Dead Man's Rock

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of Dead Man's Rock is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Arthur Quiller-Couch • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

For a moment I staggered back as though buffeted in the face, then, as our eyes met and read in each other the desperate truth, I sprang forward just in time to catch her as she fell.

Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

"Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XVIII Reading 1/45

Dead Man's Rock Arthur Quiller-Couch

Chapter XVIII

Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of Dead Man's Rock is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY." For a moment I staggered back as though buffeted in the face, then, as our eyes met and read in each other the desperate truth, I sprang forward just in time to catch her as she fell. Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered. Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead. "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

Dead Man's Rock

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of Dead Man's Rock is here in full — 227 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/45 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

Line 2

For a moment I staggered back as though buffeted in the face, then, as our eyes met and read in each other the desperate truth, I sprang forward just in time to catch her as she fell.

/fɔːr ə ˈmoʊmənt aɪ ˈstæɡərd bæk æz ðoʊ bəˈfeɪd ɪn ðə feɪs ðen æz ˈaʊər aɪz met ənd red ɪn iːtʃ ˈʌðər ðə ˈdesprɪt truːθ aɪ spræŋ ˈfɔːrwərd dʒʌst ɪn taɪm tuː kætʃ hɜːr æz ʃiː fel/

Line 3

Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

/ˈblaɪndli æz ɪf ɪn sʌm ˈhɪdiəs træns ˈriːlɪŋ ənd ˈstʌmbəlɪŋ ˈoʊvər ðə ɡreɪvz aɪ ˈkærid hɜːr ɪn maɪ ɑːrmz tuː ðə ˈseməteri ɡeɪt ənd stʊd ðer ˈpæntɪŋ ənd bɪˈwɪldərd/

Line 4

Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

/koʊld ənd waɪt æz ˈmɑːrbəl ʃiː leɪ ɪn maɪ ɑːrmz soʊ ðæt fɔːr wʌn ˈterəbəl ˈmoʊmənt aɪ θɔːt hɜːr ded/

Line 5

"Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

/ˈbetər soʊ maɪ hɑːrt hæd kraɪd ənd ðen aɪ læft əˈlaʊd ɡɑːd fərˈɡɪv miː æt ðə ˈʌtər ˈkruːlti ʌv ɪt ɔːl/

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.

Blindly adverb US /ˈblaɪndli/

without seeing or looking

From this reading “Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.”

buffeted adjective US /bəˈfeɪd/

pounded or hit repeatedly by storms or adversities

From this reading “For a moment I staggered back as though buffeted in the face, then, as our eyes met and read in each other the desperate truth, I sprang forward just in time to catch her as she fell.”

cemetery noun US /ˈseməteri/

a tract of land used for burials

From this reading “Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.”

graves noun US /ɡreɪvz/

English writer known for his interest in mythology and in the classics (1895-1985)

From this reading “Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.”

reeling verb US /ˈriːlɪŋ/

-ing form of “reel” — walk as if unable to control one's movements

From this reading “Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.”

staggered verb US /ˈstæɡərd/

past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements

stumbling verb US /ˈstʌmbəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily

From this reading “Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.”

trance noun US /træns/

a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

From this reading “Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.”

All words in this reading · 80

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 TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

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 "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

aloudadverbUS /əˈlaʊd/

using the voice; not silently

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading For a moment I staggered back as though buffeted in the face, then, as our eyes met and read in each other the desperate truth, I sprang forward just in time to catch her as she fell.

armsnounUS /ɑːrmz/

weapons considered collectively

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

BetteradjectiveUS /ˈbetər/

(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

bewilderedadjectiveUS /bɪˈwɪldərd/

perplexed by many conflicting situations or statements; filled with bewilderment

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

BlindlyadverbUS /ˈblaɪndli/

without seeing or looking

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

buffetedadjectiveUS /bəˈfeɪd/

pounded or hit repeatedly by storms or adversities

carriedverbUS /ˈkærid/

inflected form of “carry” — move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

catchverbUS /kætʃ/

discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

cemeterynounUS /ˈseməteri/

a tract of land used for burials

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

ColdadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

criedverbUS /kraɪd/

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

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

crueltynounUS /ˈkruːlti/

a cruel act; a deliberate infliction of pain and suffering

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

CURTAINnounUS /ˈkɜːrtən/

hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)

From this reading TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

desperateadjectiveUS /ˈdesprɪt/

arising from or marked by despair or loss of hope

eachdeterminerUS /iːtʃ/

every one of two or more people or things, taken separately

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

FELLverbUS /fel/

cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow

From this reading TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

forgiveverbUS /fərˈɡɪv/

stop blaming or grant forgiveness

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

forwardadverbUS /ˈfɔːrwərd/

at or to or toward the front

FRANCESCA

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

From this reading TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

gatenounUS /ɡeɪt/

a movable barrier in a fence or wall

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

GodnounUS /ɡɑːd/

the supernatural being conceived as the perfect and omnipotent and omniscient originator and ruler of the universe; the object of worship in monotheistic religions

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

gravesnounUS /ɡreɪvz/

English writer known for his interest in mythology and in the classics (1895-1985)

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

hideousadjectiveUS /ˈhɪdiəs/

grossly offensive to decency or morality; causing horror

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

HOW

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

From this reading TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

laughedverbUS /læft/

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

marblenounUS /ˈmɑːrbəl/

a hard crystalline metamorphic rock that takes a high polish; used for sculpture and as building material

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

otheradjectiveUS /ˈʌðər/

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

ourdeterminerUS /ˈaʊər/

belonging to the speaker and others

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

pantingnounUS /ˈpæntɪŋ/

breathing heavily (as after exertion)

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

reelingverbUS /ˈriːlɪŋ/

-ing form of “reel” — walk as if unable to control one's movements

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

sprangverbUS /spræŋ/

inflected form of “spring” — move forward by leaps and bounds

staggeredverbUS /ˈstæɡərd/

past form of “stagger” — walk as if unable to control one's movements

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

stumblingverbUS /ˈstʌmbəlɪŋ/

-ing form of “stumble” — walk unsteadily

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

TELLSnounUS /telz/

plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer

From this reading TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

terribleadjectiveUS /ˈterəbəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

TRAGEDYnounUS /ˈtrædʒədi/

an event resulting in great loss and misfortune

From this reading TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

trancenounUS /træns/

a psychological state induced by (or as if induced by) a magical incantation

From this reading Blindly, as if in some hideous trance, reeling and stumbling over the graves, I carried her in my arms to the cemetery gate and stood there panting and bewildered.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

UPONprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading TELLS HOW THE CURTAIN FELL UPON "FRANCESCA: A TRAGEDY."

utterverbUS /ˈʌtər/

articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise

From this reading "Better so," my heart had cried, and then I laughed aloud (God forgive me!) at the utter cruelty of it all.

whitenounUS /waɪt/

a Caucasian

From this reading Cold and white as marble she lay in my arms, so that for one terrible moment I thought her dead.

Chapter 18 of Dead Man's Rock by Arthur Quiller-Couch holds 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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 Dead Man's Rock contain?

Chapter 18 holds 227 sentences of Dead Man's Rock, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of Dead Man's Rock by Arthur Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 227 sentences, grouped into 46 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 Dead Man's Rock?

Work through the 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 46 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.

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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.

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Yes. All 5268 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17842 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #17842, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 439 minutes of reading across 1054 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Dead Man's Rock

Words and structures a reader meets early in Dead Man's Rock, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Tells: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dead Man's Rock; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Father: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dead Man's Rock; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Treasure: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dead Man's Rock; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mother: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Dead Man's Rock; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

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