Chapter 9 of Bella Donna: A Novel is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Bella Donna: A Novel is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Asleep!" he said. "At this hour!" For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced. He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground. "You haven't read your letters all this time!"
Chapter 9 of Bella Donna: A Novel is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
in a state of sleep
From this reading “"Asleep!" he said.”
the quality of not being careful or taking pains
From this reading “For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.”
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading “For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.”
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading “He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.”
the literary culture
From this reading “He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.”
a brief written record
From this reading “For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.”
a small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly
From this reading “He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.”
not in accordance with or determined by nature; contrary to nature
From this reading “For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.”
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 For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading "You haven't read your letters all this time!"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
in a state of sleep
From this reading "Asleep!" he said.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "At this hour!"
the quality of not being careful or taking pains
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.
the solid part of the earth's surface
From this reading He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You haven't read your letters all this time!"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Asleep!" he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading "At this hour!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
past form of “jump” — move forward by leaps and bounds
From this reading He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.
the literary culture
From this reading He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.
a brief written record
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.
on one occasion
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading "You haven't read your letters all this time!"
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Asleep!" he said.
a small number (of something) dispersed haphazardly
From this reading He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.
in or at that place or location
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "At this hour!"
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "You haven't read your letters all this time!"
not in accordance with or determined by nature; contrary to nature
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He jumped up from his chair, scattering his letters on the ground.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading For once there was an unnatural sound in his voice, a note of carelessness that was forced.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You haven't read your letters all this time!"
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You haven't read your letters all this time!"
Chapter 9 of Bella Donna: A Novel by Robert Hichens holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 9 holds 407 sentences of Bella Donna: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Bella Donna: A Novel by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 9 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 Bella Donna: A Novel by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13461 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17698 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17698, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2693 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bella Donna: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Bella Donna: A Novel 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 Bella Donna: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
