Q: CHAPTER XXIII

THE HAVERLEY FINANCES AND MRS. ROBINSON

"It bothers the head off of me," said Molly Tooney to Mike, as she sat eating her supper in the Cobhurst kitchen, "to try to foind out what thim two upstairs is loike, anyway, 'specially her. I've been here nigh onto two weeks, now, and I don't know her no betther than when I fust come. For the life of me I can't make out whether she's a gal woman or a woman gal. Sometimes she's one and sometimes t'other. And then there's he. Why didn't he marry and settle before he took a house to himself? And in the two Sundays I've been here, nather of thim's been to church. If they knowed what was becomin' to thim, they'd behave like Christians, if they are heretics."

Mike sat at a little table in the corner of the kitchen with his back to Molly, eating his supper. He had enough of the Southern negro in him to make him dislike to eat with white people or to turn his face toward anybody while partaking of his meals. But he also had enough of a son of Erin in him to make him willing to talk whenever he had a chance. Turning his head a little, he asked, "Now look a here, Molly; if a man's a heretic, how can he be a Christian?"

"There's two kinds of heretics," said Molly, filling her great tea-cup for the fourth time, and holding the teapot so that the last drop of the strong decoction should trickle into the cup; "Christian heretics and haythen heretics. You're one of the last koind yoursilf, Mike, for you never go nigh a church, except to whitewash the walls of it. And you'll never git no benefit to your own sowl, from Phoebe's boardin' the minister, nather. Take my word for that, Mike."

Answer the following questions:
1. Where did Mike sit?
2. What is the place like?
3. Was there anyone else?
4. Who?
5. What he was doing?
6. What geographical location influenced him?
7. Is he presumably a black person?
8. Did he like eating with white folks?
9. Does it seem Molly is white?
10. But does he like to talk if he gets a chance?
11. From whom he got that habit?
12. Did he eventually talk to her?
13. Did he question a person's belief if that person was a heretic?
14. Which specific belief system he was talking about?
15. According to her how many types of heretics are there?
16. What are they?
17. What category she put him in?
18. Did he ever go to the church?
19. For what reason?
20. Did he ever say his prayer there?
A: 1. at a little table
2. kitchen
3. yes
4. Molly
5. eating
6. South
7. Southern negro in him
8. no
9. yes
10. yes
11. his father
12. yes
13. yes
14. Christianity
15. two
16. Christian heretics and haythen heretics
17. haythen heretics
18. yes
19. to whitewash the walls
20. no
Q: I had to knock on the taxi to get his attention.Finally,the driver,a man about 60,looked up from behind the wheel and apologized,"I'm sorry,but I was reading a letter." He sounded as if he had a cold or a cough.

Since I was in no hurry,I told him to finish his letter.He shook his head,explaining that he had already read it several times and almost knew it by heart.Curious,I asked whether it was from a child or maybe a grandchild."This isn't family,"he replied."though he might just as well have been a regular member of the family.Old Ed and I grew up together."

They were always friends.But since he moved away from the neighborhood 30 years ago,it'd generally just been postcards at Christmas time between them.A couple of weeks ago,Ed died."I should have kept in touch." He repeated this,more to himself than to me.To comfort him,I said sometimes we just didn't seem to find the time."But we used to find the time," he said."Take a look." He handed the letter over to me.

The first sentence "I've been meaning to write for some time,but I've always delayed it." reminded me of myself.It went on to say that he often thought about the good times they had had together.When I read the part where it said "Your friendship really means a lot to me,more than I can say because I'm not good at saying things like that",I found myself nodding in agreement.

We had gone several kilometers and were almost at my hotel, so I read the last paragraph: "So I thought you'd like to know that I was thinking of you." And it was ended with "Your Old Friend, Tom."

"I thought your friend's name was Ed," I said.

"I'm Tom," he explained. "It's a letter I wrote to Ed before I knew he'd died. I never put it in the mailbox. I guess I should have written it sooner." His face was pale as he wiped his eyes with a handkerchief.

When I got to my hotel room I didn't unpack right away.I had to write a letter and post it.

Answer the following questions:
1. Why was the cab driver preoccupied?
2. How long had it been since Tom had seen Ed?
A: 1. reading a letter
2. 30 years
Q: CHAPTER XXXVI

Norgate set down the telephone receiver and turned to Anna, who was seated in an easy-chair by his side.

"Selingman is down-stairs," he announced. "I rather expected I should see something of him as I didn't go to the club this afternoon. You won't mind if he comes up?"

"The man is a nuisance," Anna declared, with a little grimace. "I was perfectly happy, Francis, sitting here before the open window and looking out at the lights in that cool, violet gulf of darkness. I believe that in another minute I should have said something to you absolutely ravishing. Then your telephone rings and back one comes to earth again!"

Norgate smiled as he held her hand in his.

"We will get rid of him quickly, dearest," he promised.

There was a knock at the door, and Selingman entered, his face wreathed in smiles. He was wearing a long dinner coat and a flowing black tie. He held out both his hands.

"So this is the great news that has kept you away from us!" he exclaimed. "My congratulations, Norgate. You can never say again that the luck has left you. Baroness, may I take advantage of my slight acquaintance to express my sincere wishes for your happiness?"

They wheeled up a chair for him, and Norgate produced some cigars. The night was close. They were on the seventh story, overlooking the river, and a pleasant breeze stole every now and then into the room.

"You are well placed here," Selingman declared. "Myself, I too like to be high up."

Answer the following questions:
1. Whose hand did Norgate hold?
2. What is his first name?
3. Who does Anna find annoying?
4. What was his attire when he came into the room?
5. What does Norgate pull out when they are seated?
6. What level of the building are they in?
7. Is Selingman happy with that?
8. How soon is Anna assured he will be there?
9. What snapped Anna out of her gazing at the scenery?
10. What does Selingman call Anna?
11. What was Seligman's attitude when he knocked on the door?
A:
1. Anna
2. Francis
3. Selingman
4. long dinner coat and a flowing black tie
5. cigars
6. seventh story
7. Yes
8. quickly
9. telephone rings
10. a nuisance
11. Happy