diff --git a/pyreadline/console/console.py b/pyreadline/console/console.py
index b944254..562dc21 100644
--- a/pyreadline/console/console.py
+++ b/pyreadline/console/console.py
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ import re
 from pyreadline.logger import log,log_sock
 
 try:
-    # I developed this with ctypes 0.6
     from ctypes import *
     from _ctypes import call_function
 except ImportError:
@@ -116,6 +115,13 @@ class CONSOLE_CURSOR_INFO(Structure):
     _fields_ = [("dwSize", c_int),
                 ("bVisible", c_byte)]
 
+consolecodepage=sys.stdout.encoding
+def ensure_text(text):
+    """helper to ensure that text passed to WriteConsoleA is ascii"""
+    if isinstance(text, unicode):
+        return text.encode(consolecodepage,"replace")
+    return text
+
 # I didn't want to have to individually import these so I made a list, they are
 # added to the Console class later in this file.
 
@@ -347,7 +353,7 @@ class Console(object):
             if attr is None:
                 attr = self.attr
             self.SetConsoleTextAttribute(self.hout, attr)
-            self.WriteConsoleA(self.hout, chunk, len(chunk), byref(junk), None)
+            self.WriteConsoleA(self.hout, ensure_text(chunk), len(chunk), byref(junk), None)
         return n
 
     def write_color(self, text, attr=None):
@@ -357,7 +363,7 @@ class Console(object):
             log(str(attr))
             log(str(chunk))
             self.SetConsoleTextAttribute(self.hout, attr.winattr)
-            self.WriteConsoleA(self.hout, chunk, len(chunk), byref(junk), None)
+            self.WriteConsoleA(self.hout, ensure_text(chunk), len(chunk), byref(junk), None)
         return n
 
 
@@ -368,7 +374,7 @@ class Console(object):
             attr = self.attr
         n = c_int(0)
         self.SetConsoleTextAttribute(self.hout, attr)
-        self.WriteConsoleA(self.hout, text, len(text), byref(n), None)
+        self.WriteConsoleA(self.hout, ensure_text(chunk), len(chunk), byref(junk), None)
         return len(text)
 
     # make this class look like a file object
diff --git a/pyreadline/modes/basemode.py b/pyreadline/modes/basemode.py
index 6ec17dd..aaa7642 100644
--- a/pyreadline/modes/basemode.py
+++ b/pyreadline/modes/basemode.py
@@ -58,6 +58,8 @@ class BaseMode(object):
     show_all_if_ambiguous=property(*_gs("show_all_if_ambiguous"))
     mark_directories=property(*_gs("mark_directories"))
     completer=property(*_gs("completer"))
+    begidx=property(*_gs("begidx"))
+    endidx=property(*_gs("endidx"))
     
     console=property(_g("console"))
     insert_text=property(_g("insert_text"))
diff --git a/pyreadline/release.py b/pyreadline/release.py
index df18c1f..f3c7026 100644
--- a/pyreadline/release.py
+++ b/pyreadline/release.py
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ name = 'pyreadline'
 
 branch = 'refactor'
 
-version = 'refactor'
+version = '1.4.svn'
 
 revision = '$Revision$'