CHAPTER X

LORD TONY

I

A quarter of an hour later citizen-commandant Fleury was at last ushered into the presence of the proconsul and received upon his truly innocent head the full torrent of the despot's wrath. But Martin-Roget had listened to the counsels of prudence: for obvious reasons he desired to avoid any personal contact for the moment with Carrier, whom fear of the English spies had made into a more abject and more craven tyrant than ever before. At the same time he thought it wisest to try and pacify the brute by sending him the ten thousand francs--the bribe agreed upon for his help in the undertaking which had culminated in such a disastrous failure.

At the self-same hour whilst Carrier--fuming and swearing--was for the hundredth time uttering that furious "How?" which for the hundredth time had remained unanswered, two men were taking leave of one another at the small postern gate which gives on the cemetery of St. Anne. The taller and younger one of the two had just dropped a heavy purse into the hand of the other. The latter stooped and kissed the kindly hand.

"Milor," he said, "I swear to you most solemnly that M. le duc de Kernogan will rest in peace in hallowed ground. M. le cure de Vertou--ah! he is a saint and a brave man, milor--comes over whenever he can prudently do so and reads the offices for the dead--over those who have died as Christians, and there is a piece of consecrated ground out here in the open which those fiends of Terrorists have not discovered yet." What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. How long was it before Fleury was ushered into the presence of the proconsul?
2. Who did Martin-Roget wish to avoid?
3. What was sworn to Milor?
4. What did English spies make Carrier out to be?
5. What did one of the two men at the gate drop into the other's hand?
6. WHat did Martin Roget think it wisest to do?
7. Was the francs considered a bribe?
8. For what?
9. Did Carrier think fondly of M. le duc de Kernogan?
10. What was it the Terroists hadn't discovered yet?
Answer: 1. A quarter of an hour
2. Carrier
3. that M. le duc de Kernogan will rest in peace in hallowed ground
4. a more abject and more craven tyrant than ever before
5. a heavy purse
6. try and pacify the brute by sending him the ten thousand francs
7. yes
8. his help in the undertaking
9. no
10. a piece of consecrated ground out in the open

When the swim season began, my 11-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, and I cut a deal. She would go to practice three times a week and try really hard, and I wouldn't make her compete in the swim meets because on the day of a meet, she would be nervous all day. Her nerves rooted from the possibility that she would do something horribly wrong and let everyone down.

Recently, they had a T-shirt relay, which works like this: one person from each relay team puts on a T-shirt and a pair of socks, swims 50 meters, and gets out of the pool. She takes off the clothes and puts them on the next person, who then swims 50 meters. This continues until everyone on the team has completed a lap.

By the last leg, Elizabeth's team had built up a moderate lead. Then it was Elizabeth's turn to swim. She seemed to swim faster in the T-shirt and socks than when she wasn't wearing them.

Approaching the halfway mark, she was still in the lead. Then one of Elizabeth's socks fell off and was floating in the pool. "She has to get that sock on before the end of the race," a swimming official told her team, "or you will be disqualified."

Everybody on her team started screaming, "Elizabeth! Elizabeth! Stop! Get the sock!" But she couldn't hear them. As she started her last 25 meters, a girl in Lane 2 was gaining on Elizabeth. It was time for desperate measures. A girl on my daughter's team jumped in the pool, grabbed the sock, and swam after Elizabeth. She grabbed Elizabeth's foot. "You have to put the sock on," the girl screamed. Elizabeth continued swimming while her teammate put on the sock.

By now, the girl in Lane 2 was about to pass Elizabeth. With the sock finally on, Elizabeth swam her heart out for the last 15 meters. It was close, but Elizabeth beat the other girl to the wall for the victory.

On the ride home, she relived her moment of glory again and again. She told me that if the T-shirt relay was an Olympic event, her team would win the gold medal. I told her that in my professional opinion, she was absolutely right. What are the answers to this following set of questions: 1. who is the story about?
2. what is the daughters name?
3. what fell off and floated?
4. did she have to wear it?
5. what would happen if not?
6. according to who?
7. what did they have to remove?
8. how long did they have to swim in them?
9. what is the race called?
10. could she hear her mates?
11. what were they shouting?
12. how old is she?
13. did she win?
14. did she put the sock on?
15. who did?
16. how much did she have to swim finally?
17. what happens to her on meet day?
18. how many times per week was she to go?
19. did she swim better with clothes on?
20. who nearly beat her?
Answer:
1. a parent and their daughter
2. Elizabeth
3. a sock
4. yes
5. she would be disqualified
6. a swimming official
7. T-shirt and a pair of socks
8. 50 meters
9. T-shirt relay
10. no
11. Stop! Get the sock!
12. 11
13. yes
14. no
15. her teammate
16. 15 meters
17. she would be nervous
18. Three
19. yes
20. a girl in Lane 2