Chapter 21 of An imperial lover is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of An imperial lover is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NAJINE. MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence. What miracle was this? In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained. Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
Chapter 21 of An imperial lover is here in full — 160 sentences across 32 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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 its true character concealed with the intent of misleading
From this reading “In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.”
an aggressive and violent young criminal
From this reading “Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.”
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading “Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.”
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading “What miracle was this?”
done under pressure
From this reading “In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.”
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading “Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.”
support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway
From this reading “In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.”
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading “Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.”
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 “Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.”
In this reading “MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.”
In this reading “In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.”
In this reading “In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.”
throw back with a quick, light motion
In this reading “Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.”
In this reading “In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.”
pile up (debts or scores)
In this reading “Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.”
In this reading “MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.”
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 Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
the two together, not just one
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
having its true character concealed with the intent of misleading
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
every one of two or more people or things, taken separately
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
the feeling of lively and cheerful joy
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
an aggressive and violent young criminal
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
title used for a married Frenchwoman
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
any amazing or wonderful occurrence
From this reading What miracle was this?
a particular point in time
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NAJINE.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
inflected form of “run” — move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
done under pressure
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
support consisting of a place to rest the foot while ascending or descending a stairway
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading MADAME DE BROUSSON and I stood looking at each other in silence.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
in or at that place or location
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading What miracle was this?
-ing form of “throw” — propel through the air
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
soiled from travel
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What miracle was this?
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What miracle was this?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mademoiselle ran up to me, and, throwing back her hood, showed a pale face and eyes shining with excitement.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading In another moment there were steps upon the stair, and Najine rushed into the room followed by her woman, both of them cloaked and travel-stained.
Chapter 21 of An imperial lover by Mary Imlay Taylor holds 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 21 holds 160 sentences of An imperial lover, unabridged, divided into 32 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of An imperial lover by Mary Imlay Taylor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 160 sentences, grouped into 32 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 32 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 32 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 21 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 An imperial lover by Mary Imlay Taylor on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4329 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #72814 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #72814, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 360 minutes of reading across 866 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through An imperial lover section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of An imperial lover 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 An imperial lover, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
