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Historical Romances
Historical Romances

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of Historical Romances is here in full — 659 sentences across 132 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/131 · 5 lines
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HIS KINGDOM.
Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.
Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.
A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.
Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Historical Romances

Chapter XXIV

Chapter 24 of Historical Romances is here in full — 659 sentences across 132 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/131 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
HIS KINGDOM.
/hɪz ˈkɪŋdəm/
Line 2
Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.
/kaʊnt ˈhænɪbəl kʊd nɑːt hæv sed waɪ hiː dɪd nɑːt spiːk tuː hɜːr æt wʌns/
Line 3
Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.
Line 4
A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.
/ə ˈmoʊmənt ˈleɪtər ʃiː met hɪz ɡeɪz ənd hiː lʊkt tuː siː hɜːr stɑːrt/
Line 5
Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.
/ˌɪnˈsted ʃiː stʊd ˈkwaɪət ənd ˈθɔːtfəl rɪˈɡɑːrdɪŋ hɪm wɪð ə kaɪnd ʌv sæd səˈlemnəti æz ɪf ʃiː sɔː nɑːt hɪm ˈoʊnli bʌt ðə ded waɪl fɜːrst wʌn ˈtremər ənd ðen ə ˈsekənd ʃʊk hɜːr freɪm/

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.

Hannibal noun US /ˈhænɪbəl/

general who commanded the Carthaginian army in the second Punic War; crossed the Alps and defeated the Romans but was recalled to defend Carthage and was defeated (247-182 BC)

From this reading “Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.”

instinct noun US /ˈɪnstɪŋkt/

inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli

From this reading “Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.”

regarding verb US /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪŋ/

-ing form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading “Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.”

riveted verb US /ˈrɪvətɪd/

past form of “rivet” — direct one's attention on something

From this reading “Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.”

solemnity noun US /səˈlemnəti/

a trait of dignified seriousness

From this reading “Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.”

thoughtful adjective US /ˈθɔːtfəl/

having intellectual depth

From this reading “Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.”

tremor noun US /ˈtremər/

an involuntary vibration (as if from illness or fear)

From this reading “Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.”

Warned verb US /wɔːrnd/

past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk

From this reading “Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.”

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.

remained silent verb + adjective counted as “remain silent”

In this reading “Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.”

at once preposition + adverb

without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening

In this reading “Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.”

riveted on verb + particle counted as “rivet on”

In this reading “Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.”

Warned by verb + particle counted as “warn by”

In this reading “Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.”

from the floor preposition + article + noun counted as “from … floor”

In this reading “Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.”

All words in this reading · 67

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 A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

CountverbUS /kaʊnt/

determine the number or amount of

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

deadadjectiveUS /ded/

no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

floornounUS /flɔːr/

the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

frameverbUS /freɪm/

enclose in or as if in a frame

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

gazenounUS /ɡeɪz/

a long fixed look

From this reading A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.

HannibalnounUS /ˈhænɪbəl/

general who commanded the Carthaginian army in the second Punic War; crossed the Alps and defeated the Romans but was recalled to defend Carthage and was defeated (247-182 BC)

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading HIS KINGDOM.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

ill-understood

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

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

InsteadadverbUS /ˌɪnˈsted/

in place of, or as an alternative to

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

instinctnounUS /ˈɪnstɪŋkt/

inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

kindadjectiveUS /kaɪnd/

having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

KINGDOMnounUS /ˈkɪŋdəm/

a domain in which something is dominant

From this reading HIS KINGDOM.

lateradverbUS /ˈleɪtər/

happening at a time subsequent to a reference time

From this reading A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.

metverbUS /met/

inflected form of “meet” — come together

From this reading A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

From this reading A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

onlyadverbUS /ˈoʊnli/

and nothing more

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

quietadjectiveUS /ˈkwaɪət/

characterized by an absence or near absence of agitation or activity

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

regardingverbUS /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪŋ/

-ing form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

rivetedverbUS /ˈrɪvətɪd/

past form of “rivet” — direct one's attention on something

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

rosenounUS /roʊz/

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

sadadjectiveUS /sæd/

experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

shooknounUS /ʃʊk/

a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

silentadjectiveUS /ˈsaɪlənt/

marked by absence of sound

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

solemnitynounUS /səˈlemnəti/

a trait of dignified seriousness

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

speakverbUS /spiːk/

express in speech

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

startverbUS /stɑːrt/

take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading A moment later she met his gaze, and he looked to see her start.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

thoughtfuladjectiveUS /ˈθɔːtfəl/

having intellectual depth

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

tremornounUS /ˈtremər/

an involuntary vibration (as if from illness or fear)

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

vagueadjectiveUS /veɪɡ/

not clearly expressed or understood

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

WarnedverbUS /wɔːrnd/

past form of “warn” — notify of danger, potential harm, or risk

From this reading Warned by an instinct vague and ill-understood, he remained silent, his eyes riveted on her, until she rose from the floor.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

whynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading Count Hannibal could not have said why he did not speak to her at once.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Instead she stood quiet and thoughtful, regarding him with a kind of sad solemnity, as if she saw not him only, but the dead; while first one tremor and then a second shook her frame.

Chapter 24 of Historical Romances by Stanley John Weyman holds 659 sentences, grouped into 132 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 24 of Historical Romances contain?

Chapter 24 holds 659 sentences of Historical Romances, unabridged, divided into 132 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 24 of Historical Romances by Stanley John Weyman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 659 sentences, grouped into 132 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 24 of Historical Romances?

Work through the 132 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 132 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 24 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 24 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 Historical Romances by Stanley John Weyman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Historical Romances?

Yes. All 19958 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39136 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Historical Romances is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #39136, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Historical Romances take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 3992 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Historical Romances section by section

How to work through Historical Romances section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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  2. Read one section

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  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Historical Romances

Words and structures a reader meets early in Historical Romances, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Diphthong
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Historical Romances; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Represented
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Historical Romances; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Marked
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Historical Romances; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cards
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Historical Romances; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.