Chapter 14 of Cursed by a Fortune is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIV
Chapter 14 of Cursed by a Fortune is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly. "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened. You must have heard some news." He frowned, and was silent. "Very well, dear," she said, meekly.
Chapter 14 of Cursed by a Fortune is here in full — 404 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading “"Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.”
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading “He frowned, and was silent.”
United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading “"Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.”
in a submissive or spiritless manner
From this reading “"Very well, dear," she said, meekly.”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “You must have heard some news."”
cut or make a way through
From this reading “"Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.”
with speed
From this reading “"Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.”
marked by absence of sound
From this reading “He frowned, and was silent.”
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 “"Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.”
In this reading “You must have heard some news."”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He frowned, and was silent.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
for the reason that
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
reveal in private; tell confidentially
From this reading "Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.
dearly loved
From this reading "Very well, dear," she said, meekly.
past form of “frown” — look angry or sullen, wrinkle one's forehead, as if to signal disapproval
From this reading He frowned, and was silent.
the act of departing
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading You must have heard some news."
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He frowned, and was silent.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading You must have heard some news."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.
United States architect who designed the first skyscraper in which a metal skeleton was used (1832-1907)
From this reading "Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.
and nothing more
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.
in a submissive or spiritless manner
From this reading "Very well, dear," she said, meekly.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading You must have heard some news."
information about recent and important events
From this reading You must have heard some news."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
cut or make a way through
From this reading "Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.
with speed
From this reading "Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Very well, dear," she said, meekly.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading He frowned, and was silent.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading You must have heard some news."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
precisely as stated
From this reading "Very well, dear," she said, meekly.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He frowned, and was silent.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Very well, dear," she said, meekly.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "I can't believe that we are going because of what has just happened.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Won't you confide in me, Pierce?" said Jenny, quickly.
Chapter 14 of Cursed by a Fortune by George Manville Fenn holds 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 14 holds 404 sentences of Cursed by a Fortune, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 14 of Cursed by a Fortune by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 404 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 14 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 a Fortune by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7228 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34537 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34537, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1446 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Cursed by a Fortune section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Cursed by a Fortune 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 by a Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
