The Master and Margarita. Yet another example of what we call balderdash, he announced in a loud braying tenor

Then an incredible thing happened. The cat's black fur stood on end, and he let out a spine-tingling " meow." Then he shrunk into a ball, and like a panther, lunged straight at Bengalsky's chest, and from there leapt onto his head. With a low growl, the cat stuck his chubby paws into the emcee's greasy hair, and with a savage howl, tore the head off its thick neck in two twists.

The two and a half thousand people in the theater screamed in unison. Fountains of blood spurted from the severed arteries in the neck and poured down the emcee's shirt front and tailcoat. The headless body's legs buckled absurdly, and it plopped onto the floor. The hysterical screams of women were heard. The cat handed the head to Fagot, who lifted it up by the hair and showed it to the audience, and the head cried out desperately to the whole theater, " Get a doctor! "

" Are you going to keep on talking rubbish? " Fagot inquired of the weeping head in threatening tones.

" I won't anymore! " rasped the head.

" Stop torturing him, for God's sake! " shouted a woman in the loge. The magician turned in her direction.

" So, ladies and gentlemen, should we forgive him? " asked Fagot, addressing the audience.

" Yes, forgive him, forgive him! " shouted individual and, for the most part, female voices which then joined with male voices to form a single chorus.

" What is your command, Messire? " asked Fagot of the man in the mask.

" Well, " the latter replied pensively, " they are like people anywhere. They love money, but that has always been true... People love money, no matter what it is made of, leather, paper, bronze, or gold. And they are thoughtless... but, then again, sometimes mercy enters their hearts... they are ordinary people... On the whole, they remind me of their predecessors... only the housing shortage has had a bad effect on them..." And in a loud voice he commanded, " Put his head back on."