Chapter 26 of Blackthorn Farm is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Blackthorn Farm is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ARGUMENT. Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London. A shaded electric light shone on his desk. A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side. The gold travelling clock on the mantelshelf struck the hour.
Chapter 26 of Blackthorn Farm is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
English architect (1723-1796)
From this reading “Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.”
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading “A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.”
the habitation of wild animals
From this reading “Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.”
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading “A shaded electric light shone on his desk.”
the capital and largest city of Cuba; located in western Cuba; one of the oldest cities in the Americas
From this reading “A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.”
protected from heat and light with shade or shadow
From this reading “A shaded electric light shone on his desk.”
a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
From this reading “A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.”
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading “A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.”
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 “A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.”
In this reading “A shaded electric light shone on his desk.”
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 A shaded electric light shone on his desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ARGUMENT.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
a fact or assertion offered as evidence that something is true
From this reading AN ARGUMENT.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
English architect (1723-1796)
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
a roll of tobacco for smoking
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
a timepiece that shows the time of day
From this reading The gold travelling clock on the mantelshelf struck the hour.
the habitation of wild animals
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
a piece of furniture with a writing surface and usually drawers or other compartments
From this reading A shaded electric light shone on his desk.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
a British peer of the highest rank
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
using or providing or producing or transmitting or operated by electricity
From this reading A shaded electric light shone on his desk.
coins made of gold
From this reading The gold travelling clock on the mantelshelf struck the hour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
the capital and largest city of Cuba; located in western Cuba; one of the oldest cities in the Americas
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading The gold travelling clock on the mantelshelf struck the hour.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading A shaded electric light shone on his desk.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The gold travelling clock on the mantelshelf struck the hour.
the property of a body that causes it to have weight in a gravitational field
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A shaded electric light shone on his desk.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
protected from heat and light with shade or shadow
From this reading A shaded electric light shone on his desk.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading A shaded electric light shone on his desk.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
a sodium salt of carbonic acid; used in making soap powders and glass and paper
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The gold travelling clock on the mantelshelf struck the hour.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Despard sat in the den, as he called it, of his new chambers in Duke Street, London.
the act of going from one place to another
From this reading The gold travelling clock on the mantelshelf struck the hour.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
a liquor made from fermented mash of grain
From this reading A mass of papers and a private account-book lay before him, a half-smoked Havana cigar was in his mouth, a whisky and soda by his side.
Chapter 26 of Blackthorn Farm by Arthur Applin holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 26 holds 145 sentences of Blackthorn Farm, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Blackthorn Farm by Arthur Applin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 26 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 Blackthorn Farm by Arthur Applin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5795 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42519 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #42519, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 482 minutes of reading across 1159 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Blackthorn Farm section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of Blackthorn Farm 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 Blackthorn Farm, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
