He asked me where the filing cabinets with pupils' marks from previous years were. I remained silent. Did I know that? No, I said. Hollinger shook his head. These young teachers, he said, they came to his school and thought they could start with a clean slate. Thought they didn't need to bother with what had gone before them. I, Kranich, said Hollinger, was only a tiny element in the larger scheme of things. The orchestra had played long before I arrived .... Pupils' previous marks, he said, were the backbone of every new beginner ... .