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: : I wanted to say re Fathers and Sons... Nick's : : son says "I think I ought to to go to prey at : : the tomb of my grandfather." and "I hope we won't : : live somewhere so that I can never go to prey at : : your tomb when you are dead." It seems to me : : that it would be more comon to say "grave" instead : : of "tomb," but by saying "tomb" it reminds me of : : things like "Grant's Tomb" and the Tomb of the : : unknown soldier. Preying at a tomb seems to entail : : more of a feeling of veneration than just saying : : "grave." : : hth : : Pjk : Pjk; : Your take on the word "tomb" instead of "grave" is interesting. I like to imagine that much of what happens in this story really happened during the late 1932 drive to Piggott that EH made with 9-year old Bumby who lived with his mother in France. EH was still dealing with his father's suicide, and this was his first use of it in his writing. If I'm right, what is uncanny is EH's ability to blend all of it so well into such a tight short-story. If I'm right, the man was ever writing, ever fashioning his musings into stories. If I'm right, young Bumby's first language would have been French, and his use of "tomb" in English a natural substitution, and the impact you point out would not be lost on EH. : EdG

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