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Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3)
Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3)

Chapter IX · At the Vicarage

Chapter IX of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3), “At the Vicarage,” is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3)
Context Illustration Reading 1/30 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
|One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.
The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.
“Once before, sir!”
“Did he state his business?”
“He did not, sir; he only said he would not detain you long.”
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.

Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3)

Chapter IX · At the Vicarage

Chapter IX of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3), “At the Vicarage,” is here in full — 150 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/30 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
|One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.
Line 2
The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.
/ðə ˈklɜːrdʒimən reɪzd hɪz braʊz æz hiː red ənd æskt ðə meɪd huː ˈweɪtɪd rɪˈspektfəli æt ðə dɔːr ɪf ðə ˈdʒentəlmən hæd nɑːt kɔːld əˈpɑːn hɪm bɪˈfɔːr/
Line 3
“Once before, sir!”
/wʌns bɪˈfɔːr sɜːr/
Line 4
“Did he state his business?”
/dɪd hiː steɪt hɪz ˈbɪznəs/
Line 5
“He did not, sir; he only said he would not detain you long.”
/hiː dɪd nɑːt sɜːr hiː ˈoʊnli sed hiː wʊd nɑːt dɪˈteɪn juː lɔːŋ/

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.

brows noun US /braʊz/

plural of “brow” — the part of the face above the eyes

From this reading “The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.”

card noun US /kɑːrd/

one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes

From this reading “|One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.”

clergyman noun US /ˈklɜːrdʒimən/

a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church

From this reading “The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.”

detain verb US /dɪˈteɪn/

deprive of freedom; take into confinement

From this reading ““He did not, sir; he only said he would not detain you long.””

printed verb US /ˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “print” — put into print

From this reading “|One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.”

respectfully adverb US /rɪˈspektfəli/

in a respectful manner

From this reading “The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.”

Rev verb US /rev/

increase the number of rotations per minute

From this reading “|One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.”

Walter noun US /ˈwɔːltər/

German conductor (1876-1962)

From this reading “|One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

called upon verb + particle counted as “call upon”

In this reading “The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.”

about the middle preposition + article + noun counted as “about … middle”

In this reading “|One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.”

at the door preposition + article + noun counted as “at … door”

In this reading “The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.”

All words in this reading · 58

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 |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

aloneadjectiveUS /əˈloʊn/

Having no one else present.

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

askedverbUS /æskt/

past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

broughtverbUS /brɔːt/

inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

browsnounUS /braʊz/

plural of “brow” — the part of the face above the eyes

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

businessnounUS /ˈbɪznəs/

a commercial or industrial enterprise and the people who constitute it

From this reading “Did he state his business?”

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

cardnounUS /kɑːrd/

one of a set of small pieces of stiff paper marked in various ways and used for playing games or for telling fortunes

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

clergymannounUS /ˈklɜːrdʒimən/

a member of the clergy and a spiritual leader of the Christian Church

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

detainverbUS /dɪˈteɪn/

deprive of freedom; take into confinement

From this reading “He did not, sir; he only said he would not detain you long.”

Didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading “Did he state his business?”

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

gentlemannounUS /ˈdʒentəlmən/

a man of refinement

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

Hetherington

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

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

From this reading “He did not, sir; he only said he would not detain you long.”

maidnounUS /meɪd/

a female domestic

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

middlenounUS /ˈmɪdəl/

an area that is approximately central within some larger region

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

OnceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading “Once before, sir!”

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading “He did not, sir; he only said he would not detain you long.”

printedverbUS /ˈprɪntɪd/

past form of “print” — put into print

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

raisedadjectiveUS /reɪzd/

located or moved above the surround or above the normal position

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

respectfullyadverbUS /rɪˈspektfəli/

in a respectful manner

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

RevverbUS /rev/

increase the number of rotations per minute

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “He did not, sir; he only said he would not detain you long.”

Santley

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

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

sirnounUS /sɜːr/

term of address for a man

From this reading “Once before, sir!”

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading “Did he state his business?”

studynounUS /ˈstʌdi/

a detailed critical inspection

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

waitedverbUS /ˈweɪtɪd/

past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

WalternounUS /ˈwɔːltər/

German conductor (1876-1962)

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

weeknounUS /wiːk/

any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading |One evening about the middle of the week, as the Rev. Mr. Santley sat alone in his study a card was brought to him, on which was printed-- Mr. Walter Hetherington.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The clergyman raised his brows as he read, and asked the maid, who waited respectfully at the door, if the gentleman had not called upon him before.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading “He did not, sir; he only said he would not detain you long.”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “He did not, sir; he only said he would not detain you long.”

Chapter 9 of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3) by Robert Williams Buchanan holds 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 9 of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3) contain?

Chapter 9 holds 150 sentences of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3), unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 9 of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3) by Robert Williams Buchanan exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 150 sentences, grouped into 30 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 9 of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3)?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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 9 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 9 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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Common questions about reading Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3) by Robert Williams Buchanan on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3)?

Yes. All 2038 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #48472 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3) is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #48472, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3) take to read?

About 169 minutes of reading across 408 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3) section by section

How to work through Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3) section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

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Vocabulary met early in Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3)

Words and structures a reader meets early in Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3), each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Haldane
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Study
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Evening
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Previous
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Foxglove Manor: A Novel, Volume 2 (of 3); the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.