Chapter 17 of A Strange Story — Complete is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of A Strange Story — Complete is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Let me recall it--softly,--softly! Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall. It was evening, at the close of summer. The sun had set, the twilight was lingering still. We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
Chapter 17 of A Strange Story — Complete is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading “We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.”
pleasant-smelling
From this reading “We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.”
the act of tarrying
From this reading “The sun had set, the twilight was lingering still.”
of communal life sequestered from the world under religious vows
From this reading “We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.”
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading “Let me recall it--softly,--softly!”
with low volume
From this reading “Let me recall it--softly,--softly!”
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading “Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “The sun had set, the twilight was lingering still.”
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 Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading It was evening, at the close of summer.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading It was evening, at the close of summer.
neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
pleasant-smelling
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The sun had set, the twilight was lingering still.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Let me recall it--softly,--softly!
immediately past
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading Let me recall it--softly,--softly!
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
the act of tarrying
From this reading The sun had set, the twilight was lingering still.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Let me recall it--softly,--softly!
of communal life sequestered from the world under religious vows
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading It was evening, at the close of summer.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
recall knowledge from memory; have a recollection
From this reading Let me recall it--softly,--softly!
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading The sun had set, the twilight was lingering still.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
with low volume
From this reading Let me recall it--softly,--softly!
characterized by good substantial quality
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
depleted of energy, force, or strength
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
not in physical motion
From this reading The sun had set, the twilight was lingering still.
the warmest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the summer solstice to the autumnal equinox
From this reading It was evening, at the close of summer.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading The sun had set, the twilight was lingering still.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading The sun had set, the twilight was lingering still.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was evening, at the close of summer.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were in the old monastic garden,--garden so quiet, so cool, so fragrant.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Let me recall that evening spent with her!--that evening, the last before darkness rose between us like a solid wall.
Chapter 17 of A Strange Story — Complete by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton holds 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 17 holds 249 sentences of A Strange Story — Complete, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of A Strange Story — Complete by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 17 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 Strange Story — Complete by Edward Bulwer Lytton, Baron Lytton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7802 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7701 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7701, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1561 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Strange Story — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of A Strange Story — Complete 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 Strange Story — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
