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Betrothed for a day
Betrothed for a day

Chapter XXIII · The Darkening Clouds

Chapter XXIII of Betrothed for a day, “The Darkening Clouds,” is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/15 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!
But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?
Go, go, and come no more!
Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”
The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Betrothed for a day

Chapter XXIII · The Darkening Clouds

Chapter XXIII of Betrothed for a day, “The Darkening Clouds,” is here in full — 75 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
“Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!
Line 2
But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?
/bʌt kænst ðaʊ set maɪ hɑːrt dʒʌst wer ɪt wɑːz bɪˈfɔːr/
Line 3
Go, go, and come no more!
/ɡoʊ ɡoʊ ənd kʌm noʊ mɔːr/
Line 4
Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”
/ɡoʊ liːv miː wɪð maɪ terz ðə ˈoʊnli ɡɪft ʌv ðaɪn wɪtʃ ʃæl ˌaʊtˈlɪv ðə jɪrz/
Line 5
The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

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.

canst modal verb US /kænst/

an old form of “can”, used with “thou”

From this reading “But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?”

contained adjective US /kənˈteɪnd/

gotten under control

From this reading “The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.”

gift noun US /ɡɪft/

something acquired without compensation

From this reading “Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.””

item noun US /ˈaɪtəm/

a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list

From this reading “The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.”

memorable adjective US /ˈmemərəbəl/

worth remembering

From this reading “The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.”

outlive verb US /ˌaʊtˈlɪv/

live longer than

From this reading “Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.””

prepare verb US /priˈper/

make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc

From this reading “The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.”

thine pronoun US /ðaɪn/

an old word for “yours”

From this reading “Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.””

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.

memorable day adjective + noun

In this reading “The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.”

young girl adjective + noun

a girl or young woman who is unmarried

In this reading “The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.”

prepare for verb + particle

prepare mentally or emotionally for something unpleasant

In this reading “The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.”

All words in this reading · 61

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.

Ah

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

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

Blackheath

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

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

Bryson

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

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

canstmodal verbUS /kænst/

an old form of “can”, used with “thou”

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

containedadjectiveUS /kənˈteɪnd/

gotten under control

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

crueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/

(of persons or their actions) able or disposed to inflict pain or suffering

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

giftnounUS /ɡɪft/

something acquired without compensation

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

GoverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

gravenounUS /ɡreɪv/

death of a person

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

greatlyadverbUS /ˈɡreɪtli/

to an extraordinary extent or degree

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

HallnounUS /hɔːl/

an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

itemnounUS /ˈaɪtəm/

a distinct part that can be specified separately in a group of things that could be enumerated on a list

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

Jess

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

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

journeyverbUS /ˈdʒɜːrni/

undertake a journey or trip

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

JustadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

memorableadjectiveUS /ˈmemərəbəl/

worth remembering

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

outliveverbUS /ˌaʊtˈlɪv/

live longer than

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

prepareverbUS /priˈper/

make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

receivedadjectiveUS /rəˈsiːvd/

conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

setverbUS /set/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

tearsnounUS /terz/

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “Ah, cruel as the grave, Go, go, and come no more!

thinepronounUS /ðaɪn/

an old word for “yours”

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

Trevalyns

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

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

troubledadjectiveUS /ˈtrʌbəld/

characterized by or indicative of distress or affliction or danger or need

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

visitverbUS /ˈvɪzɪt/

go to see a place, as for entertainment

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading But canst thou set my heart Just where it was before?

WhichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

From this reading Go, leave me with my tears, The only gift of thine Which shall outlive the years.”

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

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

From this reading The letter which Jess had received from Mrs. Bryson of Blackheath Hall on that memorable day on which she was to prepare for her journey to visit the Trevalyns--had contained another item that had troubled the young girl greatly.

Chapter 23 of Betrothed for a day by Laura Jean Libbey holds 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 23 of Betrothed for a day contain?

Chapter 23 holds 75 sentences of Betrothed for a day, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of Betrothed for a day by Laura Jean Libbey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 75 sentences, grouped into 15 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 23 of Betrothed for a day?

Work through the 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 15 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 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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.

  1. Open a chapter

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

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. 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.