportion in nature。〃
〃No？〃 Langdon grinned。 〃Ever study the relationship between females and males in a honeybee munity？〃
〃Sure。 The female bees always outnumber the male bees。〃
〃Correct。 And did you know that if you divide the number of female bees by the number of male bees in any beehive in the world； you always get the same number？〃
〃You do？〃
〃Yup。 PHI。〃
The girl gaped。 〃NO WAY！〃
〃Way！〃 Langdon fired back； smiling as he projected a slide of a spiral seashell。 〃Recognize this？〃