Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
At Love's Cost
At Love's Cost

Chapter III

Cover illustration for At Love's Cost
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.
In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.
It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.
In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.
A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

At Love's Cost

Chapter III

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.
Line 2
In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.
Line 3
It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.
Line 4
In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.
Line 5
A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.”

Broken noun US /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.”

Cruel adjective US /ˈkruːəl/

causing pain or showing no kindness

From this reading “In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.”

Handsome noun US /ˈhandsome/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.”

Several noun US /ˈseveral/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.”

Told noun US /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.”

All words in this reading · 82

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

admiration

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

From this reading Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.

air

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

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

antique

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

any

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

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

askew

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.

blistered

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

brokennounUS /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

capital

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

clawlike

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

cracked

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

crueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/

causing pain or showing no kindness

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

crumbled

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

desolation

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

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

distinctness

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

door

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

evidently

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

full

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

grandeur

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

grim

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

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

hand

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

handsomenounUS /ˈhandsome/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

InprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

landlord

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

light

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.

made

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

many

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

means

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

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

mingled

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

From this reading Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.

moonlight

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

neglect

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

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

only

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

paint

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

pathos

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

pillars

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

pity

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

From this reading Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.

place

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

portico

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

ravages

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

realised

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

ruin

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

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

several

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

showed

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

solitude

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

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

sound

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

Stafford

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

From this reading Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

stone-work

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

story

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

sun

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

there

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

TimenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

toldnounUS /told/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading In the light of the story the landlord had told him he realised the full pathos of its antique grandeur.

touched

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

two

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

up

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

vast

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was not a ruin by any means: but it was grim with the air of neglect, of desolation, of solitude.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.

windows

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Stafford looked at it with admiration mingled with pity.

wood-work

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

From this reading In two only, of the many windows, was there any light; there was no sound of life about the vast place; and the moonlight showed up with cruel distinctness the ravages made in stone-work and wood-work by the clawlike hand of Time.

years

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

From this reading A capital of one of the pillars of the still handsome portico had crumbled, several of the pillars were broken and askew; the great door was blistered and cracked by the sun; evidently no paint had touched the place for years.