Chapter 23 of At the Crossroads is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of At the Crossroads is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days. Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations. Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy. He had paid a debt, God knew. Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
Chapter 23 of At the Crossroads is here in full — 296 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
the quality of conforming to standards of propriety and morality
From this reading “Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.”
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading “But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.”
vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain
From this reading “Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.”
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading “Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.”
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading “Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations.”
plural of “revelation” — the speech act of making something evident
From this reading “Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations.”
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading “Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations.”
concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually
From this reading “Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.”
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.
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 He had paid a debt, God knew.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
in a childlike manner
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
the condition of being susceptible to harm or injury
From this reading Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
the state of owing something (especially money)
From this reading He had paid a debt, God knew.
the quality of conforming to standards of propriety and morality
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
causing dejection
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
of high moral or intellectual value; elevated in nature or style
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
vulnerability to the elements; to the action of heat or cold or wind or rain
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions
From this reading He had paid a debt, God knew.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
capable of arousing and holding the attention
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had paid a debt, God knew.
enjoying or showing or marked by joy or pleasure
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had paid a debt, God knew.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
the act of retaining something
From this reading Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations.
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 had paid a debt, God knew.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers
From this reading Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations.
full of or showing high-spirited merriment
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
a particular point in time
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading He had paid a debt, God knew.
clearly revealed to the mind or the senses or judgment
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
plural of “revelation” — the speech act of making something evident
From this reading Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations.
past form of “rouse” — become active
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
struck with fear, dread, or consternation
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
(of muscles) relieved of stiffness by stretching
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
From this reading Days holding subtle danger and marvellous revelations.
concerned with or comprehending only what is apparent or obvious; not deep or penetrating emotionally or intellectually
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
the outer boundary of an artifact or a material layer constituting or resembling such a boundary
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But beyond that exalted moment stretched the plain, drear days.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Shocked by the Maclin exposure, he had been roused to decency and purpose as he had never been before.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Larry, with his superficial gripping of surface things, grew merry and childishly happy.
Chapter 23 of At the Crossroads by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock holds 296 sentences, grouped into 60 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 296 sentences of At the Crossroads, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of At the Crossroads by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 296 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 At the Crossroads by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7315 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30095 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #30095, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1463 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through At the Crossroads section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of At the Crossroads 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 At the Crossroads, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
