"Thanks to Your Holiness's gracious initiative, You may take it that all Christian France is willing to become German--or English--out of sheer gratitude." "But Russia--Russia is immense--immensely powerful." "Pardon me, Holiness, but do You read the English newspapers?" "Nineteen, studiously: thirty-seven, from which cuts are selected for Our perusal." "The English newspapers are well-informed, trustworthy?" "Penny and threepenny dailies, threepenny weeklies, shilling and half-crown monthlies, generally are well-informed, generally are trustworthy." "So. Then I shall tell Your Holiness, from an English penny daily, that Russia is not powerful in a military sense. The large majority of her officers are abjectly incapable. The ranks are recruited entirely from the peasantry; and are, on the admission of their own generals, entirely unreliable. They have neither intelligence nor initiative; and they no more know how to obey than their officers know how to command. Russia's defeat by Japan taught her nothing. Also there has been for years among patriotic Russians, north, south, east, and west, a singular yearning for an overwhelming defeat by an European power. That way only, they say, can they be delivered from the crushing anarchic tyranny under which the whole country labours. Even supposing Russia to be united--which she is not--I say that she has no chance of ultimate success against the German navy and army. I say that her numbers have inspired a wholly unfounded and exaggerated apprehension of her military power. I say that bounce--Bounce, if Your Holiness will permit me to say it--bounce alone has served her purpose well. She will continue to use bounce until she is opposed by a resolute determination which there is no possibility of mistaking. Fear of Russia resembles the fear of a child at an ugly mask. If Russia were to cross my frontiers, she would march to her final overthrow. And, best of all, the Russians know that as well as I do." "Your Majesty appears to have made out a case. Well: you will conquer France and Russia. And then?" "I shall annex them to my empire." "Are you likely to meet with any opposition then?" "I do not know. I am about to proceed to discuss the point with my uncle. Meanwhile my ambassadors are consulting Mr. Chamberlain and Mr. Roosevelt; and I myself am consulting my royal cousin the King of Italy." "Ah--the King of Italy!--And what does Your Majesty desire from Us?" "I should be glad to know the attitude which Your Holiness will prescribe for the Catholics of my empire, as well as for other Catholics, in the event of my engaging in these schemes." "Why?" "Because at present my Catholic subjects are loyal. I should not permit any of my subjects to be disloyal. I wish to give them all freedom in religious matters: but I should not tolerate opposition to my state-policy." "Touching the matter of Poland----" "There is no Poland."