Chapter 38 of Heart and Science is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of Heart and Science is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room. He rose, and groped his way to the door. Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light. Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her. He stammered, and stared about him confusedly, when he spoke.
Chapter 38 of Heart and Science is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading “He rose, and groped his way to the door.”
set afire
From this reading “Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.”
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading “Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.”
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading “The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.”
Indian nun and missionary in the Roman Catholic Church (born of Albanian parents in what is now Macedonia); dedicated to helping the poor in India (1910-1997)
From this reading “Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.”
(informal) small and of little importance
From this reading “The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.”
on a floor above
From this reading “Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.”
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading “Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.”
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 The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading He stammered, and stared about him confusedly, when he spoke.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He rose, and groped his way to the door.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
lacking funds
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
in a confused manner
From this reading He stammered, and stared about him confusedly, when he spoke.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He rose, and groped his way to the door.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
past form of “grope” — feel about uncertainly or blindly
From this reading He rose, and groped his way to the door.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He rose, and groped his way to the door.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He rose, and groped his way to the door.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
(especially of promises or contracts) not violated or disregarded
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
set afire
From this reading Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading He rose, and groped his way to the door.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
orally recite the letters of or give the spelling of
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading He stammered, and stared about him confusedly, when he spoke.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He stammered, and stared about him confusedly, when he spoke.
past form of “stare” — look at with fixed eyes
From this reading He stammered, and stared about him confusedly, when he spoke.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
Indian nun and missionary in the Roman Catholic Church (born of Albanian parents in what is now Macedonia); dedicated to helping the poor in India (1910-1997)
From this reading Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He rose, and groped his way to the door.
(informal) small and of little importance
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
on a floor above
From this reading Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.
past form of “venture” — proceed somewhere despite the risk of possible dangers
From this reading Teresa had ventured upstairs, and had kindled a light.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The first trivial sound that broke the spell, was the sound of a match struck in the next room.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading He rose, and groped his way to the door.
at the time that
From this reading Some momentary doubt of him kept the nurse silent when he looked at her.
Chapter 38 of Heart and Science by Wilkie Collins holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 holds 188 sentences of Heart and Science, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of Heart and Science by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 38 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 Heart and Science by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9743 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #7892 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #7892, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1949 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Heart and Science section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Heart and Science 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 Heart and Science, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
