"'Would to Heaven that You would grant me a trifling favour,'" His Eminency quoted in Greek.
It was a most artful and invariably successful dodge to approach the Pontiff in His favourite tongue. He recognized the quotation; and capped it with the succeeding verse.
"'Tell me as quickly as you can; and I at once shall know.'"
"May I ask a question? Did You write that letter, Holy Father?"
"Which? The last? Yes."
"What did you know?"
"Everything."
"May I say that the amount of knowledge of men which You seem always to possess is quite extraordinary:" said the cardinal, blinking.
"No it is not. 'To those who indeed suffer, Righteousness bringeth knowledge.'" the Pontiff quoted from Aischylos again. "'The greater the detachment from the world, over worldly things the greater power is gained,' some true poet sings. We never were 'a man among men.' We had five senses and We used them. And all the men whom We ever met habitually and voluntarily came and told Us their secrets. We never sought them. They were laid bare before Us. And Our senses perceived them. That is all."
The pontifical voice was hard and cruel: the face was harder and more cruel and also more terrible. The very Presence was like a candent flame. Good honest innocent Leighton looked at Him as at something inhuman: but he persevered.