Chapter 23 of Barlasch of the Guard is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of Barlasch of the Guard is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends. Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing. It was Sebastian's knock. His hours had been less regular of late. He came and went without explanation.
Chapter 23 of Barlasch of the Guard is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
of short duration or distance
From this reading “Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.”
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading “But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “He came and went without explanation.”
producing no result or effect
From this reading “Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.”
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.”
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading “But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.”
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading “His hours had been less regular of late.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.”
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 Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He came and went without explanation.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading His hours had been less regular of late.
of short duration or distance
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading He came and went without explanation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
plural of “end” — either extremity of something that has length
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading He came and went without explanation.
an event (or a course of events) that will inevitably happen in the future
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
producing no result or effect
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His hours had been less regular of late.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He came and went without explanation.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His hours had been less regular of late.
a period of time assigned for work
From this reading His hours had been less regular of late.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Sebastian's knock.
undertake a journey or trip
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
being or occurring at an advanced period of time or after a usual or expected time
From this reading His hours had been less regular of late.
used to form the comparative of some adjectives and adverbs
From this reading His hours had been less regular of late.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
plural of “make” — a recognizable kind
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
a small reddish planet that is the 4th from the sun and is periodically visible to the naked eye; minerals rich in iron cover its surface and are responsible for its characteristic color
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
information about recent and important events
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
in accordance with fixed order or procedure or principle
From this reading His hours had been less regular of late.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Sebastian's knock.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
having a supporting base
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
disclosing unintentionally something concealed
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading He came and went without explanation.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
at the time that
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
in or at the place that
From this reading Desiree was telling Mathilde the brief news of her futile journey, when a knock at the front door made them turn from the stairs where they were standing.
which person or people
From this reading But strong is fate, O Love, Who makes, who mars, who ends.
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading He came and went without explanation.
Chapter 23 of Barlasch of the Guard by Henry Seton Merriman holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 177 sentences of Barlasch of the Guard, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of Barlasch of the Guard by Henry Seton Merriman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 Barlasch of the Guard by Henry Seton Merriman on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4849 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8158 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8158, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 404 minutes of reading across 970 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Barlasch of the Guard section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Barlasch of the Guard 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 Barlasch of the Guard, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
