Chapter 25 of Happy House is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of Happy House is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body. For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed. Then she had, mechanically, made ready for the night. But sleep would not come. Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
Chapter 25 of Happy House is here in full — 143 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading “NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.”
inflected form of “lie” — be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.”
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading “Then she had, mechanically, made ready for the night.”
possessive form of “nancy” — a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading “NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.”
the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading “Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.”
go at a rack
From this reading “NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.”
plural of “torment” — unbearable physical pain
From this reading “NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.”
comparative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading “Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.”
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 “Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.”
In this reading “Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.”
In this reading “Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.”
a prolonged period of time
In this reading “For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.”
In this reading “Then she had, mechanically, made ready for the night.”
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 NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
the entire physical structure of an organism (an animal, plant, or human being)
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But sleep would not come.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading But sleep would not come.
an admission of misdeeds or faults
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
inflected form of “lie” — be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
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 For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Then she had, mechanically, made ready for the night.
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading Then she had, mechanically, made ready for the night.
possessive form of “nancy” — a city in northeastern France in Lorraine
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Then she had, mechanically, made ready for the night.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But sleep would not come.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
the line that appears to bound an object
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
go at a rack
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Then she had, mechanically, made ready for the night.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading But sleep would not come.
the immaterial part of a person; the actuating cause of an individual life
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
not in physical motion
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then she had, mechanically, made ready for the night.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she had, mechanically, made ready for the night.
the cardinal number that is the product of 10 and 100
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
plural of “torment” — unbearable physical pain
From this reading NANCY'S CONFESSION A thousand torments seemed to rack poor Nancy's tired soul and body.
precisely as stated
From this reading For a long time she had lain, very still, across her bed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
comparative of “wide” — having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Wider and wider-eyed she stared at the dim outline that was her open window.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading But sleep would not come.
Chapter 25 of Happy House by Jane Abbott holds 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 25 holds 143 sentences of Happy House, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of Happy House by Jane Abbott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 143 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 25 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 Happy House by Jane Abbott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4201 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32053 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32053, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 350 minutes of reading across 841 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Happy House section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Happy House 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 Happy House, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
