Chapter 13 of Bess of the Woods is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of Bess of the Woods is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Dan has given me this,” she said. Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact. “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.” Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face. A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
Chapter 13 of Bess of the Woods is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 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.
a decorative pin worn by women
From this reading ““It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.””
close interaction
From this reading “Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.”
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.”
a search for knowledge
From this reading “A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.”
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
past form of “linger” — remain present although waning or gradually dying
From this reading “Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.”
expressed without speech
From this reading “A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.”
important in effect or meaning
From this reading “A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.”
In this reading “Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.”
In this reading ““It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.””
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 “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
a decorative pin worn by women
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
a young person of either sex
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
close interaction
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Dan has given me this,” she said.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
past form of “flash” — gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading “Dan has given me this,” she said.
past form of “glance” — throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Dan has given me this,” she said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
a search for knowledge
From this reading A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
a very short time (as the time it takes the eye to blink or the heart to beat)
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.
possessive form of “lady” — a polite name for any woman
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
past form of “linger” — remain present although waning or gradually dying
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Dan has given me this,” she said.
expressed without speech
From this reading A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
To recall to mind.
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Dan has given me this,” she said.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Dan has given me this,” she said.
important in effect or meaning
From this reading A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.
happening unexpectedly
From this reading Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading A look of mute inquiry, of significant sympathy, flashed between them.
a special situation
From this reading Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “Dan has given me this,” she said.
The passage at the back of the mouth.
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
having come into contact
From this reading Their fingers touched and lingered an instant in the contact.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Jeffray, who was staring at the thing, glanced up suddenly into Bess’s face.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
at the time that
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
which person or people
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
an affirmative
From this reading “It is the brooch I remember—” “Yes—” “At the tall lady’s throat who was near me when I was a little child.”
Chapter 13 of Bess of the Woods by Warwick Deeping holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 13 holds 400 sentences of Bess of the Woods, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of Bess of the Woods by Warwick Deeping exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 13 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 Bess of the Woods by Warwick Deeping on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7202 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57758 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57758, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1441 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Bess of the Woods section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Bess of the Woods 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 Bess of the Woods, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
