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Birds of Prey
Birds of Prey

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of Birds of Prey is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Birds of Prey
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
IN PARADISE.
We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.
The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.
It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.
Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Birds of Prey

Chapter XXVIII · Chapter 28

Chapter 28 of Birds of Prey is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
IN PARADISE.
/ɪn ˈperədaɪs/
Line 2
We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.
Line 3
The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.
Line 4
It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.
Line 5
Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

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.

Charlotte noun US /ˈʃɑːrlət/

the largest city in North Carolina; located in south central North Carolina

From this reading “We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.”

expanded adjective US /ɪkˈspændəd/

increased in extent or size or bulk or scope

From this reading “Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!”

hillside noun US /ˈhɪlsaɪd/

the side or slope of a hill

From this reading “It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.”

prim verb US /prɪm/

assume a prim appearance

From this reading “It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.”

sheltered adjective US /ˈʃeltərd/

protected from danger or bad weather

From this reading “We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.”

surroundings noun US /sərˈaʊndɪŋz/

the environmental condition

From this reading “Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!”

villa noun US /ˈvɪlə/

Mexican revolutionary leader (1877-1923)

From this reading “It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.”

whim noun US /wɪm/

a sudden desire

From this reading “The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.”

All words in this reading · 69

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, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

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 Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

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

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

Bayswater

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

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

CharlottenounUS /ˈʃɑːrlət/

the largest city in North Carolina; located in south central North Carolina

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

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

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

darlingnounUS /ˈdɑːrlɪŋ/

a special loved one

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

distancenounUS /ˈdɪstəns/

the property created by the space between two objects or points

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

divineadjectiveUS /dɪˈvaɪn/

emanating from God

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

examineverbUS /ɪɡˈzæmɪn/

consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

expandedadjectiveUS /ɪkˈspændəd/

increased in extent or size or bulk or scope

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

faradverbUS /fɑːr/

to a considerable degree; very much

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

farm-house

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

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

gatenounUS /ɡeɪt/

a movable barrier in a fence or wall

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

happinessnounUS /ˈhæpinəs/

state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

heartsnounUS /hɑːrts/

a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

hillsidenounUS /ˈhɪlsaɪd/

the side or slope of a hill

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading IN PARADISE.

influencenounUS /ˈɪnfluːəns/

a power to affect persons or events especially power based on prestige etc

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

modernadjectiveUS /ˈmɑːdərn/

belonging to the modern era; since the Middle Ages

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

NaturenounUS /ˈneɪtʃər/

the essential qualities or characteristics by which something is recognized

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

PARADISEnounUS /ˈperədaɪs/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading IN PARADISE.

primverbUS /prɪm/

assume a prim appearance

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

red-tiled

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

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

roofnounUS /ruːf/

a protective covering that covers or forms the top of a building

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

shelteredadjectiveUS /ˈʃeltərd/

protected from danger or bad weather

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

solitaryadjectiveUS /ˈsɑːləteri/

characterized by or preferring solitude

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

stockbroking

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

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

surroundingsnounUS /sərˈaʊndɪŋz/

the environmental condition

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

talkingnounUS /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/

an exchange of ideas via conversation

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

thosedeterminerUS /ðoʊz/

the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

untroddenadjective

lacking pathways

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

villanounUS /ˈvɪlə/

Mexican revolutionary leader (1877-1923)

From this reading It was here, to this untrodden hillside, that my darling had come from the prim modern villa at Bayswater.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

WepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Ah, what happiness to find her here, far away from all those stockbroking surroundings--here, where our hearts expanded beneath the divine influence of Nature!

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

whimnounUS /wɪm/

a sudden desire

From this reading The solitary farm-house which it had been my whim to examine was the house in which my dear love made her home.

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading We stood at the white gate talking to each other, my Charlotte and I. The old red-tiled roof which I had seen in the distance sheltered the girl I love.

Chapter 28 of Birds of Prey by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 28 of Birds of Prey contain?

Chapter 28 holds 114 sentences of Birds of Prey, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 28 of Birds of Prey by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 28 of Birds of Prey?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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 28 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 28 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 Birds of Prey

Common questions about reading Birds of Prey by M. E. (Mary Elizabeth) Braddon on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Birds of Prey?

Yes. All 6938 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9362 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Birds of Prey is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #9362, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Birds of Prey take to read?

About 578 minutes of reading across 1388 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Birds of Prey section by section

How to work through Birds of Prey section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 38 chapters of Birds of Prey 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 Birds of Prey

Words and structures a reader meets early in Birds of Prey, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Philip
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Birds of Prey; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sheldon
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Birds of Prey; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Reads
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Birds of Prey; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lancet
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Birds of Prey; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.