an unfortunate mishap; especially one causing damage or injury
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
(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 "All well at home, James?"
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
Calne
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
dewsnounUS /duːz/
plural of “dew” — water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
Elster
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
decreasing in amount or degree
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading FEVER.
firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
Hartledon
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading "All well at home, James?"
a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)
From this reading "All well at home, James?"
and nothing more
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
luggagenounUS /ˈlʌɡədʒ/
cases used to carry belongings when traveling
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
master'snounUS /ˈmæstərz/
possessive form of “master” — an artist of consummate skill
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
merestadjectiveUS /ˈmerəst/
superlative of “mere” — being nothing more than specified
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
OctobernounUS /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/
the month following September and preceding November
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
and nothing more
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
railway-station
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
cut with a saw
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
create by training and teaching
From this reading By the merest accident one of the Hartledon servants happened to be at the station when the train arrived, and took charge of his master's luggage.
unexpectedlyadverbUS /ˌʌnɪkˈspektɪdli/
in a way that was not expected
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
Val
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "All well at home, James?"
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The dews of an October evening were falling upon Calne, as Lord Hartledon walked from the railway-station.
at the time that
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Just as unexpectedly as he had arrived the morning you first saw him, when he was only Val Elster, had he arrived now.
