"I mean from the whole world. You see the East is scarcely three days away by the fast volors; so even the Chinese----" "Do you mean that China and Japan send representatives?" "Certainly. Japan is Christian of course, anyhow; and China has at least one or two Christian princes of the blood." "By the way, what about Russia?" "Well, what about it?" "Is it Catholic?" "My dear Monsignor, it's been Catholic for thirty years." "Oh dear me! You must lend me some more histories. . . . What made it Catholic?" "Common sense, I suppose. How they could have stood out for so long is the only thing that puzzles me." "But the Petrine claims----" "Why, the Petrine claims were the very point. Facts were too strong. If you look back over history you can't help seeing that the only Christian body that was ever able to resist Erastianism on the one side and endless division on the other has been the Church built on Peter. They began to see it nearly a hundred years ago in Russia and Greece. Then the Emperor of Russia was secretly reconciled in 1930; and ten or twelve years later his people followed him." "Then there's no more dispute? What about the _Filioque_ clause?" "Why, when Peter is accepted, the rest follows." "Then you may say that the entire civilized world is represented in Rome to-day?" "Certainly. You'll see the princes in the procession." (II) An hour later they took their places at the central window of the long sala on the third floor, looking out immediately upon the narrow street, which, opposite, fell back into a tiny square, and further up to the right, upon the enormous piazza of St. Peter's and the basilica itself behind. It was a real Roman day--not yet at its full heat, but intensely clear and bright; and Monsignor congratulated himself on having elected to remain as a spectator. The return journey from the Lateran about noon would be something of an ordeal.