Learn English through classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Desperate Remedies
Desperate Remedies

Chapter XXII · Chapter 22

Chapter 22 of Desperate Remedies is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Thomas Hardy • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Desperate Remedies
Context Illustration Reading 1/39 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.
‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.
Cytherea laughed stealthily.
‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.
Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.
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.

Desperate Remedies

Chapter XXII · Chapter 22

Chapter 22 of Desperate Remedies is here in full — 198 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/39 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.
Line 2
‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.
Line 3
Cytherea laughed stealthily.
Line 4
‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.
Line 5
Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.

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.

benefit noun US /ˈbenəfɪt/

financial assistance in time of need

From this reading “Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Cytherea noun US /ˌsɪθərˈiːə/

goddess of love and beauty and daughter of Zeus in ancient mythology; identified with Roman Venus

From this reading “‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
glowing adjective US /ˈɡloʊɪŋ/

highly enthusiastic

From this reading “‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
overlooking adjective US /ˈoʊvərlʊkɪŋ/

used of a height or viewpoint

From this reading “‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Pert adjective US /pɜːrt/

characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality

From this reading “‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
severely adverb US /səˈvɪrli/

to a severe or serious degree

From this reading “‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
solicitude noun US /səˈlɪsɪtuːd/

a feeling of excessive concern

From this reading “‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
text noun US /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading “‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 60

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 ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Aldclyffe

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

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

Pending verification
altogetheradverbUS /ˌɔːltəˈɡeðər/

to a complete degree or to the full or entire extent (“whole” is often used informally for “wholly”)

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora curated lexicon
benefitnounUS /ˈbenəfɪt/

financial assistance in time of need

From this reading Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
brothernounUS /ˈbrʌðər/

a male with the same parents as someone else

From this reading Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ComeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
CythereanounUS /ˌsɪθərˈiːə/

goddess of love and beauty and daughter of Zeus in ancient mythology; identified with Roman Venus

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
didn't

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

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

Pending verification
facenounUS /feɪs/

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

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fireverbUS /ˈfaɪər/

start firing a weapon

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
girlnounUS /ɡɜːrl/

a young female

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
glowingadjectiveUS /ˈɡloʊɪŋ/

highly enthusiastic

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
how

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

From this reading Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.

Pending verification
IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
I'm

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

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

Pending verification
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ladynounUS /ˈleɪdi/

a polite name for any woman

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
laughedverbUS /læft/

past form of “laugh” — produce laughter

From this reading Cytherea laughed stealthily.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
likeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Manston

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

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Pending verification
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
overlookingadjectiveUS /ˈoʊvərlʊkɪŋ/

used of a height or viewpoint

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
PertadjectiveUS /pɜːrt/

characterized by a lightly pert and exuberant quality

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
resumedverbUS /rɪˈzuːmd/

past form of “resume” — take up or begin anew

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
severelyadverbUS /səˈvɪrli/

to a severe or serious degree

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sickadjectiveUS /sɪk/

affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function

From this reading Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
solicitudenounUS /səˈlɪsɪtuːd/

a feeling of excessive concern

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
stealthily

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

From this reading Cytherea laughed stealthily.

Pending verification
tenderest

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

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Pending verification
textnounUS /tekst/

the words of something written

From this reading ‘Come, my lady Pert; I’m not the text,’ said Miss Aldclyffe, her face glowing like fire.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tricknounUS /trɪk/

a cunning or deceitful action or device

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
winverbUS /wɪn/

be the winner in a contest or competition; be victorious

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading ‘I was about to say,’ resumed Miss Aldclyffe severely, ‘that here is Mr. Manston waiting with the tenderest solicitude for you, and you overlooking it, as if it were altogether beneath you.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading ‘Why didn’t you win the trick when you were a girl?’ said Cytherea.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Think how you might benefit your sick brother if you were Mrs. Manston.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 22 of Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy holds 198 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 22 of Desperate Remedies contain?

Chapter 22 holds 198 sentences of Desperate Remedies, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 22 of Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 198 sentences, grouped into 40 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 22 of Desperate Remedies?

Work through the 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 40 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 22 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 22 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 Desperate Remedies

Common questions about reading Desperate Remedies by Thomas Hardy on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Desperate Remedies?

Yes. All 7979 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3044 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Desperate Remedies is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3044, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Desperate Remedies take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1596 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Desperate Remedies section by section

How to work through Desperate Remedies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of Desperate Remedies 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 Desperate Remedies

Words and structures a reader meets early in Desperate Remedies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Following
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Desperate Remedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Story
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Desperate Remedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
First
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Desperate Remedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Published
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Desperate Remedies; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.