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Cursed by a Fortune
Cursed by a Fortune

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Cursed by a Fortune is here in full — 378 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Cursed by a Fortune
Context Illustration Reading 1/75 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.
"Oh, my poor dear, my poor dear, he has murdered you!"
"Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.
"Can't you see that she is only asleep?"
"Asleep?
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Cursed by a Fortune

Chapter XVII

Chapter 17 of Cursed by a Fortune is here in full — 378 sentences across 76 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/75 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.
Line 2
"Oh, my poor dear, my poor dear, he has murdered you!"
/oʊ maɪ puːr dɪr maɪ puːr dɪr hiː hæz ˈmɜːrdərd juː/
Line 3
"Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.
Line 4
"Can't you see that she is only asleep?"
Line 5
"Asleep?
/əˈsliːp/

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.

arrangements noun US /ərˈeɪndʒmənts/

plural of “arrangement” — the thing arranged or agreed to

From this reading “"Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.”

clasped verb US /klæspt/

past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly

From this reading “"Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.”

funeral noun US /ˈfjuːnərəl/

a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated

From this reading “"Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.”

idiot noun US /ˈɪdiːət/

a person of subnormal intelligence

From this reading “"Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.”

murdered adjective US /ˈmɜːrdərd/

killed unlawfully

From this reading “"Oh, my poor dear, my poor dear, he has murdered you!"”

passionately adverb US /ˈpæʃənətli/

with passion

From this reading “"Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.”

waist noun US /weɪst/

the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips

From this reading “"Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.”

wretch noun US /retʃ/

performs some wicked deed

From this reading “"Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading "Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

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 "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

arrangementsnounUS /ərˈeɪndʒmənts/

plural of “arrangement” — the thing arranged or agreed to

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

asleepadjectiveUS /əˈsliːp/

in a state of sleep

From this reading "Can't you see that she is only asleep?"

badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

Can't

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

From this reading "Can't you see that she is only asleep?"

claspedverbUS /klæspt/

past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading "Oh, my poor dear, my poor dear, he has murdered you!"

dear's

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

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

fierceadjectiveUS /fɪrs/

marked by extreme and violent energy

From this reading "Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

funeralnounUS /ˈfjuːnərəl/

a ceremony at which a dead person is buried or cremated

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

Garstang

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

From this reading "Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading "Oh, my poor dear, my poor dear, he has murdered you!"

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading "Oh, my poor dear, my poor dear, he has murdered you!"

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

idiotnounUS /ˈɪdiːət/

a person of subnormal intelligence

From this reading "Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading "Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "Can't you see that she is only asleep?"

Kate

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

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

kneesnounUS /niːz/

plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

murderedadjectiveUS /ˈmɜːrdərd/

killed unlawfully

From this reading "Oh, my poor dear, my poor dear, he has murdered you!"

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Oh, my poor dear, my poor dear, he has murdered you!"

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading "Oh, my poor dear, my poor dear, he has murdered you!"

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading "Can't you see that she is only asleep?"

passionatelyadverbUS /ˈpæʃənətli/

with passion

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

pooradjectiveUS /puːr/

deserving or inciting pity

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

sankverbUS /sæŋk/

inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading "Can't you see that she is only asleep?"

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

SilencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading "Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "Can't you see that she is only asleep?"

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

waistnounUS /weɪst/

the narrowing of the body between the ribs and hips

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

whispernounUS /ˈwɪspər/

speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords

From this reading "Silence, idiot!" cried Garstang, in a fierce whisper.

wickedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪkəd/

morally bad in principle or practice

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

wretchnounUS /retʃ/

performs some wicked deed

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "Then, now go and make all the arrangements for the poor dear's funeral, you bad, wicked wretch!" cried the woman passionately, as she sank on her knees and clasped Kate about the waist.

Chapter 17 of Cursed by a Fortune by George Manville Fenn holds 378 sentences, grouped into 76 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 17 of Cursed by a Fortune contain?

Chapter 17 holds 378 sentences of Cursed by a Fortune, unabridged, divided into 76 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 17 of Cursed by a Fortune by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 378 sentences, grouped into 76 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 17 of Cursed by a Fortune?

Work through the 76 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 76 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 17 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 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 Cursed by a Fortune

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Is this the complete text of Cursed by a Fortune?

Yes. All 7228 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34537 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Cursed by a Fortune is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #34537, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Cursed by a Fortune take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1446 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Cursed by a Fortune

Words and structures a reader meets early in Cursed by a Fortune, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Cursed
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Cursed by a Fortune; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fortune
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Cursed by a Fortune; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
George
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Cursed by a Fortune; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Manville
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Cursed by a Fortune; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.