Q: CHAPTER XIII

Four men were discussing the verdict at the adjourned inquest upon Victor Bidlake, at Soto's American Bar about a fortnight later. They were Robert Fairfax, a young actor in musical comedy, Peter Jacks, a cinema producer, Gerald Morse, a dress designer, and Sidney Voss, a musical composer and librettist, all habitues of the place and members of the little circle towards which the dead man had seemed, during the last few weeks of his life, to have become attracted. At a table a short distance away, Francis Ledsam was seated with a cocktail and a dish of almonds before him. He seemed to be studying an evening paper and to be taking but the scantiest notice of the conversation at the bar.

"It just shows," Peter Jacks declared, "that crime is the easiest game in the world. Given a reasonable amount of intelligence, and a murderer's business is about as simple as a sandwich-man's."

"The police," Gerald Morse, a pale-faced, anaemic-looking youth, declared, "rely upon two things, circumstantial evidence and motive. In the present case there is no circumstantial evidence, and as to motive, poor old Victor was too big a fool to have an enemy in the world."

Sidney Voss, who was up for the Sheridan Club and had once been there, glanced respectfully across at Francis.

"You ought to know something about crime and criminals, Mr. Ledsam," he said. "Have you any theory about the affair?"

Francis set down the glass from which he had been drinking, and, folding up the evening paper, laid it by the side of him.

1. Victor Bidlake
2. about a fortnight
3. at Soto's American Bar
4. Robert Fairfax
5. he was a young actor in musical comedy,
6. Peter Jacks
7. he was a cinema producer
8. he stated that crime is the easiest game in the world
9. Gerald Morse
10. no
11. a dress designer
12. Sidney Voss
13. he was a musical composer
14. Francis Ledsam
15. a dish of almonds
16. reading an evening paper
17. yes
18. Sidney Voss
19. if he had any theory about the affair
20. yes

Numbered questions:
1. Who was accused of a crime?
2. How long ago was the inquest?
3. Where was it being discussed?
4. Who was someone in the conversation?
5. What was his profession?
6. Who else?
7. What did he do?
8. What did he have to say about it?
9. Who else was in the conversation?
10. Did he think the man was guilty?
11. What was his profession?
12. Who else was talking about it?
13. What did he do for a living?
14. Who else was sitting close by?
15. What was he eating?
16. What was he doing?
17. Did anyone talk to him?
18. Who?
19. What did he ask him?
20. Was the dead man a friend?

Q: Catalan (/ktln/; autonym: catala [ktla] or [katala]) is a Romance language named for its origins in Catalonia, in what is northeastern Spain and adjoining parts of France. It is the national and only official language of Andorra, and a co-official language of the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands, and Valencia (where the language is known as Valencian, and there exist regional standards). It also has semi-official status in the city of Alghero on the Italian island of Sardinia. It is also spoken with no official recognition in parts of the Spanish autonomous communities of Aragon (La Franja) and Murcia (Carche), and in the historic French region of Roussillon/Northern Catalonia, roughly equivalent to the department of Pyrenees-Orientales.

According to the Statistical Institute of Catalonia in 2008 the Catalan language is the second most commonly used in Catalonia, after Spanish, as a native or self-defining language. The Generalitat of Catalunya spends part of its annual budget on the promotion of the use of Catalan in Catalonia and in other territories.

1. a Romance language named for its origins in Catalonia
2. in northeastern Spain and adjoining parts of France
3. unknown
4. yes
5. Catalonia
6. unknown

Numbered questions:
1. What is Catalan?
2. Where is Catalonia?
3. It is tough to learn?
4. Is it common?
5. Where did it start?
6. Is it similar to other languages?

Q: Donna Ashlock, a 14-year-old girl from California, was very sick. She had a bad heart. "Donna needs a new heart," her doctor said, "she must have a new heart, or she will die soon." Felipe Carza, 15, was worried about Donna. Felipe was Donna's friend. He liked Donna very much. He liked her freckles, and he liked her smile. Felipe didn't want Donna to die. Felipe talked to his mother about Donna. "I am going to die," Felipe told his mother, "and I am going to give my heat to Donna." Felipe's mother didn't pay much attention to Felipe. "Felipe is just kidding," she thought, "Felipe is not going to die. He's strong and healthy." But Felipe was not healthy. He had terrible headaches sometimes. "my head hurts," he often told his friends. Felipe never told his parents about his headaches. One morning Felipe woke up with a sharp pain in his head. He was dizzy , and he couldn't breathe. His parents rushed Felipe to the hospital. Doctors at the hospital had terrible news for them. "Felipe' s brain is dead," the doctors said, "we can't save him." The parents were very sad. But they remembered Felipe's words. "Felipe wanted to give his heart to Donna," they told the doctors. The doctors did several tests. Then they told the parents, "we can give Felipe's heart to Donna." The doctors took out Felipe's heart and rushed the heart to Donna. Other doctors took out Donna's heart and put Felipe's heart in her chest. In a short time the heart began to beat. The operation was a success. Felipe's heart was beating in Donna's chest, but Donna didn't know it. Her parents and doctors didn't tell her. They waited until she was stronger; then they told her about Felipe. "I feel very sad," Donna said, "but I am thankful to Felipe." Three months later the operation Donna went back to school. She has to have regular checkups, and she has to take medicine every day. But she is living a normal life. Felipe's brother John says, "Every time we see Donna, we think of Felipe. She has Felipe's heart in her. That gives us great peace."

1. Donna Ashlock
2. California
3. no
4. a new heart
5. Felipe
6. 15
7. headaches
8. brain was dead
9. his heart
10. no
11. two
12. yes
13. John
14. no
15. unknown
16. no
17. freckles
18. smile
19. no
20. mother

Numbered questions:
1. Who is the girl who is sick?
2. Where is she from?
3. Does she need a new liver?
4. What does she need?
5. Who was her friend?
6. How old was he?
7. What was wrong with him?
8. What did they find out was the cause?
9. What did he gift to his sick buddy?
10. Was the surgery unsuccessful?
11. How many things does she have to do now to stay healthy?
12. Did her buddy have a sibling?
13. Was was his name?
14. Did she understand whose organ she had received at first?
15. Did her buddy have any other siblings other than the one?
16. Was her gift-giver fond of her laugh?
17. What did he like?
18. Anything else?
19. Did he talk to his father about it?
20. Who did he talk to?