Chapter 39 of Cursed is here in full — 319 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of Cursed is here in full — 319 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid. He faced toward the front hall. “What’s wanted?” A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention. He heard a woman’s voice—the voice of Laura Maynard:
Chapter 39 of Cursed is here in full — 319 sentences across 64 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/63 · 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.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading “CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.”
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading “A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.”
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading “A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.”
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading “He faced toward the front hall.”
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading “He faced toward the front hall.”
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
From this reading “A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.”
the sound of light blow or knock
From this reading “A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.”
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
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 “He faced toward the front hall.”
In this reading “He faced toward the front hall.”
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 tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
filled with fear or apprehension
From this reading CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.
filled with the emotional impact of overwhelming surprise or shock
From this reading CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
having or showing keen interest or intense desire or impatient expectancy
From this reading A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination
From this reading He faced toward the front hall.
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading He faced toward the front hall.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading He faced toward the front hall.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He faced toward the front hall.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading He heard a woman’s voice—the voice of Laura Maynard:
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
(used in the plural) a small metal weapon; worn over the knuckles on the back of the hand
From this reading A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He heard a woman’s voice—the voice of Laura Maynard:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He heard a woman’s voice—the voice of Laura Maynard:
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He heard a woman’s voice—the voice of Laura Maynard:
the sound of light blow or knock
From this reading A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He faced toward the front hall.
in or at that place or location
From this reading CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.
in the direction of
From this reading He faced toward the front hall.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He heard a woman’s voice—the voice of Laura Maynard:
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading “What’s wanted?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “What’s wanted?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading CURARÉ “Who’s there?” cried Alpheus Briggs, astonished and afraid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
in the company of; together with
From this reading A tapping at his window-pane, with eager knuckles, drew his attention.
possessive form of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading He heard a woman’s voice—the voice of Laura Maynard:
Chapter 39 of Cursed by George Allan England holds 319 sentences, grouped into 64 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 39 holds 319 sentences of Cursed, unabridged, divided into 64 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of Cursed by George Allan England exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 319 sentences, grouped into 64 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 64 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 64 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 39 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 Cursed by George Allan England on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7915 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48068 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #48068, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1583 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cursed section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Cursed 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 Cursed, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
