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A Fortunate Term
A Fortunate Term

Chapter III

Cover illustration for A Fortunate Term
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.
She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.
Jessop did not need any telling.
It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.
The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

A Fortunate Term

Chapter III

Reading 1/42 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.
Line 2
She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.
Line 3
Jessop did not need any telling.
Line 4
It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.
Line 5
The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.”

Hazy adjective US /ˈheɪzi/

unclear or blurred, especially from drink

From this reading “She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.”

Need noun US /need/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Jessop did not need any telling.”

Never noun US /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.”

Sure noun US /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.”

All words in this reading · 84

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

adventure

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

any

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

arranged

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

basket-chairs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

bedroom

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

bookcase

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

bound

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

Boys

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

daughters

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

dear

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

delicious

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading Jessop did not need any telling.

dining-room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

Favourite

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

frightened

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

full

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

general

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

girls

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

great-nieces

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

hazyadjectiveUS /ˈheɪzi/

unclear or blurred, especially from drink

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

iced

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

indeed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

Jessop

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

just

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

kind

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

lady

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

making

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.

Mavis

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

Merle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

Mrs

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

neednounUS /need/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Jessop did not need any telling.

nervous

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

nevernounUS /never/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

nick

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Jessop did not need any telling.

notion

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

old

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

own

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

Paper

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

plateful

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.

propriety

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

put

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

rather

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

satisfy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

School

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

schoolgirls

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

sense

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.

soda-cake

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.

surenounUS /sure/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

table

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

tales

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

telling

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Jessop did not need any telling.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

toffee

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

treacle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The iced soda-cake was of her making, and so was the plateful of delicious treacle toffee.

Tremayne's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

tried

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

two

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

very

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

volumes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.

walked

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The School Favourite Mavis and Merle walked into the dining-room just in the nick of time to satisfy Mrs. Tremayne's sense of propriety.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading She was a dear, nervous, old lady, who had never had any daughters of her own, and had rather a hazy notion of girls in general, and was indeed a little frightened of schoolgirls; but she tried to be very kind to her great-nieces, and had told Jessop to be sure and look after them.

window

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading It was she who had arranged their bedroom, and had put the little table in the window, and the two basket-chairs, and the bookcase full of tales of adventure and bound volumes of _The Boys' Own Paper_.