92 IN THE DIPLOMATIC SERVICE- XII 



ings covered with beautiful frescos, and the rooms full 

 of statues and pictures by eminent artists, mainly Russian 

 and French. He was a man of some education, possessed 

 a large library, loved to entertain scientific men and to aid 

 scientific effort, and managed to keep on good terms with 

 his more fanatical coreligionists on one side and with the 

 government on the other, so that in emergencies he was 

 an efficient peacemaker between them. We found him a 

 kindly, gentle old man, with long, white hair and beard, 

 and he showed us with evident pleasure the principal 

 statues and pictures, several of the former being by Anto- 

 kolski, the greatest contemporary Russian sculptor. In 

 the sumptuous dining-room, in which perhaps a hundred 

 persons could sit at table, he drew our attention to some 

 fine pictures of Italian scenes by Smieradsky, and, after 

 passing through the other rooms, took us into a cabinet 

 furnished with the rarest things to be found in the Oriental 

 bazaars. Finally, he conducted us into his private chapel, 

 where, on the iconostas, the screen which, in accordance 

 with the Greek ritual, stands before the altar, the sacred 

 images of the Saviour and various saints were represented 

 somewhat differently from those in the Russo-Greek 

 Church, especially in that they extended two fingers in 

 stead of three. To this difference I called his attention, 

 and he at once began explaining it. Soon he grew warm, 

 and finally fervid. Said he : i Why do we make the sign 

 of the cross ? We do it to commemorate the crucifixion of 

 our blessed Lord. What is commemorated at the cruci 

 fixion? The sacrifice of his two natures the divine and 

 the human. How do we make the sign ? We make it with 

 two fingers, .thus&quot; accompanied by a gesture. &quot;What 

 does this represent? It represents what really occurred: 

 the sacrifice of the divine and the human nature of our 

 Lord. How do the Orthodox make it?&quot; Here his voice 

 began to rise. &quot;They make it with three fingers&quot; and 

 now his indignation burst all bounds, and with a tremen 

 dous gesture and almost a scream of wrath he declared: 

 &quot;and every time they make it they crucify afresh every 



