Queen For a Day

I've just recently realized that I am influenced in my speech by whatever book I happen to be reading at the time. The diction, the dialect, the writing style, it all apparently has a subtle affect on me. For instance, I'm currently 365 pages into Queen Of This Realm, which is a work of historical fiction that is written as if it were the memoirs of Queen Elizabeth the 1st. It's great and I am thoroughly enjoying it, but that is beside the point.

The point is that as I was reading a bed-time book to my boys the other day I said something that made me do a double-take. I forget what book it was -- maybe Mother Goose, or Where the Wild Things Are -- but it was making them laugh. That laughter turned into them standing up on the bed and belly flopping back down onto the mattress. (It doesn't take much to distract them....) In my frustration with them I said, rather sharply, "BOYS! Shall I stop reading?!?" And there it was. My double-take. Shall? Did I just say "Shall?" I can't even imagine when was the last time I used that word in any sort of conversation -- but it occured to me that the Queen "shall's" all over the place. (Perhaps I even used a slight English accent.....) By the time I am done with this book, my discipline will go something like this: "My lords! If you do not stop this insolent behavior at once I shall conclude my reading immediately!" Or maybe "Pray you do not disobey me again or you shall be sent to the Tower with great haste! Surely such wise gentlemen as yourselves understand that should you not come to your senses shortly and obey my commands, you shall find yourselves on the rack!"