Viktor knew an excuse when he heard one. He forbore both exhortation and invitation, merely nodding his head. "I learnt the habit on tour," he said. "It is something, to go to the great theatres of Europe. Opera, now, opera I do not love, though I go sometimes because the theatres, the buildings, they are spectacular, like the Staatsoper in Wien... but I will watch a good play in a barn." His smile suggested that he had done.