Q: CHAPTER XIX. WOOING IN THE DARK.

You may put out my eyes with a ballad-maker's pen, and hang me up for the sign of blind Cupid.--_Much Ado About Nothing_.

Aurelia had been walking in the park with her two remaining charges, when a bespattered messenger was seen riding up to the door, and Letitia dropped her hoop in her curiosity and excitement.

Lady Belamour, on obtaining the Major's partial acquiescence, had felt herself no longer obliged to vegetate at Carminster, but had started for Bath, while the roads were still practicable; and had at the same time sent off a courier with letters to Bowstead. Kind Mrs. Dove had sent a little packet to each of the children, but they found Cousin Aura's sympathy grievously and unwontedly lacking, and she at last replied to their repeated calls to here to share their delight, that they must run away, and display their treasures to Molly and Jumbo. She must read her letters alone.

The first she had opened was Betty's, telling her of her father's illness, which was attributed in great part to the distress and perplexity caused by Lady Belamour's proposal. Had it not been for this indisposition, both father and sister would have come to judge for themselves before entertaining it for a moment; but since the journey was impossible, he could only desire Betty to assure her sister that no constraint should be put on her, and that if she felt the least repugnance to the match, she need not consider her obliged to submit. More followed about the religious duty of full consideration and prayer before deciding on what would fix her destiny for life, but all was so confusing to the girl, entirely unprepared as she was, that after hastily glancing on in search of an explanation which she failed to find, she laid it aside, and opened the other letter. It began imperially

1. Betty's
2. her father's illness
3. Lady Belamour's proposal.
4. he and sister would have come
5. he could only desire Betty to assure her sister that no constraint should be put on her,
6. That she need not consider herself obliged to submit to the match.
7. no
8. she laid the letter aside
9. Aurelia
10. no
11. to the door
12. Letitia
13. dropped her hoop
14. his partial acquiescence
15. Carminster
16. vegetating
17. Bath
18. practicable
19. with letters
20. no
21. to share their delight

Numbered questions:
1. Which correspondence did the woman open first?
2. what did it describe?
3. what did Betty say was causing it?
4. If he had been well, what would happen?
5. but because he couldn't come?
6. what else?
7. was she helped by the talk of prayer?
8. so what did she do?
9. who had been walking in the park?
10. was the messenger clean?
11. where did he take his message?
12. who was excited?
13. what did she do?
14. what doid the major give?
15. that let the lady move from where?
16. what had she been doing there?
17. where was she headed?
18. how were the roads?
19. how did she contact Bowstead
20. did the kids like their cousin?
21. what did they want to do?

Q: The Norman conquest of England was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army of Norman, Breton, and French soldiers led by Duke William II of Normandy, later styled as William the Conqueror.

William's claim to the English throne derived from his familial relationship with the childless Anglo-Saxon King Edward the Confessor, who may have encouraged William's hopes for the throne. Edward died in January 1066 and was succeeded by his brother-in-law Harold Godwinson. The Norwegian king Harald Hardrada invaded northern England in September 1066 and was victorious at the Battle of Fulford, but Harold defeated and killed him at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on 25 September. Within days, William landed in southern England. Harold marched south to confront him, leaving a significant portion of his army in the north. Harold's army confronted William's invaders on 14 October at the Battle of Hastings; William's force defeated Harold, who was killed in the engagement.

Although William's main rivals were gone, he still faced rebellions over the following years and was not secure on his throne until after 1072. The lands of the resisting English elite were confiscated; some of the elite fled into exile. To control his new kingdom, William granted lands to his followers and built castles commanding military strongpoints throughout the land. Other effects of the conquest included the court and government, the introduction of the Norman language as the language of the elites, and changes in the composition of the upper classes, as William enfeoffed lands to be held directly from the king. More gradual changes affected the agricultural classes and village life: the main change appears to have been the formal elimination of slavery, which may or may not have been linked to the invasion. There was little alteration in the structure of government, as the new Norman administrators took over many of the forms of Anglo-Saxon government.

1. Duke William II of Normandy
2. William the Conqueror
3. unknown
4. he had a familial relationship with the childless Anglo-Saxon King Edward
5. January 1066
6. yes
7. Harold Godwinson
8. unknown
9. on 25 September. Within days afther that
10. no
11. he still faced rebellions over the following years and was not secure on his throne until after 1072
12. William granted lands to his followers and built castles commanding military strongpoints throughout the land.
13. no
14. the Norman language
15. no

Numbered questions:
1. Who was the leader?
2. Did he have a nickname?
3. Who was his dad?
4. Did he have a dad-like figure?
5. When did Ed die?
6. Did the leader fight with one of Ed's relatives?
7. Who?
8. How was he related?
9. When did they fight?
10. Was the leader totally safe on his seat of power?
11. Why not?
12. How did he get things in order?
13. Did he greatly increase the number of slaves?
14. What became the most exclusive type of speech?
15. Did the form of the governing party become a lot different?

Q: (CNN) -- Woody Allen famously said that 80% of success in life is about just showing up. He's wrong. Success in life -- as in diplomacy -- is about showing up at the right time. So Is John Kerry coming to the Israeli-Hamas crisis too early, too late or just at the right time?

The secretary of state has been eager to get into the middle of this almost since it started. He considered going last weekend from Vienna, Austria, where he had joined five other world powers in negotiations with Iran on the nuclear deal. But he smartly decided -- or was discouraged by the Egyptians who were in the middle of their own cease-fire mediation -- not to go.

Still, the rising number of deaths primarily on the Palestinian side and the real danger of escalation of a ground incursion left him little choice. Regardless of the outcome, after Syria and Iraq, both President Barack Obama and Kerry realized that the United States couldn't sit on the sidelines like a potted plant.

Kerry arrives in Israel

Moreover, Kerry's hot mic comments showing his irritation at Israel's supposed "pinpoint" airstrikes in Gaza revealed a good deal more frustration than simply a desire to collect more frequent flier miles. Kerry is an activist and simply couldn't abide the fact that people were dying and the United States wasn't at least trying to stop it.

But desire and passion won't produce a deal. Kerry proved that in his nine-month effort to negotiate an agreed framework for peace between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

1. yes
2. nine months
3. Israel and Hamas
4. Benjamin Netanyahu
5. Mahmoud Abbas
6. John kerry
7. work on the Israeli-Hamas crisis
8. the Egyptions
9. Woody Allen
10. 80%
11. yes

Numbered questions:
1. did Kerry make comments on a "hot" mic?
2. how long was his effort to negotiate a framework for peace?
3. who was he trying to broker peace between?
4. who is the leader of Israel?
5. and who is the leader of Palestine?
6. who is the secretary of state?
7. what has he been eager to do?
8. who discouraged him from going?
9. what famous actor is mentioned?
10. how much of life does he think is just showing up?
11. is the death toll rising on the palestinian side?