Chapter XXI of Derelicts, “A Demand in Marriage,” is here in full — 277 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter XXI of Derelicts, “A Demand in Marriage,” is here in full — 277 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely. “You are a free woman. I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.” Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously. His presence dazed her.
Chapter XXI of Derelicts, “A Demand in Marriage,” is here in full — 277 sentences across 56 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/55 · 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.
a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ
From this reading ““Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.”
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading “Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.”
plural of “coal” — fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading “Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.”
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading “His presence dazed her.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading ““Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.”
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading “Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.”
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading “Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.”
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading “His presence dazed her.”
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 “Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.”
In this reading “I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.””
In this reading “I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.””
investigate scientifically
In this reading “Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.”
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 “You are a free woman.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You are a free woman.
a senior member of the Christian clergy having spiritual and administrative authority; appointed in Christian churches to oversee priests or ministers; considered in some churches to be successors of the twelve Apostles of Christ
From this reading “Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.
past form of “clasp” — hold firmly and tightly
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
plural of “coal” — fossil fuel consisting of carbonized vegetable matter deposited in the Carboniferous period
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
in a state of mental numbness especially as resulting from shock
From this reading His presence dazed her.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading “Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
start firing a weapon
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
grant freedom to; free from confinement
From this reading “You are a free woman.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
in a grave and sober manner
From this reading “Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His presence dazed her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
in an anxiously nervous manner
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading His presence dazed her.
red color or pigment; the chromatic color resembling the hue of blood
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
express in words
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “You are a free woman.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading I have come from the other end of the world to tell you so.”
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, he is dead,” said the Bishop, gravely.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You are a free woman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yvonne, sitting opposite him, looked into the red coals of the fire, and clasped her hands nervously.
Chapter 21 of Derelicts by William John Locke holds 277 sentences, grouped into 56 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 21 holds 277 sentences of Derelicts, unabridged, divided into 56 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Derelicts by William John Locke exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 277 sentences, grouped into 56 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 56 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 56 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 21 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 Derelicts by William John Locke on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5902 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #55927 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #55927, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 491 minutes of reading across 1181 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Derelicts section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Derelicts 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 Derelicts, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
