Chapter 16 of A bitter reckoning is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of A bitter reckoning is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
IN A TRAP. All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears. She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words. She knew that there was no hope of escape for her. All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
Chapter 16 of A bitter reckoning is here in full — 89 sentences across 18 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/17 · 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.
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading “All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.”
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading “She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading “She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.”
plural of “speech” — the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading “All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.”
having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
From this reading “She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.”
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading “IN A TRAP.”
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading “She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.”
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading “All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.”
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 “She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.”
In this reading “She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.”
run away from confinement
In this reading “All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?”
In this reading “All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?”
In this reading “IN A TRAP.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading IN A TRAP.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
(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 All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
Having no one else present.
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
from appearances alone
From this reading All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
plural of “ear” — the sense organ for hearing and equilibrium
From this reading All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
the act of escaping physically
From this reading She knew that there was no hope of escape for her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading She knew that there was no hope of escape for her.
the trees and other plants in a large densely wooded area
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
a unit of magnetomotive force equal to 0.7958 ampere-turns
From this reading All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She knew that there was no hope of escape for her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
a specific instance of feeling hopeful
From this reading She knew that there was no hope of escape for her.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading IN A TRAP.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading She knew that there was no hope of escape for her.
departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
not any; not one
From this reading She knew that there was no hope of escape for her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
plural of “speech” — the act of delivering a formal spoken communication to an audience
From this reading All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
having or revealing little emotion or sensibility; not easily aroused or excited
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading She knew that there was no hope of escape for her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She knew that there was no hope of escape for her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
a device in which something (usually an animal) can be caught and penned
From this reading IN A TRAP.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
the main stem of a tree; usually covered with bark; the bole is usually the part that is commercially useful for lumber
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She knew that there was no hope of escape for her.
serving no useful purpose; having no excuse for being
From this reading All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading All Gilbert Warrington’s speeches were apparently wasted upon Violet’s ears.
in the company of; together with
From this reading All alone with him in the forest at that hour, how could she hope to get away from him?
the words that are spoken
From this reading She stood leaning against the trunk of the tree listening in stolid silence to his words.
Chapter 16 of A bitter reckoning by E. Burke, Mrs. Collins holds 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 16 holds 89 sentences of A bitter reckoning, unabridged, divided into 18 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of A bitter reckoning by E. Burke, Mrs. Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 89 sentences, grouped into 18 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 18 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 18 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 16 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 bitter reckoning by E. Burke, Mrs. Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3618 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70139 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #70139, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 301 minutes of reading across 724 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A bitter reckoning section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of A bitter reckoning 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 bitter reckoning, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
