"Why do you want to talk to them?" I asked.
"I don't want to talk to them. My boss does," the voice answered.
"Then put your boss on," I said. "I'll talk to him."
"You are neither Hitler nor Mussolini," the voice replied. "He wishes to speak only to them. He's very busy. Too busy to waste time in idle conversation. Please fetch Hitler and Mussolini to the wire."
"Who are you?" I demanded.
"I have already covered that ground with the other parties I spoke to before you," the voice said. "Please hurry and bring Adolf and Benito to the phone. This connection is getting progressively worse. It can't last much longer. We spent several years getting it through, you know."
"Did you now?" I asked politely.
"Yes we did," the voice answered stiffly. Then, annoyed: "Must you waste this precious time? Please bring Hitler and Mussolini to the telephone as quickly as possible."
