Chapter 20 of Bella Donna: A Novel is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of Bella Donna: A Novel is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He sat down close to her in another beehive chair. "Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?" "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust. And it's spoilt me completely." He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
Chapter 20 of Bella Donna: A Novel is here in full — 405 sentences across 81 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.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading “"Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.”
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading “"Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.”
any workplace where people are very busy
From this reading “He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.”
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading “He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.”
a feeling of joy and pride
From this reading “"Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.”
regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in
From this reading “"Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.”
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “"Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?"”
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading “He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.”
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 "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And it's spoilt me completely."
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
adopted in order to deceive
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
a particular environment or surrounding influence
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
for the reason that
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
any workplace where people are very busy
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)
From this reading And it's spoilt me completely."
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?"
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And it's spoilt me completely."
a feeling of joy and pride
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?"
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And it's spoilt me completely."
regard as untrustworthy; regard with suspicion; have no faith or confidence in
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?"
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading "Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?"
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
express in words
From this reading "Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
past form of “sound” — appear in a certain way
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
having the character or disposition harmed by pampering or oversolicitous attention
From this reading And it's spoilt me completely."
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
the time in the evening at which the sun begins to fall below the horizon
From this reading He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He sat down close to her in another beehive chair.
the quality of a person's voice
From this reading "Oh," she spoke in a tone of lightness that sounded assumed, "because now I've lived in an atmosphere not of mistrust.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?"
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading He felt within him a glow strong and golden as the glow of the sunset.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Ruby, why did you say 'now' like that?"
Chapter 20 of Bella Donna: A Novel by Robert Hichens holds 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 20 holds 405 sentences of Bella Donna: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of Bella Donna: A Novel by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 405 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 20 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.
