Famous poetic line – fixed word choice: complete the quotation from Gray's Elegy. Base sentence: "The paths of glory lead _____ to the grave." Instruction: Recall the exact prepositional/adverbial word used in the canonical line. Final instruction: Choose the option that reproduces the original phrasing.

Given data

• We must complete a well-known line from Thomas Gray's Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard.

Concept/Approach
The exact line is "The paths of glory lead but to the grave." Here but functions as an adverb meaning "only."

Option analysis
but — correct and idiomatic in the historical quotation. ✅straight / directly — alter the meaning and are not in the source text. ❌in — wrong word class for this slot. ❌

Final Answer
but