"Glory to God!" he cried, "for in heaven His martyr now pleads for us."
Petrobey crossed himself.
"Glory to God!" he repeated. "But tell us more, father; what was the cause of this?"
"He died for us," said Germanos; "for the liberty of the Greeks. As you know, he was in the secrets of the patriots, and one of the agents of the club which supplied funds for the war was found to have letters from the patriarch, which showed his complicity. Immediately after the execution the election for a new patriarch took place, and Eugenios, of Pisidia, was chosen, and his election ratified by Gregorios's murderer."
Nicholas struck the table with his fist.
"I give no allegiance there," said he. "Is the church a toy in that devil's hands, and shall we bow to his puppets?"
Germanos looked up quickly.
"I wanted to know your opinion on that," he said, "and you, Petrobey, go with your cousin? But in the mean time we have no head."
"But at the death of a patriarch," asked Nicholas, "what is the usual course?"
Germanos hesitated.