p&c.brimstone-第58章

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…and　then　began　the　laborious　process　of　unlocking　the　door　and　raising　the　grate。　Within　a　minute；　they　had　stooped　beneath　the　arch　and　were　standing　in　his　shop。　
　D'Agosta　looked　around　curiously。　The　walls　of　the　shop　were　almost　pletely　covered　with　the　hanging　bellies；　backplates；　and　purflings　of　violins　in　various　stages　of　carving。　It　had　a　pleasant　smell　of　wood；　sawdust；　varnish；　oil；　and　glue。　
　The　man　stared　at　Pendergast　as　if　he　were　staring　at　a　ghost。　He　was　wearing　a　dirty　leather　apron；　and　he　removed　a　pair　of　sawdust…covered　glasses　in　order　to　peer　at　the　agent　more　closely。　
　〃So；　Aloysius　Pendergast；　Ph。D。；〃　he　said　in　almost　flawless　English。　〃You　have　gotten　my　attention。　What　is　it　you　want？〃　
　〃Is　there　a　place　where　we　can　talk？〃　
　They　followed　him　through　the　confines　of　the　narrow　shop…perhaps　eight　feet　wide…to　a　much　larger　space　in　the　back。　Spezi　indicated　for　them　to　sit　on　a　long　bench。　He　himself　perched　against　the　corner　of　a　worktable；　folded　his　hands；　and　stared。　
　In　the　rear　wall；　D'Agosta　could　see　a　stainless…steel　door；　grossly　out　of　place；　with　a　single　small　window。　On　the　far　side　of　the　window　was　a　gleaming　white　laboratory；　racks　of　puter　equipment　and　CRTs　bathed　in　unpleasant　fluorescent　light。　
　〃Thank　you　for　agreeing　to　see　me；　Dottor　Spezi；〃　Pendergast　said。　〃I　know　you　are　a　very　busy　man；　and　I　can　assure　you　we　will　not　waste　your　time。〃　
　The　man　bowed　his　head；　mollified　slightly。　
　〃This　is　my　associate；　Sergeant　Vincent　D'Agosta　of　the　Southampton　Police　Department；　New　York。〃　
　〃Very　pleased。〃　The　man　leaned　forward　and　shook　his　hand。　He　had　a　surprisingly　strong　grip。　Then　he　sat　back　again　and　waited。　
　〃I　propose　an　exchange　of　information；〃　Pendergast　said。　
　〃As　you　wish。〃　
　〃You　tell　me　what　you　know　of　Stradivari's　secret　formulas。　I　will　tell　you　what　I　know　of　the　existence　of　the　violin　mentioned　on　my　card。　Naturally；　I　will　keep　your　information　secret。　I　will　write　nothing　down　and　speak　to　no　one　about　it；　except　to　my　associate；　who　is　a　man　of　plete　discretion。〃　
　D'Agosta　watched　the　man's　deep　pale　eyes　stare　back　at　them。　He　appeared　to　be　thinking　about；　perhaps　even　struggling　with；　the　proposal。　Finally　he　nodded　curtly。　
　〃Very　well；　then；〃　said　Pendergast。　〃I　wonder　if　you　could　answer　some　questions　about　your　work。〃　
　〃Yes；　but　first：　the　violin。　How　in　the　world…？〃　
　〃First　things　first。　Tell　me；　Dottore…since　I　am　a　man　who　knows　nothing　about　violins…tell　me　what　makes　the　sound　of　a　Stradivarius　so　perfect？〃　
　The　man　seemed　to　relax；　evidently　realizing　he　was　not　dealing　with　a　spy　or　petitor。　〃This　is　no　secret。　I　would　characterize　it　as　very　lively。　It　is　aninteresting　sound。　On　top　of　that；　it　has　a　bination　of　darkness　and　brilliance；　a　balance　between　high　and　low　frequencies…a　tone　that　is　rich　but　as　pure　and　sweet　as　honey。　Of　course；　each　Strad　sounds　different…some　have　a　fatter　tone；　others　are　lean；　even　harsh；　some　are　thin　and　quite　disappointing。　Some　have　been　repaired　and　rebuilt　so　many　times　they　can　hardly　be　called　original。　Only　six　Strads；　for　example；　retain　their　original　necks。　When　you　drop　a　violin；　it's　always　the　neck　that　breaks。　But　there　are　about　ten　or　twenty　that　sound　almost　perfect。〃　
　〃Why？〃　
　At　this；　the　man　smiled。　〃That；　of　course；　is　the　question。〃　He　rose；　went　to　the　steel　door；　unlocked　it；　and　swung　it　open；　revealing　two　hard…disk　recording　workstations　and　racks　of　digital　samplers；　pressors；　and　limiters。　The　walls　and　ceiling　were　covered　with　acoustic　foam　paneling。　
　They　followed　him　in；　and　he　shut　and　locked　the　door　behind　them。　Then　he　switched　on　an　amplifier；　pulled　up　the　faders　on　a　nearby　mixing　console。　A　low　hum　began　to　sound　from　the　reference　speakers　set　high　in　the　walls。　
