Chapter 23 of A Spirit in Prison is here in full — 650 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of A Spirit in Prison is here in full — 650 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois. He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not. Long ago he had striven against a fate. With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now. But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.
Chapter 23 of A Spirit in Prison is here in full — 650 sentences across 130 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/130 · 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.
a former province of northern France near the English Channel (between Picardy and Flanders)
From this reading “The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.”
past form of “conquer” — bring under control by force or authority
From this reading “With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.”
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading “But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.”
of or relating to fatalism
From this reading “He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.”
past form of “linger” — remain present although waning or gradually dying
From this reading “The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.”
in addition to what has just been said
From this reading “He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.”
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading “The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.”
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading “Long ago he had striven against a fate.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Long ago he had striven against a fate.
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading Long ago he had striven against a fate.
in the past
From this reading Long ago he had striven against a fate.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
a former province of northern France near the English Channel (between Picardy and Flanders)
From this reading The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.
past form of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.
past form of “conquer” — bring under control by force or authority
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
of or relating to fatalism
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading Long ago he had striven against a fate.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Long ago he had striven against a fate.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
past form of “linger” — remain present although waning or gradually dying
From this reading The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading Long ago he had striven against a fate.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
in addition to what has just been said
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.
and nothing more
From this reading But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
denoting or characteristic of countries of the Far East
From this reading The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
inflected form of “strive” — attempt by employing effort
From this reading Long ago he had striven against a fate.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.
up to a particular time
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading He was by nature more fatalistic than Hermione, and moreover he knew what she did not.
used to introduce two or more possibilities
From this reading But now he asked himself whether he had not only delayed its coming.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With the help of Gaspare he had conquered it--or so he had believed till now.
the words that are spoken
From this reading The words of the old Oriental lingered in the mind of Artois.
Chapter 23 of A Spirit in Prison by Robert Hichens holds 650 sentences, grouped into 130 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 23 holds 650 sentences of A Spirit in Prison, unabridged, divided into 130 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of A Spirit in Prison by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 650 sentences, grouped into 130 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 130 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 130 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 23 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 Spirit in Prison by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 15677 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2994 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2994, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3136 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Spirit in Prison section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of A Spirit in Prison 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 Spirit in Prison, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
