Chapter 2 of A Bevy of Girls is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Bevy of Girls is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"But why cannot you go, my dear child? You must go." "It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing. Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe. Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
Chapter 2 of A Bevy of Girls is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
to come or go into
From this reading “Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.”
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “"It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing.”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."”
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading “Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.”
a domesticated animal kept for companionship or amusement
From this reading “Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."”
participate in games or sport
From this reading “Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."”
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading “Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.”
a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court
From this reading “Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."”
In this reading “"But why cannot you go, my dear child?”
In this reading “Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.”
(rugby) knocking the ball forward while trying to catch it (a foul)
In this reading “Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "But why cannot you go, my dear child?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "But why cannot you go, my dear child?
a young person of either sex
From this reading "But why cannot you go, my dear child?
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
dearly loved
From this reading "But why cannot you go, my dear child?
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing.
to come or go into
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "But why cannot you go, my dear child?
the act of departing
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading "It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing.
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "It is impossible, mother, and it is all Marcia's doing.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You must go."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "But why cannot you go, my dear child?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
and nothing more
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
used when we are both doing the action and receiving it
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
by chance
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
a domesticated animal kept for companionship or amusement
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
participate in games or sport
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
free from danger or the risk of harm
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
a game played with rackets by two or four players who hit a ball back and forth over a net that divides the court
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
at the time that
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "But why cannot you go, my dear child?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Nesta, poor pet, was going to play tennis with the Fortescues, but everything is knocked on the head now."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Our only fear was that perhaps Marcia would not come; but when she did enter the house we did feel ourselves safe.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "But why cannot you go, my dear child?
Chapter 2 of A Bevy of Girls by L. T. Meade holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 404 sentences of A Bevy of Girls, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Bevy of Girls by L. T. Meade exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Bevy of Girls by L. T. Meade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43118 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43118, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 503 minutes of reading across 1209 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Bevy of Girls section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of A Bevy of Girls to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Bevy of Girls, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