　〃The　first　really　scientific　test　done　on　a　Stradivarius　was　performed　about　fifty　years　ago。　They　hooked　a　sound　generator　to　the　bridge　of　a　violin　and　had　it　vibrate　the　instrument。　Then　they　measured　how　the　violin　vibrated　in　return。　An　absurd　test；　really；　because　it　has　nothing　to　do　with　the　way　a　violin　is　played。　But　even　such　a　crude　test　showed　the　Strad　gave　back　an　extraordinary　response　in　the　two…thousand…to…four…thousand…hertz　range…which；　not　at　all　coincidentally；　happens　to　be　the　range　of　sound　that　the　human　ear　is　most　sensitive　to。　Later；　high…speed　puters　allowed　real…time　processing　of　a　Strad　being　played。　Let　me　give　you　an　example。〃　
　He　turned　to　one　of　the　digital　samplers；　used　an　attached　keyboard　to　select　an　audio　sample；　sent　the　output　to　the　mixer。　The　sweet　sound　of　a　violin　filled　the　room。　
　〃This　is　Jascha　Heifetz　playing　the　cadenza　of　Beethoven's　violin　concerto　on　the　Messiah　Stradivarius。〃　
　A　plex　series　of　dancing　lines　appeared　on　a　monitor　sitting　behind　the　mixer。　Spezi　pointed　at　them。　
　〃That　is　a　frequency　analysis　from　thirty　to　thirty　thousand　hertz。　Look　at　the　richness　of　the　low…frequency　sounds！　They　give　the　violin　its　darkness；　its　sonority。　And　in　the　two　thousand　to　four　thousand　range　I　mentioned；　see　how　lively　and　robust　it　is。This　is　what　fills　the　concert　hall　with　sound。〃　
　D'Agosta　wondered　what　any　of　this　had　to　do　with　Bullard　or　the　murders。　He　also　wondered　what　Pendergast　had　written　on　the　business　card　the　man　was　still　clutching　in　one　fist。　Whatever　it　was；　it　had　clearly　made　this　man　remarkably　cooperative。　
　〃And　these　are　the　high　frequencies。　Look　how　they　leap　and　flicker；　like　the　flame　of　a　candle。　It's　these　transients　that　give　the　Strad　that　breathing；　trembling　tone；　so　delicate　and　fleeting。〃　
　Pendergast　inclined　his　head。　〃So；　Dottore…what's　the　secret？〃　
　Spezi　reached　for　the　sampler　and　the　music　stopped。　〃There　is　no　one　secret。　It　was　a　whole　catalog　of　secrets；　some　of　which　we've　cracked；　others　we　haven't。　For　example；　we　know　exactly　what　kind　of　architecture　Stradivari　used。　With　puterized　tomography；　we　can　map　a　Strad　perfectly　in　three　dimensions。　We　know　all　there　is　to　know　about　Stradivari's　designs　for　the　belly；　backplate；　purfling；　f…holes…everything。　We　also　know　just　what　types　of　wood　he　used。　We　can　make　a　perfect　copy。〃　
　He　turned　to　one　of　the　puters；　typed　again；　and　the　image　of　a　beautiful　violin　appeared　on　its　screen。　〃There　it　is。　An　absolutely　perfect　copy　of　the　Harrison　Strad；　down　to　the　very　nicks　and　scratches。　It　took　me　almost　half　a　year；　back　in　the　early　eighties；　to　plete。〃　He　glanced　over　at　them　with　a　mirthless　smile。　〃It　soundsdreadful　。　The　real　secret；　you　see；　was　in　thechemistry　。　Specifically；　the　recipe　for　the　solution　Stradivari　soaked　his　wood　in；　and　the　recipe　for　his　varnish。　This　has　been　the　thrust　of　my　research　ever　since。〃　
　〃And？〃　
　The　man　hesitated。　〃I　don't　know　why　I　am　inclined　to　trust　you；　but　I　do。　The　wood　Stradivari　used　was　cut　in　the　foothills　of　the　Apennines　and　dumped　green　into　the　Po　or　Adige　Rivers；　floated　downstream；　and　stored　in　brackish　lagoons　near　Venice。　This　was　purely　for　convenience；　but　it　did　something　critical　to　the　wood…it　opened　up　its　pores。　Stradivari　purchased　the　wood　wet。　He　did　not　season　it。　Instead；　he　soaked　it　further　in　a　solution　of　his　own　making…as　far　as　I　can　deduce；　a　bination　of　borax；　sea　salt；　fruit　gum；　quartz　and　other　minerals；　and　ground；　colored　Venetian　glass。　He　soaked　it　for　months；　perhaps　years；　while　it　absorbed　these　chemicals。　What　did　they　do　to　the　wood？　Amazing；　plex；　miraculous　things！　First；　they　preserved　it。　The　borax　made　the　wood　tighter；　harder；　stiffer。　The　ground　quartz　and　glass　prevented　the　violin　from　being　eaten　by　woodworms…but　it　also　filled　in　the　air　spaces　and　gave　it　a　brilliance　and　clarity　of　tone。　The　fruit　gum　caused　subtle　changes　and　acted　as　a　fungicide。　Of　course；　the　real　secret　lies　in　the　proportions…and　those；　Signor　Pendergast；　I　will　not　tell　you。〃　
