question: CHAPTER IV. 

VACILLATION. 

When the spring-time came, Sir Harry Hotspur with his wife and daughter, went up to London. During the last season the house in Bruton Street had been empty. He and his wife were then mourning their lost son, and there was no place for the gaiety of London in their lives. Sir Harry was still thinking of his great loss. He was always thinking of the boy who was gone, who had been the apple of his eye, his one great treasure, the only human being in the world whose superior importance to his own he had been ready, in his heart of hearts, to admit; but it was needful that the outer signs of sorrow should be laid aside, and Emily Hotspur was taken up to London, in order that she might be suited with a husband. That, in truth, was the reason of their going. Neither Sir Harry nor Lady Elizabeth would have cared to leave Cumberland had there been no such cause. They would have been altogether content to remain at home had Emily been obedient enough in the winter to accept the hand of the suitor proposed for her. 

The house was opened in Bruton Street, and Lord Alfred came to see them. So also did Cousin George. There was no reason why Cousin George should not come. Indeed, had he not done so, he must have been the most ungracious of cousins. He came, and found Lady Elizabeth and Emily at home. Emily told him that they were always there to receive visitors on Sundays after morning church, and then he came again. She had made no such communication to Lord Alfred, but then perhaps it would have been hardly natural that she should have done so. Lady Elizabeth, in a note which she had occasion to write to Lord Alfred, did tell him of her custom on a Sunday afternoon; but Lord Alfred took no such immediate advantage of the offer as did Cousin George. 
1. Where did Sir Harry Hotspur go?
2. When?
3. Who went along with him?
4. Which house was empty?
5. When?
6. Who died at that time?
7. Was he always remembering him?
8. Did he love him much?
9. Where Emily was taken?
10. For what reason?
11. Was that the reason they all were going?
12. Otherwise where they would have stayed?
13. Did she accept the earlier suitor?
14. When that happened?
15. Who came to visit them there?
16. Who else?
17. When they wanted to accept guests?
18. At what time?
19. Did George revisit them?
20. Did Lord Alfred do the same?
21. Who wrote him letter about Sunday custom?
****
answer: 1. London
2. in spring
3. his wife and daughter
4. house in Bruton Street
5. last season
6. their son
7. yes
8. yes
9. London
10. be suited with a husband
11. yes
12. at home
13. no
14. in the winter
15. Lord Alfred
16. Cousin George
17. on Sundays
18. after morning church
19. yes
20. no
21. Lady Elizabeth


question: Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200years ago. He studied the observations of comets which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems. 

However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton. Who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought he had already which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse. 

Now Halley set to work. He figured out the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientist. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607 and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart. 

This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again. 

It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley's prediction could be tested. 

In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet been called Halley's comet, in his honor.
1. Who was Edmund Halley?
2. Of what nationality?
3. How long ago did he live?
4. What did he study?
5. What could he not figure out?
6. Who was Halley's friend?
7. Who was he?
8. What years did the comet appear?
9. Did they all have the same orbit?
10. How many years apart were they?
11. What did Halley predict?
12. In what year?
13. Did the comet appear?
14. Was he alive to see it?
15. What was the name of the comet?
16. How many years did it take for the comet to come back?
17. Did other scientists try to figure it out?
18. Were they successful?
19. What shape did the comet's orbit have?
20. Who figured that out?
****
answer:
1. a scientist
2. English
3. more than 200 years ago
4. comets
5. the orbit of a particular comet
6. Isaac Newton
7. a methematician
8. 1531, 1607 and 1682
9. yes
10. 75 t o76
11. the comet would come back
12. 1758
13. yes
14. no
15. Halley's comet
16. 76 years
17. yes
18. no
19. ellipse
20. Newton