‘These things happen,’ he began vaguely. ‘I have been able to recall one instance – a possible instance. It was an indiscretion, undoubtedly. We were producing a definitive edition of the poems of Kipling. I allowed the word "God" to remain at the end of a line. I could not help it!’ he added almost indignantly, raising his face to look at Winston. ‘It was impossible to change the line. The rhyme was "rod". Do you realise that there are only twelve rhymes to "rod" in the entire language? For days I had racked my brains. There was no other rhyme.’