The child wanted to name the rabbit Actually, and could not be dissuaded from this.
It was the first time one of our pets was named after an adverb.
It made us uncomfortable. We thought it to be bad luck.
But no ill befell any of us nor did any ill befall the people who visited our home.
Everything proceeded beautifully, in fact, until Actually died.
“
Now landed on some spangled shore
Awhile each dazled maniac roves
By saphire lakes, thro’ em’rald groves,
Paternal acres please no more;
Adieu the simple, the sincere delight —
Th’ habitual scene of hill and dale,
The rural herds, the vernal gale,
The tangled vetch’s purple bloom,
The fragrance of the bean’s perfume
“
William Shenstone | Rural Elegance