is that?” I asked. And the old man raised the black back lid and I saw that this grand old piano was running live with full-grown rabbits, dozens of rabbits for slaughter, although the stronger ones, bucks, had been gnawing the nuts off the weaker ones, I saw how bloodied and terror-stricken the weaker ones were and how proudly triumphant the big ones, and how the eyes of the tormentors gleamed with satisfaction at the power they’d brought to bear, while there among the strings in the corner huddled those whose turn — at this rabbit ritual — it had just been. “Just like people,” said the old solicitor, adding that this lot who were in power today — their turn would come too, and the ones who hadn’t had ’em chewed off yet, they’d finally gnaw each other’s nuts off until not a one would be left uncastrated… “Hence all the squeaking, because once they’ve castrated each other, I’ll be along to kill them, because the flesh of castrated rabbits is much more delicate, the torture leaves its mark and the meat is all the tenderer for it.” “But tell me, how can these little guys have any fun, and what with?” “And how, sir, does mankind have its fun? Creaming off the best, all the time, time and again the best are castrated and deprived of great strength… inside this piano, sir,” said the old solicitor, tossing the rabbits some grass in among the strings, “this is the Czech question, a question as old as the hills, and more, see?” He croaked and smiled a wonderful smile. “This piano cost me fifty crowns, they were taking it to the tip by St Adalbert’s, and I thinks, a fine rabbit hutch, that, and for only fifty crowns…” I said: “Not bad, but even better, I reckon, is the man from near where I lived who would go to the park carrying a violin case, the children would all gather round, and beg: ‘Play us a tune, please!’ but he just opened the case and out popped a bunny and he said: ‘Look, children, Joe is going for a graze…’ and when the bunny had grazed its fill, it would hop back inside the violin case and the man would take it back home, because ever since he’d bought the rabbit meaning to kill it for meat, he hadn’t been able to kill it, poor little thing, and so that it wouldn’t get bored he would bring it out in a violin case and let it have a good graze; that means much more to me.” “First sign of degeneracy,” said the old solicitor, adding: “Goodbye, and close the gate behind you, will you? You know, I harbour no illusions as regards mankind,” he said again, with greater emphasis and eyebrows raised. And he tapped the lid of the Petrof grand.