The Pope put His hand on the table--pontifically. "Will Your Majesty, for the purposes of argument, consent to imagine a place called Poland, partly Russian, partly German, inhabited by a race which is neither German nor Russian, a race very tenacious of its traditions. In the event of your annexation of France, and Russia, for example,--and Austria which is composed of sixteen distinct races speaking thirty-two distinct languages, the various Slavonic nationalities of Parthians, Medes, and Elamites----" "Parthians, Medes, and Elamites?" "Well: Croats, Slovenes, Dalmatians, and the dwellers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, to say nothing of the Czechs and the Magyars,--in the event of your annexation of all these, you would be obliged to have regard unto the racial characteristics of your new subjects. Now, at the same time, would you not be well advised to regard the racial characteristics of Poland?" "In what way?" "For example, would you concede to Poland, the Polish language, and a Polish king and constitution under your imperial suzerainty?" "Your Holiness means something of the nature of federation, such as Your Own country so successfully has adopted?" "Concisely." "I had not thought of it. It merits my profound consideration." "And what would happen to the other fragments of Austria, and to the Balkan States?" "I do not know. The Sultan would have something to say." "And what will he say?" "I must tell Your Holiness that I am much disappointed in Turkey. I looked upon it as the military power, whose ability to hold back Russia, and to prevent the political strangulation of Germany in Europe by keeping-open the gates of the East, must be strengthened at all costs. Hence I practically re-armed the Sultan's forces; and passed numbers of young Turkish officers through my military schools. You may say that I made the Turkish Army. All to no purpose. The new Sultan has played me false. I am afraid now that Turkey will be more influenced by England and by Italy than by me." "Is that king blind?" "My uncle?" "No. Italy." "Not that I am aware of. Why does Your Holiness ask?" The Supreme Pontiff stood up. "We thank Your Majesty for the sincerity of Your conversation; and assure you of Our good-will. We will ponder the matters which you have laid before Us." "I hoped to have had----" But there was no mistaking the sealed face. And William II. was one of the cleverest men in the world; and he also was half an Englishman. "I should be greatly obliged if Your Holiness would write down that doctrine of Aristos. I should prize it greatly." The Pope went to a writing table and produced a couple of lines in His wonderful fifteenth-century script. "I will make this one of the heirlooms of Hohenzollern" said the Kaiser. "May God guide you, well-beloved son."