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A Lost Cause
A Lost Cause

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of A Lost Cause is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Guy Thorne • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for A Lost Cause
Context Illustration Reading 1/42 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.
King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.
Both men were smoking.
By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.
The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Lost Cause

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of A Lost Cause is here in full — 211 sentences across 43 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.
Line 2
King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.
Line 3
Both men were smoking.
/boʊθ men wɜːr ˈsmoʊkɪŋ/
Line 4
By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.
Line 5
The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

Learner Dictionary

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.

candles noun US /ˈkændəlz/

plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle

From this reading “The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
conference noun US /ˈkɑːnfərəns/

a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)

From this reading “A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contented adjective US /kənˈtentəd/

satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are

From this reading “By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
modest adjective US /ˈmɑːdəst/

marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself

From this reading “By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
peg noun US /peɡ/

a wooden pin pushed or driven into a surface

From this reading “By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Stephens noun US /ˈstiːvənz/

plural of “stephen” — English writer (1832-1904)

From this reading “King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
vicar noun US /ˈvɪkər/

a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman

From this reading “King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whiskey noun US /ˈwɪski/

a liquor made from fermented mash of grain

From this reading “By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

PRIVATE CONFERENCE adjective + noun

In this reading “A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.”

311 times in 426,212 chapters
AT MIDNIGHT preposition + noun

In this reading “A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.”

8,043 times in 426,212 chapters
at night preposition + noun

In this reading “A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.”

45,941 times in 426,212 chapters
By the side preposition + article + noun counted as “by … side”

In this reading “By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.”

13,987 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 60

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Blantyre's

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

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

Pending verification
BothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Both men were smoking.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ByprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
candlesnounUS /ˈkændəlz/

plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
churchwardennoun

an officer in the Episcopal church who helps a parish priest with secular matters

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CONFERENCEnounUS /ˈkɑːnfərəns/

a prearranged meeting for consultation or exchange of information or discussion (especially one with a formal agenda)

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contentedadjectiveUS /kənˈtentəd/

satisfied or showing satisfaction with things as they are

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doctornounUS /ˈdɑːktər/

a licensed medical practitioner

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Dr

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

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

Pending verification
facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FathernounUS /ˈfɑːðər/

a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
glassnounUS /ɡlæs/

a brittle transparent solid with irregular atomic structure

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Hibbert

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

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

Pending verification
himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Hornham

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

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

Pending verification
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
KingnounUS /kɪŋ/

a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lateadjectiveUS /leɪt/

being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
LATERadverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lightedadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪtəd/

set afire or burning

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mennounUS /men/

the force of workers available

From this reading Both men were smoking.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MIDNIGHTnounUS /ˈmɪdnaɪt/

12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
modestadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːdəst/

marked by simplicity; having a humble opinion of yourself

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
pegnounUS /peɡ/

a wooden pin pushed or driven into a surface

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
priestnounUS /priːst/

a clergyman in Christian churches who has the authority to perform or administer various religious rites; one of the Holy Orders

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PRIVATEadjectiveUS /ˈpraɪvət/

confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
showedverbUS /ʃoʊd/

past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
smokingnounUS /ˈsmoʊkɪŋ/

the act of smoking tobacco or other substances

From this reading Both men were smoking.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
soda-water

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

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

Pending verification
StephensnounUS /ˈstiːvənz/

plural of “stephen” — English writer (1832-1904)

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

Velmora curated lexicon
studynounUS /ˈstʌdi/

a detailed critical inspection

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
vicarnounUS /ˈvɪkər/

a Roman Catholic priest who acts for another higher-ranking clergyman

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wearyverbUS /ˈwɪri/

exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Both men were smoking.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whiskeynounUS /ˈwɪski/

a liquor made from fermented mash of grain

From this reading By the side of the doctor stood a modest peg of whiskey; the priest contented himself with a glass of soda-water.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading King and Stephens had gone to bed, but the vicar sat with Dr. Hibbert, his churchwarden.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wornverbUS /wɔːrn/

Damaged or thinned by continuous use.

From this reading The candles by which the room was lighted showed that Mr. Blantyre's face was very worn and weary.

Velmora curated lexicon
YEARnounUS /jɪr/

a period of time containing 365 (or 366) days

From this reading A PRIVATE CONFERENCE AT MIDNIGHT A YEAR LATER It was late at night in Father Blantyre's study at Hornham.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 8 of A Lost Cause by Guy Thorne holds 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

What does chapter 8 of A Lost Cause contain?

Chapter 8 holds 211 sentences of A Lost Cause, unabridged, divided into 43 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of A Lost Cause by Guy Thorne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 211 sentences, grouped into 43 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of A Lost Cause?

Work through the 43 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 43 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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.

Questions about reading A Lost Cause

Common questions about reading A Lost Cause by Guy Thorne on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Lost Cause?

Yes. All 3796 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40539 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Lost Cause is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #40539, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Lost Cause take to read?

About 316 minutes of reading across 760 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Lost Cause section by section

How to work through A Lost Cause section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in A Lost Cause

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Lost Cause, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lost Cause; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Words
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lost Cause; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Necessary
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lost Cause; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Preface
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Lost Cause; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.