D. I was ramble nude——
R. You may say “stroll” instead of “ramble”; I am not particular! Or “saunter.” All these are better words than “walk” or “promenade”; they are more adapted for poetic uses. That is why I chose “dredge” instead of “labor”; it sounds less common. You see what come of knowing one’s vocables.
D. Drudge; not dredge. I was ramble nude. This is appalling. I mean to preserve that document as a pièce justificative. There may be some trouble, you know, about the way you have spent your time out here. Ramble nude—God Almighty! Why, the poet means to say that he walked, that he was born, naked into this world; don’t you see?
R. Ça se peut bien. In that case, he was perhaps not the first. There is nothing very original in baby-poets being born naked. Now if he had worn a felt hat on that occasion——
D. This is hardly the moment, is it? Your English, I must insist on telling you, leaves a great deal to be desired. And I should like to ask: what are we going to do about it?
R. If the baby-poet had suddenly come to light, wearing that London hat of yours ... ah, the doctor’s explanations——!
D. Laugh away. There will be a nude finish. You will never pass the test.
R. And why not? Only a camel would bother to learn all those useless idioms. I was always first in our English class at college. I knew more than the profs, and they were high-class people.
D. Was you ramble nude there?