Chapter 14 of A Prince of Dreamers is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of A Prince of Dreamers is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel. Time dwindles! Fate will cut the thread Sleep dead! Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal. Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
Chapter 14 of A Prince of Dreamers is here in full — 200 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
having a back or backing, usually of a specified type
From this reading “Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.”
third-person singular of “dwindle” — become smaller or lose substance
From this reading “Time dwindles!”
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading “Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.”
possessive form of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading “Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.”
walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading “Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.”
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading “Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.”
a momentary flash of light
From this reading “Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.”
creating thread
From this reading “Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.”
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 “Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.”
In this reading “Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.”
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.
anew
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
having a back or backing, usually of a specified type
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading Fate will cut the thread Sleep dead!
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading Fate will cut the thread Sleep dead!
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
third-person singular of “dwindle” — become smaller or lose substance
From this reading Time dwindles!
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading Fate will cut the thread Sleep dead!
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
material resulting from the process of grinding
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
sing with closed lips
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
a light, self-propelled movement upwards or forwards
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
possessive form of “life” — a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
walk as if unable to control one's movements
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Fate will cut the thread Sleep dead!
a momentary flash of light
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
creating thread
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Fate will cut the thread Sleep dead!
to move or cause to move in a sinuous, spiral, or circular course
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
the starting point for a new state or experience
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading Time dwindles!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Birbal paused on Atma's threshold listening to her deep voice backed by the burring hum of her spinning wheel, and as he listened he shivered.
a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
change directions as if revolving on a pivot
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
make a soft swishing sound
From this reading Whirr spindles on my rushing reel Leap thread from out my fingers feel.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading Fate will cut the thread Sleep dead!
misery resulting from affliction
From this reading Before her grinding wheel Kindles life's spark again for woe or weal.
Chapter 14 of A Prince of Dreamers by Flora Annie Webster Steel holds 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 14 holds 200 sentences of A Prince of Dreamers, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of A Prince of Dreamers by Flora Annie Webster Steel exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 200 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 14 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 Prince of Dreamers by Flora Annie Webster Steel on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6552 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39810 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39810, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 546 minutes of reading across 1311 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Prince of Dreamers section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of A Prince of Dreamers 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 Prince of Dreamers, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
