Q: Peggy Hilt wanted to be a good mother. But day after day, she got out of bed feeling like a failure. No matter what she tried, she couldn't connect with Nina, the 2-year -old girl she'd adopted from Russia as an infant . The preschooler pulled away whenever Hilt tried to hug or kiss her. Nina was physically aggressive with her 4-year-old sister, who had been adopted from Ukraine, and had violent tantrums . Whenever Hilt wasn't watching, she destroyed the family's furniture and possessions. "Every day with Nina had become a struggle," she recalls now.

As the girl grew older, things got worse. Hilt fell into a deep depression. She started drinking heavily, something she'd never done before. Ashamed, she hid her problem from everyone, including her husband.

On the morning of July 1, 2005, Hilt was packing for a family vocation, all the while swallowing one beer after another and growing increasingly angry and impatient with Nina's deeds. "Everything she did just got to me," Hilt said. When Hilt caught her reaching into her diaper and smearing feces on the walls and furniture, "a year and a half of frustration came to a head," Hilt says. "I snapped . I felt this uncontrollable rage."

Then Hilt did something unthinkable. She grabbed Nina around the neck, shook her and then dropped her to the floor, where she kicked her repeatedly before dragging her up to her room, punching her as they went. "I had never hit a child before," she says. "I felt horrible and promised myself that this would never happen again." But _ . Nina woke up with a fever, and then started throwing up. The next day she stopped breathing. By the time the ambulance got the child to the hospital, she was dead.

Hilt is now serving a 19-year sentence for second-degree murder in a Virginia prison. She and her husband divorced, and he is raising their other daughter. She realizes the horror of her crime and says she isn't looking for sympathy. "There is no punishment severe enough for what I did," she told NEWSWEEK in an interview at the prison.

1. family vocation
2. Hilt was packing
3. morning

Numbered questions:
1. When did this event take place?
2. Who was packing for it?
3. What time of day was it?

Q: CHAPTER XL.

HOW HEREWARD BEGAN TO GET HIS SOUL'S PRICE.

And now behold Hereward at home again, fat with the wages of sin, and not knowing that they are death.

He is once more "Dominus de Brunune cum Marisco," (Lord of Bourne with the fen), "with all returns and liberties and all other things adjacent to the same vill which are now held as a barony from the Lord King of England." He has a fair young wife, and with her farms and manors, even richer than his own. He is still young, hearty, wise by experience, high in the king's favor, and deservedly so.

Why should he not begin life again?

Why not? Unless it be true that the wages of sin are, not a new life, but death.

And yet he has his troubles. Hardly a Norman knight or baron round but has a blood-feud against him, for a kinsman slain. Sir Aswart, Thorold the abbot's man, was not likely to forgive him for turning him out of the three Mainthorpe manors, which he had comfortably held for two years past, and sending him back to lounge in the abbot's hall at Peterborough, without a yard of land he could call his own. Sir Ascelin was not likely to forgive him for marrying Alftruda, whom he had intended to marry himself. Ivo Taillebois was not likely to forgive him for existing within a hundred miles of Spalding, any more than the wolf would forgive the lamb for fouling the water below him. Beside, had he (Ivo) not married Hereward's niece? and what more grievous offence could Hereward commit, than to be her uncle, reminding Ivo of his own low birth by his nobility, and too likely to take Lucia's part, whenever it should please Ivo to beat or kick her? Only "Gilbert of Ghent," the pious and illustrious earl, sent messages of congratulation and friendship to Hereward, it being his custom to sail with the wind, and worship the rising sun--till it should decline again.

1. sin
2. Thorold
3. Sir yes
4. two years
5. Ivo Taillebois
6. Gilbert of Ghent
7. high in the king's favor yes he was
8. the pious and illustrious earl yes he was
9. Why should he not begin life again yes
10. Hardly a Norman knight or baron round but has a blood-feud against him

Numbered questions:
1. was Hereward burdened with sin?
2. Who was the abbots man?
3. Whas he knighted?
4. How long had he stayed in the Manors which he was thrown out of?
5. Who would be upset with him just for existing within a hundred miles of him?
6. Who was the only one to send messages of congratulation and friendship to Hereward?
7. was Hereward high in the kings favor?
8. Was Gilbet of ghent considered pious and illustrious?
9. Was hereward questioning his life and trying to give things rationel?
10. Were there lots of people disguntled or in blood fued with him?

Q: CHAPTER XXVII

DAN BAXTER'S REPENTANCE

The three Rover boys could scarcely believe their senses. Here they were once more in full possession of the _Mermaid_ so far as the deck and cabin were concerned--and those who had sought to make them prisoners were prisoners themselves.

"This is where the biter got bit," remarked Tom. "Say, I feel so good I could almost dance."

"Sack Todd got shot," said Dick. "I'd like to know if it is serious."

"Well, I am not very sorry for him," said Sam. "He's a thoroughly bad egg."

"We want to make certain of Dan Baxter," went on the eldest Rover. "He may fool Hans."

They walked toward the cabin and ran down the companionway. At the lower doorway they paused and then Tom grinned.

On one side of the room was Dan Baxter with his hands in the air. On the other side was Hans, with a pistol in each hand.

"Ton't dare to mofe," Hans was saying. "Of you do I vos put oxactly fourteen shots into your poty, ain't it!"

"I am not moving," grumbled Baxter. "Didn't I tell you I am sick of the whole thing, Dutchy? I don't want to fight, or anything."

"Tan Paxter, you chust remember dot old saying, beoples vot lif in glass houses ton't got no right to tell fish stories," answered Hans, gravely.

"Hans, that's a good one!" roared Tom, coming forward. "Say, you're a whole regiment in yourself, ain't you?"

"Yah, I vos so goot like ten or sefenteen soljers, alretty!" answered the German youth, proudly. "Paxter, he ton't got avay from me, not much!"

1. Three
2. A boat
3. The Mermaid
4. Rover
5. Toward the cabin
6. Yes
7. down the companionway
8. At the lower doorway
9. Tom
10. A man with his hands in the air
11. Dan Baxter
12. A man with pistols
13. Hans
14. Stand still
15. Shoot him
16. 14

Numbered questions:
1. How many boys were there?
2. What did they have?
3. What was it's name?
4. What was the boy's surname?
5. Where did they walk?
6. Did they speed up?
7. Where?
8. Where did they stop?
9. Who smiled?
10. What did they see in the room?
11. What was his name?
12. What was opposite of him?
13. Named?
14. What did he tell Dan to do?
15. Or he would do what?
16. How many times?