Betrothed for a day

Chapter XVII · How Easily Things Go Wrong

Chapter XVII of Betrothed for a day, “How Easily Things Go Wrong,” is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Laura Jean Libbey • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Betrothed for a day

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time.

She believes it is the great event of the journey which has unsettled her, for it is the first time in her young life, that she can remember, that she has been away from Blackheath Hall.

Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVII Reading 1/15

Betrothed for a day Laura Jean Libbey

Chapter XVII

How Easily Things Go Wrong

Chapter XVII of Betrothed for a day, “How Easily Things Go Wrong,” is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night. As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow. To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time. She believes it is the great event of the journey which has unsettled her, for it is the first time in her young life, that she can remember, that she has been away from Blackheath Hall. Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

Betrothed for a day

Chapter XVII · How Easily Things Go Wrong

Chapter XVII of Betrothed for a day, “How Easily Things Go Wrong,” is here in full — 76 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/15 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

Line 2

As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

/æz ə ruːl hɜːr ˈsensɪz druːp ˈswɪftli ˈɪntuː ðə lændz ʌv driːmz kwaɪt æz suːn æz hɜːr dɑːrk ˈkɜːrli hed ˈtʌtʃəz ðə ˈpɪloʊ/

Line 3

To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time.

Line 4

She believes it is the great event of the journey which has unsettled her, for it is the first time in her young life, that she can remember, that she has been away from Blackheath Hall.

Line 5

Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

/ðen ʃiː drɪfts ˈɪntuː ˈθɪŋkɪŋ ʌv ðə ˈhænsəm ˈstreɪndʒər huːm ʃiː met æt ðə ɡeɪt ənd stɪl ˈθɪŋkɪŋ ʌv hɪm ðə lɔːŋ ˈaʊərz wer əˈweɪ æt læst ənd ˈmɔːrnɪŋ breɪks/

Learner Dictionary

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.

believes verb US /bɪˈliːvz/

third-person singular of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true

From this reading “She believes it is the great event of the journey which has unsettled her, for it is the first time in her young life, that she can remember, that she has been away from Blackheath Hall.”

boon noun US /buːn/

a desirable state

From this reading “To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time.”

breaks noun US /breɪks/

plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

From this reading “Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.”

curly adjective US /ˈkɜːrli/

(of hair) having curls or waves

From this reading “As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.”

drifts noun US /drɪfts/

plural of “drift” — a force that moves something along

From this reading “Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.”

droop verb US /druːp/

droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness

From this reading “As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.”

touches noun US /ˈtʌtʃəz/

plural of “touch” — the event of something coming in contact with the body

From this reading “As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.”

unsettled adjective US /ənˈsetəld/

still in doubt

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

curly head adjective + noun

In this reading “As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.”

lies awake verb + adjective counted as “lie awake”

lie without sleeping

In this reading “For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.”

first time adjective + noun

In this reading “For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.”

drifts into verb + particle counted as “drift into”

In this reading “Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.”

great event adjective + noun

In this reading “She believes it is the great event of the journey which has unsettled her, for it is the first time in her young life, that she can remember, that she has been away from Blackheath Hall.”

at the gate preposition + article + noun counted as “at … gate”

In this reading “Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.”

long hours adjective + noun

In this reading “Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.”

handsome stranger adjective + noun

In this reading “Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.”

All words in this reading · 73

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

awakeadjectiveUS /əˈweɪk/

not in a state of sleep; completely conscious

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading She believes it is the great event of the journey which has unsettled her, for it is the first time in her young life, that she can remember, that she has been away from Blackheath Hall.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

believesverbUS /bɪˈliːvz/

third-person singular of “believe” — accept as true; take to be true

Blackheath

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

boonnounUS /buːn/

a desirable state

From this reading To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time.

breaksnounUS /breɪks/

plural of “break” — some abrupt occurrence that interrupts an ongoing activity

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

cooladjectiveUS /kuːl/

neither warm nor very cold; giving relief from heat

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

curlyadjectiveUS /ˈkɜːrli/

(of hair) having curls or waves

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

deniedverbUS /dɪˈnaɪd/

inflected form of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict

From this reading To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time.

dreamsnounUS /driːmz/

plural of “dream” — a series of mental images and emotions occurring during sleep

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

driftsnounUS /drɪfts/

plural of “drift” — a force that moves something along

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

droopverbUS /druːp/

droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

eventnounUS /ɪˈvent/

something that happens at a given place and time

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

gatenounUS /ɡeɪt/

a movable barrier in a fence or wall

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

HallnounUS /hɔːl/

an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open

handsomeadjectiveUS /ˈhænsəm/

pleasing in appearance especially by reason of conformity to ideals of form and proportion

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

hoursnounUS /ˈaʊərz/

a period of time assigned for work

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

Jess

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

landsnounUS /lændz/

plural of “land” — the land on which real estate is located

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

liesnounUS /laɪz/

plural of “lie” — a statement that deviates from or perverts the truth

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

pillownounUS /ˈpɪloʊ/

a cushion to support the head of a sleeping person

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

rememberverbUS /rɪˈmɛm.bər/

To recall to mind.

rulenounUS /ruːl/

a principle or condition that customarily governs behavior

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

sensesnounUS /ˈsensɪz/

plural of “sens” — street names for marijuana

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

sleepnounUS /sliːp/

a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended

From this reading To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

strangernounUS /ˈstreɪndʒər/

anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time.

swiftlyadverbUS /ˈswɪftli/

in a swift manner

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

thinkingnounUS /ˈθɪŋkɪŋ/

the process of using your mind to consider something carefully

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

To-night

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading To-night the sweet boon of sleep is denied her for the first time.

touchesnounUS /ˈtʌtʃəz/

plural of “touch” — the event of something coming in contact with the body

From this reading As a rule, her senses droop swiftly into the lands of dreams quite as soon as her dark, curly head touches the pillow.

unsettledadjectiveUS /ənˈsetəld/

still in doubt

wearverbUS /wer/

be dressed in

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

whompronounUS /huːm/

the form of “who” used as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Then she drifts into thinking of the handsome stranger whom she met at the gate, and still thinking of him, the long hours wear away at last, and morning breaks.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading For the first time in her young life, Jess lies awake through all the long, dark, cool hours of the night.

Chapter 17 of Betrothed for a day by Laura Jean Libbey holds 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

What does chapter 17 of Betrothed for a day contain?

Chapter 17 holds 76 sentences of Betrothed for a day, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Betrothed for a day by Laura Jean Libbey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 76 sentences, grouped into 16 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.

How do I study chapter 17 of Betrothed for a day?

Work through the 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 16 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.

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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.

Questions about reading Betrothed for a day

Common questions about reading Betrothed for a day by Laura Jean Libbey on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Betrothed for a day?

Yes. All 3482 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #68760 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Betrothed for a day is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #68760, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Betrothed for a day take to read?

About 290 minutes of reading across 697 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Betrothed for a day section by section

How to work through Betrothed for a day section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 38 chapters of Betrothed for a day to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Betrothed for a day

Words and structures a reader meets early in Betrothed for a day, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Silent--scarcely: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betrothed for a day; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Heart: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betrothed for a day; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Alone: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betrothed for a day; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Proclaimed: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Betrothed for a day; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XVII · How Easily Things Go Wrong

What does chapter 17 of Betrothed for a day contain?

How do I study chapter 17 of Betrothed for a day?

Can chapter 17 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading Betrothed for a day

How to read Betrothed for a day section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in Betrothed for a day