It's been two weeks since the exam, and the piano has lost some of its control. The narrator wonders if it's because the piano player is "Russian" , or if she's trying to "redeem her grades" this year. The piano player asks the narrator to come to his office tomorrow and tell him what's going on. He wants to know if the music director is in charge of the orchestra, if there's anything he wants to talk about, and if he's worried about the bowing section. He's also worried that the guest conductor will use the bowing instead of the thud that's supposed to be used in the piece. The music director wants to use the thud instead, the narrator says, and he wants the bowing to be erased. He also wants to see the audition list for the upcoming season.