Page:Freud - Psychopathology of everyday life.djvu/62

Psychopathology of Everyday Life name except Caltanisetta, which is surely not correct.&rdquo;

&ldquo;No,&rdquo; said the younger, &ldquo;the name begins with, or contains, a w.&rdquo; &ldquo;But the Italian language contains no w,&rdquo; retorted the elder.

&ldquo;I really meant a v, and I said w because I am accustomed to interchange them in my mother tongue.&rdquo;

The elder, however, objected to the v. He added: &ldquo;I believe that I have already forgotten many of the Sicilian names. Suppose we try to find out. For example, what is the name of the place situated on a height which was called Enna in antiquity?&rdquo; &ldquo;Oh, I know that: Castrogiovanni.&rdquo; In the next moment the younger man discovered the lost name. He cried out &lsquo;Castelvetrano&rsquo;, and was pleased to be able to demonstrate the supposed v. For a moment the elder still lacked the feeling of recognition, but after he accepted the name he was able to state why it had escaped him. He thought: &ldquo;Obviously because the second half, vetrano, suggests veteran. I am aware that I am not quite anxious to think of ageing, and react peculiarly when I am reminded of it. Thus, e.g., I had recently reminded a very esteemed friend in most unmistakable terms that he had &lsquo;long ago passed the years of youth.&rsquo; because before this he once remarked in the most flattering manner, 50