Any tale is anticlimatic after The Farewell, we ought to look i on (Olive) Fremstad as voice teacher, the occupation she took up, like many of her colleagues, upon her retirement. Fremstad was not a gentle coach. Only those with a spirit of iron could survive her course, for training included viewing the inside of a mysterious box that sat on the piano under a red silk scarf.

One day, Fremstad was about to unveil the secret for her secretary to see when a student showed up for a lesson.

« Don’t! » the student screamed in terror. « I won’t look at it again. I’d rather leave forever! »

« Leave then, poor child. » said Fremstad. « Better now than disappointment and heartbreak later. » Turning to her secretary as her student fled. Fremstad added, « She has no guts, that one. Opera is not for her. » Then she showed the contents of the box to the secretary.

It was a human head, pickled and sliced in half from cranium to neck.