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Cobwebs and Cables
Cobwebs and Cables

Chapter XII

Cover illustration for Cobwebs and Cables
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
WAITING FOR THE NEWS.
Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.
Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.
To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.
Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.
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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.

Cobwebs and Cables

Chapter XII

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

Line 1
WAITING FOR THE NEWS.
Line 2
Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.
Line 3
Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.
Line 4
To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.
Line 5
Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.”

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.”

Having auxiliary verb US /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading “Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.”

Journey noun US /ˈjourney/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.”

Returned noun US /ˈreturned/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.”

WAITING noun US /ˈwaiting/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “WAITING FOR THE NEWS.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.”

All words in this reading · 81

Every word is available to listen to. 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 Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

absent

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

From this reading To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

appeared

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

aroused

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

August

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

away

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

children

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

coast

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

connected

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

cousins

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

day

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

deadly

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

eastern

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

enemy

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

fact

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

Felicita

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

fishing

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

FORprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading WAITING FOR THE NEWS.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

gay

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

going

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

havingauxiliary verbUS /ˈhævɪŋ/

the -ing form of “have”

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

homeward

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

hope

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

hurried

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

journeynounUS /ˈjourney/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

knew

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

Madame

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

mere

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

month

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

more

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

From this reading To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.

NEWS

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

From this reading WAITING FOR THE NEWS.

night

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

pursued

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

quiet

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

quietest

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

retreated

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

returnednounUS /ˈreturned/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.

Riversfords

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

Roland

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

Scarborough

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

some

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

spot

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

stopping

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

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading WAITING FOR THE NEWS.

there

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

too

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

village

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

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

WAITING

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

From this reading WAITING FOR THE NEWS.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

way

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

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

week

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

From this reading To this village she returned, after being absent little more than a week.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Madame and the children were not at Scarborough, but at a quiet little fishing village on the eastern coast; for Felicita had found Scarborough too gay in the month of August, and her cousins, the Riversfords, having appeared there, she retreated to the quietest spot that could be found.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Madame knew nothing of her journey; but the mere fact that Felicita was going away alone had aroused in her the hope that it was connected in some way with Roland.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Felicita hurried homeward night and day without stopping, as if she had been pursued by a deadly enemy.