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A Sheaf of Bluebells
A Sheaf of Bluebells

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of A Sheaf of Bluebells is here in full — 372 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for A Sheaf of Bluebells
Context Illustration Reading 1/74 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.
She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.
The rain was coming down in torrents.
Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.
But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.
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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 Sheaf of Bluebells

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of A Sheaf of Bluebells is here in full — 372 sentences across 75 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/74 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.
Line 2
She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.
Line 3
The rain was coming down in torrents.
/ðə reɪn wɑːz ˈkʌmɪŋ daʊn ɪn ˈtɔːrənts/
Line 4
Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.
Line 5
But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.
/bʌt ðɪs wɑːz nɑːt ðə taɪm tuː θɪŋk ʌv wet ənd koʊld ʌv helθ ɔːr ʌv ˈpruːdəns/

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.

boudoir noun US /ˈbuːdɔɪr/

a lady's bedroom or private sitting room

From this reading “AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
buried adjective US /ˈberid/

placed in a grave

From this reading “She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
drenched adjective US /drentʃt/

abundantly covered or supplied with; often used in combination

From this reading “Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
folded verb US /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading “She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
midnight noun US /ˈmɪdnaɪt/

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

From this reading “AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
prudence noun US /ˈpruːdəns/

discretion in practical affairs

From this reading “But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
skin noun US /skɪn/

a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch

From this reading “Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
torrents noun US /ˈtɔːrənts/

plural of “torrent” — a heavy rain

From this reading “The rain was coming down in torrents.”

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.

hands folded noun + noun counted as “hands fold”

In this reading “She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.”

1,352 times in 426,211 chapters
way home noun + noun

In this reading “Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.”

10,441 times in 426,211 chapters
in torrents preposition + noun counted as “in torrent”

In this reading “The rain was coming down in torrents.”

1,734 times in 426,211 chapters
think of verb + particle

keep in mind for attention or consideration

In this reading “But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.”

152,298 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 57

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.

AFTERprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
boudoirnounUS /ˈbuːdɔɪr/

a lady's bedroom or private sitting room

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
buriedadjectiveUS /ˈberid/

placed in a grave

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
comingnounUS /ˈkʌmɪŋ/

the act of drawing spatially closer to something

From this reading The rain was coming down in torrents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading The rain was coming down in torrents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
drenchedadjectiveUS /drentʃt/

abundantly covered or supplied with; often used in combination

From this reading Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Fernande

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

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Pending verification
foldedverbUS /ˈfoʊldəd/

past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

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

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

From this reading Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
healthnounUS /helθ/

a healthy state of wellbeing free from disease

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
kneesnounUS /niːz/

plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lanounUS /lɑː/

a white soft metallic element that tarnishes readily; occurs in rare earth minerals and is usually classified as a rare earth

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MadamenounUS /ˈmædəm/

title used for a married Frenchwoman

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Marquise's

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

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Pending verification
midnightnounUS /ˈmɪdnaɪt/

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

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
prudencenounUS /ˈpruːdəns/

discretion in practical affairs

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rainnounUS /reɪn/

water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere

From this reading The rain was coming down in torrents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
skinnounUS /skɪn/

a natural protective body covering and site of the sense of touch

From this reading Fernande herself, on her way home, had been drenched to the skin.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
STORMverbUS /stɔːrm/

behave violently, as if in state of a great anger

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stretchedadjectiveUS /stretʃt/

(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
torrentsnounUS /ˈtɔːrənts/

plural of “torrent” — a heavy rain

From this reading The rain was coming down in torrents.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
waynounUS /weɪ/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wetadjectiveUS /wet/

covered or soaked with a liquid such as water

From this reading But this was not the time to think of wet and cold, of health or of prudence.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading AFTER THE STORM I It was close upon midnight when Fernande made her way to Madame la Marquise's boudoir.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
window-sill

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

From this reading She found her there, on her knees still, her hands folded and stretched out over the window-sill, her head buried in her arms.

Pending verification

Chapter 24 of A Sheaf of Bluebells by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy holds 372 sentences, grouped into 75 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 24 of A Sheaf of Bluebells contain?

Chapter 24 holds 372 sentences of A Sheaf of Bluebells, unabridged, divided into 75 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 24 of A Sheaf of Bluebells by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 372 sentences, grouped into 75 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 24 of A Sheaf of Bluebells?

Work through the 75 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 75 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 24 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 24 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 Sheaf of Bluebells

Common questions about reading A Sheaf of Bluebells by Emmuska Orczy, Baroness Orczy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of A Sheaf of Bluebells?

Yes. All 5282 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57774 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of A Sheaf of Bluebells is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #57774, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does A Sheaf of Bluebells take to read?

About 440 minutes of reading across 1057 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read A Sheaf of Bluebells section by section

How to work through A Sheaf of Bluebells section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of A Sheaf of Bluebells to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in A Sheaf of Bluebells

Words and structures a reader meets early in A Sheaf of Bluebells, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Baroness
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Sheaf of Bluebells; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Orczy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Sheaf of Bluebells; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Sheaf of Bluebells; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Scarlet
A word that appears in the opening chapter of A Sheaf of Bluebells; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.