Chapter 27 of Bella Donna: A Novel is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of Bella Donna: A Novel is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?" "That was the very word!" "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her. "Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation. Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
Chapter 27 of Bella Donna: A Novel is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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 persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading “Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"”
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading “Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"”
the act of putting something in working order again
From this reading “"And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.”
English philosopher who introduced the theory of the association of ideas (1705-1757)
From this reading “Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"”
the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose
From this reading “"Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.”
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading “"Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “"Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.”
a message informing of danger
From this reading “"Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.”
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 Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
a state at a particular time
From this reading Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering
From this reading Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
involving or causing danger or risk; liable to hurt or harm
From this reading Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
dearly loved
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
the event of dying or departure from life
From this reading "Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
opinion or judgment
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
a boy or man
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
the act of putting something in working order again
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
English philosopher who introduced the theory of the association of ideas (1705-1757)
From this reading Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
immediately past
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
the activity of putting or setting in order in advance of some act or purpose
From this reading "Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.
(American football) an attempt to advance the ball by running into the line
From this reading "Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
except for; apart from
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading "Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That was the very word!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "That was the very word!"
a special situation
From this reading Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
a formal word for “on”
From this reading "And last night?" said Isaacson, fixing his eyes upon her.
precisely as stated
From this reading "That was the very word!"
a message informing of danger
From this reading "Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That was the very word!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wasn't it a cruel, dangerous thing to do in his condition, Doctor Hartley?"
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading "Last night you startled him to death, rushing in upon him without warning or preparation.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading "That was the very word!"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Didn't he ask you to 'save him,' as he called it, poor, dear fellow?"
Chapter 27 of Bella Donna: A Novel by Robert Hichens holds 402 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 27 holds 402 sentences of Bella Donna: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of Bella Donna: A Novel by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 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 27 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.
