But they are not the Doctors documents, Frank hastened to point out. As Ive told you, a man dying in Paris ordered him to burn them. He did so, but they were not all consumed.
The Doctor worked a trick upon a dying man, sniffed the Professor. Hardly played the game eh?
I quite agree with you there, answered young Farquhar. Yet, according to the Doctors version, he was in no way responsible for the fact that only half the folios were consumed.
Well, whatever it is, declared the Professor, very decisively, it seems to be some rather clumsy cock-and-bull story. In what Ive read. I, as a scholar, could pick many holes. Indeed, such a screed as this could never have been concocted by any one with any pretence of knowledge of old Testament history. There are certain statements which are utterly absurd on the face of them.
Which are they? inquired Frank eagerly.
Oh several, was the rather light reply. As you are not a scholar, my dear boy, it would be useless me going into long and technical explanations. The disjointed bits of prophecy are, I admit, really most artistic, he added with a laugh.
If the truth be told, Arminger Griffin was concealing the intense excitement that had been aroused within him. He was making a discovery a wonderful, an amazing discovery. But to this young journalist, who would merely regard it as a good boom for one of his irresponsible halfpenny journals, he intended to pooh-pooh it as a mere clumsy fairy tale.
Well, he asked, a moment later, in an incredulous tone. What else have you to show me?
No more typewriting, was Franks reply. The only other folio is one of manuscript, and it will probably interest you, for it contains two Hebrew words, and he placed before the great expert a half-consumed fragment of lined manuscript paper which bore some close writing in English of which the present writer gives a facsimile here.
Hm, grunted the old man, after a swift glance at it. A copy, evidently. The Hebrew words are too clumsily written. No scholar wrote them. Probably its a translation from German or Danish I think you said that the man who called himself Blanc, was really a Dane eh?
Yes. He told Diamond that he came from Copenhagen, Farquhar replied.
But the old man was too deeply engrossed in the study of the neat manuscript. How he wished that the context had been preserved, for here, he recognised, was the key, or rather the commencement of the key to the whole secret. He was now anxious to get rid of Frank Farquhar, and be allowed to pursue his investigations alone. There was certainly much more in it than he had at first suspected.
With such a sensation as that contained in the half-burnt documents to launch upon the world, he would be acclaimed the most prominent scholar of the day. The whole of academic Europe would shower honours upon him.
What does it mean about the wâw sign? inquired the young man. Does that convey anything?
Nothing, laughed the Professor with affected indifference. What can one make out of such silly nonsense? It says, apparently, that in Ezekiel the wâw sign appears with great regularity. Well, so it does in all Hebrew texts. The letter a appears often in English doesnt it? Well, so does the Hebrew w or v. Therefore its all bunkum that was my first impression and I still retain it!
Gwen looked genuinely disappointed. She had hoped that this wonderful manuscript which had fallen into her lovers hands would turn out, as he had declared it would, to be of utmost value, both to history and also of financial value to its possessors.
But her father, recognised as one of the first authorities of the day, had decisively condemned it as a clumsy fraud.
The reference given in the manuscript is, I see, Ezekiel xli. 23, remarked the girl, and turning over the pages of the Bible which she still held in her hand she exclaimed:
Here it is. Let me read it: And the temple and the sanctuary had two doors. And the doors had two leaves apiece, two burning leaves; two leaves for the one door, and two for the other door. And there were made on them, on the doors of the temple, cherubims and palm trees, like as were made upon the walls; and there were thick planks upon the face of the porch without. And there were narrow windows and palm trees on the one side and on the other side, on the sides of the porch, and upon the side chambers of the house, and thick planks.
Yes, remarked the old man. The first Hebrew word in the manuscript means either palace or temple. That occurs as the third word of the quotation. But there is no mention of cupbearer. If I recollect aright, there is a mention of the doors of the Temple in the First Book of Kings. I believe its in the sixth chapter. Look, dear, and see if you can find it.
His daughter turned over the leaves quickly, found the chapter he had indicated, and scanned over the verses.
Ah! she cried, a moment later. Yes. You are right, dad. Here it is, beginning at verse 31: And for the entering of the oracle he (Solomon) made doors of olive tree: the lintel and side posts were a fifth part of the wall. The two doors also were of olive tree: and he carved upon them carvings of cherubims and palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid them with gold, and spread gold upon the cherubims, and upon the palm trees. So also made he for the door of the temple posts of olive tree, a fourth part of the wall And the two doors were of fir tree: the two leaves of the one door were folding, and the two leaves of the other door were folding. And he carved thereon cherubims and palm trees and open flowers: and covered them with gold fitted upon the carved work.
I looked up the reference in Ezekiel, remarked Frank, but I could not understand it. Perhaps, you, Professor, may be able to throw some light upon it?
The old man turned to the speaker, and held up his thin, almost waxen hands.
How can I? he asked with an air of bewilderment well feigned. How can I possibly? The latter half of this fragment of scribble is a mere copy of a verse out of the Old Testament, and seems to have nothing whatever to do with the theory whatever it may be expounded in the upper part of the page.
Then what is your candid opinion, dad? asked Gwen, placing her hand softly upon her fathers shoulder again as she stood behind him, and at the same time turning her eyes affectionately upon the tall, good-looking, young man at her side.
My candid opinion, my dear, grunted the old Professor, is that it is one of the many extraordinary theories we have had of hare-brained persons who have gained a smattering of Hebrew, and believe themselves to have discovered some very wonderful secret. To put it bluntly, Gwen the whole thing is bunkum!
The young man said nothing. His spirits fell. Of course, he had expected the Professor, in the habit of all scholars, to throw cold water upon Doctor Diamonds suggestion, but he was hardly prepared for such a drastic dismissal of the subject.
Well, he exclaimed at last, I dont wish you to come to any premature conclusion, Professor. You have really not had sufficient opportunity yet of thoroughly investigating the affair, have you?