Chapter 2 of Beatrice is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Beatrice is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening. It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up. Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue. The sea was perfectly and utterly still. It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.
Chapter 2 of Beatrice is here in full — 40 sentences across 8 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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 season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading “A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.”
lacking definite form or limits
From this reading “It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.”
becoming dark or darker as from waning light or clouding over
From this reading “Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue.”
weakening in force or intensity
From this reading “A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.”
become covered with mist
From this reading “A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.”
toned down
From this reading “It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.”
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading “It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.”
treated with wax
From this reading “It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.”
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 A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
the part of the day between noon and evening
From this reading A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
the season when the leaves fall from the trees
From this reading A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue.
physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
plural of “cloud” — any collection of particles (e.g., smoke or dust) or gases that is visible
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
lacking definite form or limits
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
becoming dark or darker as from waning light or clouding over
From this reading Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
weakening in force or intensity
From this reading A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.
no longer in your possession or control; unable to be found or recovered
From this reading Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue.
become covered with mist
From this reading A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading The sea was perfectly and utterly still.
advancing or becoming higher or greater in degree or value or status
From this reading It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading The sea was perfectly and utterly still.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue.
toned down
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
not in physical motion
From this reading The sea was perfectly and utterly still.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue.
the periodic rise and fall of the sea level under the gravitational pull of the moon
From this reading It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers
From this reading The sea was perfectly and utterly still.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
treated with wax
From this reading It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.
the atmospheric conditions that comprise the state of the atmosphere in terms of temperature and wind and clouds and precipitation
From this reading It had been cloudy weather, but the clouds had softened and broken up.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Now they were lost in slowly darkening blue.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It seemed to sleep, but in its sleep it still waxed with the rising tide.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading A MIST WRAITH The autumn afternoon was fading into evening.
Chapter 2 of Beatrice by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard holds 40 sentences, grouped into 8 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 2 holds 40 sentences of Beatrice, unabridged, divided into 8 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Beatrice by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 40 sentences, grouped into 8 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 8 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 8 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 2 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 Beatrice by H. Rider (Henry Rider) Haggard on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6597 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3096 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3096, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 549 minutes of reading across 1320 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Beatrice section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of Beatrice 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 Beatrice, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
