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A Noble Name
A Noble Name

Chapter XXXI

Cover illustration for A Noble Name
Context Illustration Reading 1/68 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE TRUTH AT LAST.
This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.
Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.
Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.
At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.
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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 Noble Name

Chapter XXXI

Reading 1/68 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE TRUTH AT LAST.
Line 2
This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.
Line 3
Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.
Line 4
Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.
Line 5
At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

Learner Dictionary

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

Afternoon noun US /ˈafternoon/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.”

Although noun US /ˈalthough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.”

Around preposition US /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading “Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.”

LAST noun US /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “THE TRUTH AT LAST.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.”

Save preposition US /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading “At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.”

Wind noun US /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.”

All words in this reading · 83

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 This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

afternoonnounUS /ˈafternoon/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

alike

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

all

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

also

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

althoughnounUS /ˈalthough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

ATprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading THE TRUTH AT LAST.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

blaze

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

brighter

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

brother

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

burning

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

chimney

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

Christmas

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

clock

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

Conversation

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

crash

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

day

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

Doenninghausen

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

drawing-room

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

fire

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

followed

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

giving

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

halted

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

heard

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

Hedwig

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

Hildegard

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

howling

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

Johann

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

knew

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

LASTnounUS /last/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading THE TRUTH AT LAST.

Leopold

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

log

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

loneliness

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

more

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

now

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

occupied

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

old

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

omitting

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

only

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

possessed

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

pretext

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

saveprepositionUS /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

send

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

sensation

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

shower

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

shrank

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

sister

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

sitting

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

sparks

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE TRUTH AT LAST.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

then

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

thoughts

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

three

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

Thus

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

ticking

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

TRUTH

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

From this reading THE TRUTH AT LAST.

up

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

utterance

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

visit

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Conversation halted more and more, for although the thoughts of all three were occupied alike, and all knew that this was so, they shrank from giving utterance to the sensation of loneliness that possessed them.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

windnounUS /wind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Thus on the afternoon of Christmas day only the old brother and sister, with Johann Leopold, were sitting around the fire in the drawing-room.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading At last nothing was heard save the howling of the wind, the ticking of the clock, and the crash now and then of a burning log, which would send a shower of sparks up the chimney, and be followed by a brighter blaze.

year

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

From this reading This year also Hildegard and Hedwig found a pretext for omitting the Christmas visit to Doenninghausen.