Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Dainty's Cruel Rivals
Dainty's Cruel Rivals

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of Dainty's Cruel Rivals is here in full — 57 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Dainty's Cruel Rivals
Context Illustration Reading 1/11 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE WEDDING MORN.
Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.
Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.
Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?
He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:
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.

Dainty's Cruel Rivals

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18 of Dainty's Cruel Rivals is here in full — 57 sentences across 12 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/11 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE WEDDING MORN.
/ðə ˈwedɪŋ mɔːrn/
Line 2
Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.
/lʌv rɪˈtaɪrd ˈɪntuː hɪz ruːm ənd sæt daʊn bɪˈsaɪd ðə ˈwɪndoʊ tuː bruːd ˈoʊvər hɪz ɡreɪt ˈhæpinəs/
Line 3
Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.
/ˈsʌmθɪŋ laɪk hjuːˈmɪlɪti ˈblendɪd wɪð hɪz ˈɡreɪtfəl θɔːts/
Line 4
Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?
/huː wɑːz hiː wʌt hæd hiː dʌn ðæt ˈhevən ʃʊd biː soʊ ɡʊd tuː hɪm ˈɡɪvɪŋ hɪm ðə ˈferɪst ˈtruːɪst ˈswiːtəst ɡɜːrl ɪn ðə wɜːrld fɔːr hɪz əˈdɔːrd ənd ˈlʌvɪŋ braɪd/
Line 5
He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:

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.

adored adjective US /əˈdɔːrd/

regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god)

From this reading “Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?”

blended adjective US /ˈblendɪd/

combined or mixed together so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable

From this reading “Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.”

brood verb US /bruːd/

think moodily or anxiously about something

From this reading “Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.”

dreamy adjective US /ˈdriːmi/

dreamy in mood or nature

From this reading “He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:”

fairest adjective US /ˈferɪst/

superlative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

From this reading “Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?”

humility noun US /hjuːˈmɪlɪti/

a disposition to be humble; a lack of false pride

From this reading “Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.”

moonlit adjective US /ˈmuːnlɪt/

lighted by moonlight

From this reading “He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:”

truest adjective US /ˈtruːɪst/

superlative of “true” — consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading “Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

brood over verb + particle

In this reading “Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.”

dreamy eyes adjective + noun

In this reading “He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:”

beside the window preposition + article + noun counted as “beside … window”

In this reading “Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.”

in the world preposition + article + noun counted as “in … world”

In this reading “Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?”

great happiness adjective + noun

In this reading “Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.”

All words in this reading · 57

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.

adoredadjectiveUS /əˈdɔːrd/

regarded with deep or rapturous love (especially as if for a god)

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

blendedadjectiveUS /ˈblendɪd/

combined or mixed together so that the constituent parts are indistinguishable

From this reading Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.

bridenounUS /braɪd/

a woman who has recently been married

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

broodverbUS /bruːd/

think moodily or anxiously about something

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

dreamyadjectiveUS /ˈdriːmi/

dreamy in mood or nature

From this reading He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:

fairestadjectiveUS /ˈferɪst/

superlative of “fair” — free from favoritism or self-interest or bias or deception; conforming with established standards or rules

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

givingnounUS /ˈɡɪvɪŋ/

the act of giving

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

goodadjectiveUS /ɡʊd/

having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

gratefuladjectiveUS /ˈɡreɪtfəl/

feeling or showing gratitude

From this reading Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

happinessnounUS /ˈhæpinəs/

state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

HeavennounUS /ˈhevən/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

heavensnounUS /ˈhevənz/

the apparent surface of the imaginary sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected

From this reading He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

humilitynounUS /hjuːˈmɪlɪti/

a disposition to be humble; a lack of false pride

From this reading Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

liftedadjectiveUS /ˈlɪftəd/

held up in the air

From this reading He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:

likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.

LovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

lovingadjectiveUS /ˈlʌvɪŋ/

feeling or showing love and affection

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

moonlitadjectiveUS /ˈmuːnlɪt/

lighted by moonlight

From this reading He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:

MORNnounUS /mɔːrn/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading THE WEDDING MORN.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

prayedverbUS /preɪd/

past form of “pray” — address a deity, a prophet, a saint or an object of worship; say a prayer

From this reading He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:

retiredadjectiveUS /rɪˈtaɪrd/

no longer active in your work or profession

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

reverentiallyadverb

with reverence; in a reverent manner

From this reading He lifted his dark, dreamy eyes to the moonlit heavens and prayed reverentially:

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

SomethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.

sweetestadjectiveUS /ˈswiːtəst/

superlative of “sweet” — having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE WEDDING MORN.

thoughtsnounUS /θɔːts/

plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

truestadjectiveUS /ˈtruːɪst/

superlative of “true” — consistent with fact or reality; not false

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

WEDDINGnounUS /ˈwedɪŋ/

the social event at which the ceremony of marriage is performed

From this reading THE WEDDING MORN.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

WhopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading Love retired into his room and sat down beside the window to brood over his great happiness.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Something like humility blended with his grateful thoughts.

worldnounUS /wɜːrld/

everything that exists anywhere

From this reading Who was he, what had he done, that Heaven should be so good to him, giving him the fairest, truest, sweetest girl in the world for his adored and loving bride?

Chapter 18 of Dainty's Cruel Rivals by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller holds 57 sentences, grouped into 12 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 18 of Dainty's Cruel Rivals contain?

Chapter 18 holds 57 sentences of Dainty's Cruel Rivals, unabridged, divided into 12 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of Dainty's Cruel Rivals by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 57 sentences, grouped into 12 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 18 of Dainty's Cruel Rivals?

Work through the 12 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 12 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 18 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 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 Dainty's Cruel Rivals

Common questions about reading Dainty's Cruel Rivals by Alex. McVeigh, Mrs. Miller on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Dainty's Cruel Rivals?

Yes. All 2450 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31257 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Dainty's Cruel Rivals is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #31257, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Dainty's Cruel Rivals take to read?

About 204 minutes of reading across 490 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Dainty's Cruel Rivals section by section

How to work through Dainty's Cruel Rivals section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Dainty's Cruel Rivals 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 Dainty's Cruel Rivals

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dainty's Cruel Rivals, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Match
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dainty's Cruel Rivals; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Southern
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dainty's Cruel Rivals; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Skies
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dainty's Cruel Rivals; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bluest
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dainty's Cruel Rivals; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.