Stage IV · The Wash-House
Cold Water, Colder Stone
The cellar under the old wash-house has not been used since 1936. It smells of wet flint and eighty winters. Your lamp is small and honest. Somewhere on these walls the sexton left five marks — find each one in the light, and touch it to copy it into your notebook.
I
II
III
IV
V
Ask the sacrestano (hints)
First hint: move slowly. The marks are scratched, not painted — they only show when the lamp is nearly on them. Touch a mark while it is lit to copy it down. (On a phone, or by keyboard, the match is your friend — strike it and be quick.)
Second hint: each mark is a numeral and a letter. The numerals are the order. Read your notebook when it is full.