Chapter 26 of "I Say No" is here in full — 240 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of "I Say No" is here in full — 240 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself. His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again. The keeper’s garden was at the back of the lodge. Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path. Nobody was there: he went in and sat down.
Chapter 26 of "I Say No" is here in full — 240 sentences across 48 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
having the place or position changed
From this reading “His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.”
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading “His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.”
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading “His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.”
be a lodger; stay temporarily
From this reading “Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.”
no person; not anyone
From this reading “Nobody was there: he went in and sat down.”
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading “Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.”
a course of conduct
From this reading “Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.”
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.”
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 Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
anew
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The keeper’s garden was at the back of the lodge.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading The keeper’s garden was at the back of the lodge.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.
having the place or position changed
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Nobody was there: he went in and sat down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
to come or go into
From this reading Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
set up or found
From this reading Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.
-ing form of “gain” — obtain
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading The keeper’s garden was at the back of the lodge.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
the quality of being important and worthy of note
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The keeper’s garden was at the back of the lodge.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
be a lodger; stay temporarily
From this reading Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody was there: he went in and sat down.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate
From this reading Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
a course of conduct
From this reading Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Nobody was there: he went in and sat down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Nobody was there: he went in and sat down.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mirabel left Francine to enter the lodge by herself.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading His mind was disturbed: he felt the importance of gaining time for reflection before he and Emily met again.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Nobody was there: he went in and sat down.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Passing through the wicket-gate, he found a little summer-house at a turn in the path.
Chapter 26 of "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins holds 240 sentences, grouped into 48 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 26 holds 240 sentences of "I Say No", unabridged, divided into 48 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 240 sentences, grouped into 48 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 48 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 48 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 26 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 "I Say No" by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 9092 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1629 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1629, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1819 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through "I Say No" section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of "I Say No" 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 "I Say No", each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
