[basil ransome-davies]

Hi Susan –

'Toward' is one of many English words that can be pronounced/scanned as two syllables or elided to one. I'm white trash myself, but I generally say 'tward' (and 'forrid', for that matter and I incorrectly tend to pronounce 'decade' as an iam thanks to bloody Auden's use of it as an end-rhyme with 'afraid'). At any rate, you don't have a problem with the scansion and Lucy is sophisticated enough to understand that sheer plonking metronomic regularity is no special virtue. 'Driving at a tree' suggests a degree of intentionality (though you may, ah, intend this in a wry fashion, as in a subconscious wish).

Roger – a neat riff on what the French call 'staircase wit'.


Bazza