Chapter 9 of A Top-Floor Idyl is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of A Top-Floor Idyl is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet. She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me. "It has done him ever so much good," she declared. "See how splendidly he looks now. Tell me, why are you so kind to me?"
Chapter 9 of A Top-Floor Idyl is here in full — 207 sentences across 42 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/41 · 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 very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading “I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.”
in an effusive manner
From this reading “She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.”
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading “I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.”
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading “She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.”
provided with artificial light
From this reading “I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.”
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading “She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.”
plural of “rumor” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading “I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.”
extremely well
From this reading “"See how splendidly he looks now.”
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 “I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.”
In this reading “I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.”
In this reading “She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.”
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.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
later than; following
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Tell me, why are you so kind to me?"
a very young child (birth to 1 year) who has not yet begun to walk or talk
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
made known or openly avowed
From this reading "It has done him ever so much good," she declared.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading "It has done him ever so much good," she declared.
in an effusive manner
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
at any time
From this reading "It has done him ever so much good," she declared.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
plural of “france” — a republic in western Europe; the largest country wholly in Europe
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "It has done him ever so much good," she declared.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It has done him ever so much good," she declared.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "See how splendidly he looks now.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "See how splendidly he looks now.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It has done him ever so much good," she declared.
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading Tell me, why are you so kind to me?"
past form of “kiss” — touch with the lips or press the lips (against someone's mouth or other body part) as an expression of love, greeting, etc.
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
provided with artificial light
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading "See how splendidly he looks now.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
to a great degree or extent
From this reading "It has done him ever so much good," she declared.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "See how splendidly he looks now.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
United States feminist (1885-1977)
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
plural of “rumor” — gossip (usually a mixture of truth and untruth) passed around by word of mouth
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "See how splendidly he looks now.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "It has done him ever so much good," she declared.
extremely well
From this reading "See how splendidly he looks now.
express in words
From this reading Tell me, why are you so kind to me?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
the upper part of anything
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
at the time that
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading She kissed Baby Paul effusively, and placed him on the bed, after which she turned to me.
during the time that
From this reading I HEAR RUMORS ABOUT GORDON When we reached the top floor, Frances took the baby from me, while I lit her gas-jet.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Tell me, why are you so kind to me?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Tell me, why are you so kind to me?"
Chapter 9 of A Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick holds 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 9 holds 207 sentences of A Top-Floor Idyl, unabridged, divided into 42 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of A Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 207 sentences, grouped into 42 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 42 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 42 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 9 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 Top-Floor Idyl by George Van Schaick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5186 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33218 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33218, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 432 minutes of reading across 1038 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Top-Floor Idyl section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of A Top-Floor Idyl 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 Top-Floor Idyl, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
