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Christopher and Columbus
Christopher and Columbus

Chapter XXXVII · Chapter 37

Chapter 37 of Christopher and Columbus is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Christopher and Columbus
Context Illustration Reading 1/43 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.
He was going to propose to her.
He couldn't bear it.
He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.
All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.
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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.

Christopher and Columbus

Chapter XXXVII · Chapter 37

Chapter 37 of Christopher and Columbus is here in full — 219 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/43 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.
Line 2
He was going to propose to her.
/hiː wɑːz ˈɡoʊɪŋ tuː prəˈpoʊz tuː hɜːr/
Line 3
He couldn't bear it.
Line 4
He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.
Line 5
All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.

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.

blessed adjective US /blest/

highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)

From this reading “He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.”

loneliness noun US /ˈloʊnlinəs/

the state of being alone in solitary isolation

From this reading “He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.”

outside adjective US /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading “He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.”

previous adjective US /ˈpriːviəs/

just preceding something else in time or order

From this reading “He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.”

propose verb US /prəˈpoʊz/

make a proposal, declare a plan for something

From this reading “He was going to propose to her.”

search verb US /sɜːrtʃ/

try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of

From this reading “He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.”

shut verb US /ʃʌt/

move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

From this reading “All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.”

twins noun US /twɪnz/

(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other

From this reading “He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.”

All words in this reading · 47

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.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

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 All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

Anna-Rose

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

From this reading He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

bearverbUS /ber/

have

From this reading He couldn't bear it.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

blessedadjectiveUS /blest/

highly favored or fortunate (as e.g. by divine grace)

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

couldn't

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

From this reading He couldn't bear it.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.

door-mat

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

From this reading All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading He was going to propose to her.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading He was going to propose to her.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

ideanounUS /aɪˈdiːə/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading He couldn't bear it.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

lonelinessnounUS /ˈloʊnlinəs/

the state of being alone in solitary isolation

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.

officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

outsideadjectiveUS /ˈaʊtˈsaɪd/

relating to or being on or near the outer side or limit

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

previousadjectiveUS /ˈpriːviəs/

just preceding something else in time or order

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

proposeverbUS /prəˈpoʊz/

make a proposal, declare a plan for something

From this reading He was going to propose to her.

sameadjectiveUS /seɪm/

Identical; not different.

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

searchverbUS /sɜːrtʃ/

try to locate or discover, or try to establish the existence of

From this reading He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.

seenverbUS /siːn/

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

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

shutverbUS /ʃʌt/

move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

From this reading All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading All his life he had stood on the door-mat outside the shut door of love.

straightadjectiveUS /streɪt/

successive (without a break)

From this reading He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He was going to propose to her.

Twinklers

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

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

twinsnounUS /twɪnz/

(mineralogy) two interwoven crystals that are mirror images on each other

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was going to propose to her.

wentverbUS /went/

inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading He went straight in search of Anna-Rose.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading He couldn't bear the idea of his previous twins, his blessed little Twinklers, both going out of his life at the same time, and he couldn't bear, after what he had just seen in the office, the loneliness of being left outside love.

Chapter 37 of Christopher and Columbus by Elizabeth Von Arnim holds 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 37 of Christopher and Columbus contain?

Chapter 37 holds 219 sentences of Christopher and Columbus, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 37 of Christopher and Columbus by Elizabeth Von Arnim exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 219 sentences, grouped into 44 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 37 of Christopher and Columbus?

Work through the 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 44 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 37 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 37 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 Christopher and Columbus

Common questions about reading Christopher and Columbus by Elizabeth Von Arnim on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Christopher and Columbus?

Yes. All 6102 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14646 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Christopher and Columbus is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #14646, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Christopher and Columbus take to read?

About 508 minutes of reading across 1221 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Christopher and Columbus section by section

How to work through Christopher and Columbus section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 37 chapters of Christopher and Columbus 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 Christopher and Columbus

Words and structures a reader meets early in Christopher and Columbus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Uncle
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christopher and Columbus; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Arthur
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christopher and Columbus; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Husband
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christopher and Columbus; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Alice
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Christopher and Columbus; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.