To pass over grief, they say, the Italian sleeps; the Frenchman sings; the German drinks; the Spaniard laments, and the Englishman goes to plays. What then does the Scot?' To Jerott's mind sprang, unbidden, a picture of the sword Archie Abernethy was trying to clean at this moment below. 'This one,' he said, 'kills.
"To pass over grief, people from different nations cope in various ways: the Italian sleeps, the Frenchman sings, the German drinks, the Spaniard laments, and the Englishman goes to plays. This highlights cultural differences in handling sorrow."
Jerott's thoughts then unexpectedly turned to Archie Abernethy's sword, which he was cleaning. He associated it with violence, thinking, "This one kills," reflecting on how weapons symbolize death and perhaps how different cultures or individuals deal with grief and violence."