　Pendergast　nodded。　
　〃Over　the　years；　I've　made　hundreds　of　violins　from　wood　treated　this　way；　experimenting　with　the　ratios　and　the　length　of　time　in　solution。　The　resulting　instruments　had　a　big；　brilliant　sound。　But　it　was　aharsh　sound。　Something　was　needed　todampen　the　vibrations；　the　overtones。〃　
　He　paused。　〃Here　is　where　the　true　genius　of　Stradivari　es　in。　He　found　that　in　his　secret　varnish。〃　
　He　moused　up　the　puter　screen；　clicked　through　a　few　menus。　A　new　image　appeared　in　black　and　white；　a　landscape　of　incredible　ruggedness；　looking　to　D'Agosta　like　some　vast　mountain　range。　
　〃Here　is　the　varnish　of　a　Stradivarius　under　a　scanning　electron　microscope；　30；000x。　As　you　can　see；　it　is　not　the　smooth；　hard　layer　it　seems　to　the　naked　eye。　Instead；　there　are　billions　of　microscopic　cracks。　When　the　violin　is　played；　these　cracksabsorb　anddampen　the　harsh　vibrations　and　resonances；　allowing　only　the　purest；　clearest　tone　to　escape。　That's　the　true　secret　to　Stradivari's　violins。　The　problem　is；　the　varnish　he　used　was　an　incredibly　plex　chemical　solution；　involving　boiled　insects　and　other　organic　and　inorganic　sources。　It　has　defied　all　analysis…and　we　have　so　little　of　it　to　test。　You　can't　strip　the　varnish　off　a　Strad…removing　even　a　little　will　ruin　a　violin。　You'd　need　to　destroy　an　entire　instrument　to　get　enough　varnish　to　analyze　it　properly。　Even　then；　you　couldn't　use　one　of　his　inferior　violins。　Those　were　experimental；　and　the　varnish　recipe　changed　many　times。　No…you'd　have　to　destroy　one　from　the　golden　period。　Not　only　that；　but　you'd　need　to　cut　into　the　wood　and　analyze　the　chemistry　of　the　solution　he　soaked　them　in　as　well　as　the　interface　between　the　varnish　and　the　wood。　For　all　these　reasons；　we　have　not　been　able　to　figure　out　exactly　how　he　did　it。〃　
　He　leaned　back。　〃Another　problem。　Even　if　youhad　all　his　secret　recipes；　you　still　might　fail。　Stradivari；　knowing　all　that　we　don't；　managed　to　make　some　mediocre　violins。　There　were　other　factors　to　making　a　great　violin；　some　apparently　even　beyondhis　control…such　as　the　particular　qualities　of　the　piece　of　wood　he　used。〃　
　Pendergast　nodded。　
　〃And　that；　Mr。　Pendergast；　is　all　I　can　tell　you。〃　The　man's　face　glittered　with　feverish　intensity。　〃And　now　let　us　speak　ofthis　。〃　He　opened　his　hand　and　smoothed　the　crumpled　business　card。　And　for　the　first　time；　D'Agosta　glimpsed　what　Pendergast　had　written　on　it。　
　It　was　the　word　Stormcloud　。　
　　　
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　The　man　held　out　the　card　in　a　trembling　hand。　
　Pendergast　nodded　in　return。　〃Perhaps　the　best　way　to　start　would　be　for　you　to　tell　Sergeant　D'Agosta　what　you　know　of　its　history。〃　
　Spezi　turned　to　D'Agosta；　his　face　filling　with　regret。　〃The　Stormcloud　was　Stradivari's　greatest　violin。　It　was　played　by　a　string　of　virtuosi　in　an　almost　unbroken　line　from　Monteverdi　to　Paganini　and　beyond。　It　was　present　at　some　of　the　greatest　moments　in　the　history　of　music。　It　was　played　by　Franz　Clement　at　the　premiere　of　Beethoven's　violin　concerto。　It　was　played　by　Brahms　himself　at　the　premiere　of　his　Second　Violin　Concerto；　and　by　Paganini　for　the　first　Italian　performance　of　all　twenty…four　of　his　caprices。　And　then；　just　before　World　War　I…on　the　death　of　the　virtuoso　Luciano　Toscanelli；　may　God　curse　him…it　disappeared。　Toscanelli　went　insane　at　the　end　of　his　days　and；