Libuše was being shown on television, Mr. Berka, who wasn’t guarding the gate that day, had suddenly turned off the sound, on the screen the legendary prophetess Libuše, surrounded by her lady friends and dressed in old Slavic robes, was combing her hair and when the other women began speaking to her, Mr. Berka switched on his tape recorder, it took him several moments to find the right place on the tape, but then a song with guitar accompaniment rang out through the dining hall and the Elderberries, those three lovely ladies from Prague, sang … Seen my ad in the classified? Keep on reading, you might be the one I might be needing … All the pensioners who were watching the television broadcast of Libuše that Sunday were alarmed at first, but the longer they watched the more they began to enjoy it, the way Mr. Berka was playing around with his tapes, with the sound of the television turned off. When Chrudoš aired his grievances to Libuše, who had to cast judgment, Mr. Berka wound the tape forward and a moment later Chrudoš’s theatrical gestures were accompanied by the voice of Pavel Bobek … Rock ‘n’ roll, I gave you the best days of my life, all those summer mornings, all the most beautiful days … And a few minutes later when Libuše pronounced her wise verdict on the television screen in the feud between Chrudoš and his brother over a plot of land, Mr. Berka wound the tape forward, announced the name of the singer Věra Špinarová and a moment later her voice floated through the castle dining hall … Oh yes sir, I can boogie, but I need a certain song, I can boogie, boogie woogie, all night long … And the pensioners who sat watching were completely captivated by all this new magnificence, they had seen Libuše many times before, but never a Libuše like this … And then came the scene in which messengers were sent to get farmer Přemysl and bring him back as Libuše’s future bridegroom, this was accompanied by the voice of Waldemar Matuška … The journey west is long … and Přemysl answered the messengers with a mournful tune, sung by Karel Zich … My life is unlucky, my steps are hollow … I’m followed by a shadow … and then the dance orchestras accompanied and complemented the sequence of television images so perfectly that when Přemysl was standing before Libuše, Mr. Berka quickly wound the tape forward, adjusted the volume and on the screen Přemysl raised his hand and on the tape Milan Chladil sang … Oh I gaze at your white veil, you finally have what you’ve been dreaming of, whoever could’ve known that you, my darling, would marry me and be my love … and Libuše answered him with a song, sung with great feeling by Eva Pilarová … Will you take me as I am, although you know I’m only an illusion, if you take me as I am, I’ll be truer than true … And when Libuše reached out her hand onscreen to Přemysl and gazed deeply into his eyes … Mr. Berka quickly turned over the tape and I heard the duet I’d always loved, the sad, beautiful voices of Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly, who sang that wistful love song together … While I give to you and you give to me … True love, true love … But then the dining hall door flew open and in stormed the head nurse and she turned the knob and the screen went black, she threw her hands in the air and thundered at Mr. Berka … You never know when to stop, do you? Do you want to be sent home? And Mr. Berka meekly picked up his tapes and left, and all of us who had seen his Libuše thought it was a shame, for the next half hour we sat there arguing, argued about which song Mr. Berka would have used for the scene where Libuše prophesizes the founding of Prague. I started moving again and the sensitive Mr. Berka yanked the plug out of the wall, he clicked on a flashlight and came running out in confusion, shining the light in my face … What is it, what do you want? I said … Mr. Berka, I can’t sleep thinking about it, that time you livened up Libuše with your tapes … Livened up Libuše? What’re you talking about? asked Mr. Berka, terrified. I said … Mr. Berka, the Libuše that was shown on television that Sunday, when the nurse came in and ruined everything, what other tapes did you have ready? Mr. Berka was overjoyed … Oh, that Libuše! Yes, I really should play it for you again … I’ve now got a new tape all ready for Přemysl, when he comes riding up to Libuše, he starts singing to her … Hello, Dolly, well hello, Dolly, it’s so nice to have you back where you belong … The way Mr. Armstrong sings it … You’re lookin’ swell, Dolly, I can tell, Dolly, You’re still … Hello? I’d staggered slightly, I was suddenly dazzled by this information, Mr. Berka took advantage of this and whispered in my ear … And when Přemysl and Libuše are on TV again, I’ll turn off the sound and play the best song I’ve ever recorded, at full blast … Save your kisses for me, kisses for me, baby, bye-bye … and then those little-girlish voices … I luv you!.. right? I’ll go there and you’ll come here … ha ha!.. I looove yooou!.. cried and sang the enthusiastic Mr. Berka, and just then Francin came back down the path, the news was over, he walked with such difficulty that it was as if he were carrying his own tombstone on his shoulder, the news today, as always, was even worse than yesterday, everlasting peace was forever being relegated to somewhere back in the good-for-nothing old days … Mr. Berka shined his flashlight on Francin and ran around him in circles crying with horror … What have you done with that beautiful cap? Did you leave it lying somewhere? Lord, what I wouldn’t give to have worn that famous cap! Tell me, my friends, where has it gone?