"Holiness, the Greeks of to-day are degenerate from the dirty-knuckled Laconians crossed with the Ottoman Infidel, their conquistators."
"That is splendid, Signore. And it marches with an opinion which We formed some dozen years ago, at least in regard to your Italian Greeks. We have seen those with Our Own eyes. In Apulia, for instance, the Elgin Marbles have their living counterfeits: the charcoal-burners and the fishermen look as though they had stepped out of the Frieze of the Parthenon. Once We heard a fisherman summon his boy by the word 'Páddy'—to give it an English form. An Italian would have cried 'Putto.' But 'Páddy,'—what vocative is that but 'Παιδε,' pronounced as Alkibiades would have pronounced it? Oh, We see your point. And is your Lord the King still interested in the subject?"
"I believe that His Majesty is intensely interested. I hope I may venture to repeat the corroboration which Your Holiness has given me. I am sure that His Majesty——"
"By all means. Of course you merely will repeat the conversation. You will not intrude Us before the King's Majesty in Our apostolic character: but merely——"
"Your Holiness's wish shall be respected."
"But to resume:—We agree to identify those states south of the Danube with the Byzantines in general; and Montenegro and South Albania with the Greeks in particular. What about North Albania?"
(Click) "That is Turkish."
"All Albania is Turkish."
"But South Albania is Christian. And all Albania, Christian and Muslim, reverences Madonna—'Panagia,' Παναγια, 'Lady of All,' they call her."
"How very extraordinary! Well now let us take their present situation. Suppose, Signore Panciera, that we reverse our positions. Instead of hearing your opinion, We will state Ours; and you shall comment on it. Is that fair? Is that agreeable?"