Chapter 18 of Diana of the Crossways — Complete is here in full — 270 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of Diana of the Crossways — Complete is here in full — 270 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?' Apologies and excuses were on his tongue. The vibration of those grave tones checked them. 'It is you,' she said. She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.
Chapter 18 of Diana of the Crossways — Complete is here in full — 270 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
plural of “apology” — an expression of regret at having caused trouble for someone
From this reading “Apologies and excuses were on his tongue.”
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading “The vibration of those grave tones checked them.”
plural of “excuse” — a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
From this reading “Apologies and excuses were on his tongue.”
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading “She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.”
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading “She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.”
feeling intense pleasurable excitement
From this reading “He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'”
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading “The vibration of those grave tones checked them.”
the act of vibrating
From this reading “The vibration of those grave tones checked them.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
plural of “apology” — an expression of regret at having caused trouble for someone
From this reading Apologies and excuses were on his tongue.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
next to; at the side of
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
patterned with alternating squares of color
From this reading The vibration of those grave tones checked them.
plural of “excuse” — a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.
From this reading Apologies and excuses were on his tongue.
death of a person
From this reading The vibration of those grave tones checked them.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Apologies and excuses were on his tongue.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.
lie partly over or alongside of something or of one another
From this reading She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The vibration of those grave tones checked them.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Apologies and excuses were on his tongue.
characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'It is you,' she said.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.
A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.
From this reading She sat in shadow, her hands joined on her lap.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'It is you,' she said.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading The vibration of those grave tones checked them.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading The vibration of those grave tones checked them.
feeling intense pleasurable excitement
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
plural of “tone” — the quality of a person's voice
From this reading The vibration of those grave tones checked them.
a mobile mass of muscular tissue covered with mucous membrane and located in the oral cavity
From this reading Apologies and excuses were on his tongue.
the act of vibrating
From this reading The vibration of those grave tones checked them.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Apologies and excuses were on his tongue.
which person or people
From this reading He stepped into the room, and thrilled to hear the quiet voice beside the bed: 'Who is it?'
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'It is you,' she said.
Chapter 18 of Diana of the Crossways — Complete by George Meredith holds 270 sentences, grouped into 54 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.
Chapter 18 holds 270 sentences of Diana of the Crossways — Complete, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of Diana of the Crossways — Complete by George Meredith exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 270 sentences, grouped into 54 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 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 54 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 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.
Common questions about reading Diana of the Crossways — Complete by George Meredith on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9209 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4470 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #4470, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1842 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Diana of the Crossways — Complete section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Diana of the Crossways — Complete 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 Diana of the Crossways — Complete, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
