Over the summer I spent some time in Scotland. At the end of our stay in Edinburgh, my companion and I wanted to leave our bags somewhere for half a day, as our train to the Highlands didn’t leave until later that afternoon. The most obvious solution was the left luggage office at Edinburgh station. Contrary to my romanticised expectations, this was not a cosy room where leather suitcases with exotic labels were piled high, but a much leaner and meaner operation, in which people’s bags were heaved up to the counter, x-rayed, and then mysteriously stowed away by the staff. As the notice on the wall informed us, leaving one’s luggage also entailed answering certain questions. I told the unsmiling employee that yes, I had packed my suitcase myself, and that I hadn’t left it unattended, but when it came to "Are you carrying any firearms?" I couldn’t contain myself any longer. I decided to answer this question with another: "Do I look as if I’m carrying a firear ...