Chapter 8 of In Luck at Last is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of In Luck at Last is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE DISCOVERY. At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board. "Where is Mr. Arbuthnot this evening, my dear?" he asked. It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening. Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.
Chapter 8 of In Luck at Last is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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 “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading “Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.”
weedy annual native to Europe but widely distributed as a weed especially in wheat
From this reading “At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.”
the act of discovering something
From this reading “THE DISCOVERY.”
special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group, etc.
From this reading “At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.”
plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals
From this reading “Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.”
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading “At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.”
according to the clock
From this reading “At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.”
important in effect or meaning
From this reading “It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.”
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 It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Where is Mr. Arbuthnot this evening, my dear?" he asked.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Where is Mr. Arbuthnot this evening, my dear?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
past form of “blush” — turn red, as if in embarrassment or shame
From this reading Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.
a committee having supervisory powers
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
weedy annual native to Europe but widely distributed as a weed especially in wheat
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.
dearly loved
From this reading "Where is Mr. Arbuthnot this evening, my dear?" he asked.
the act of discovering something
From this reading THE DISCOVERY.
special design or visual object representing a quality, type, group, etc.
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
all the members of a group, with none left out
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Where is Mr. Arbuthnot this evening, my dear?" he asked.
plural of “house” — a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
plants with sword-shaped leaves and erect stalks bearing bright-colored flowers composed of three petals and three drooping sepals
From this reading Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Where is Mr. Arbuthnot this evening, my dear?" he asked.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
a form of address for a man
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Where is Mr. Arbuthnot this evening, my dear?" he asked.
the cardinal number that is the sum of eight and one
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.
according to the clock
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
by chance
From this reading Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.
important in effect or meaning
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE DISCOVERY.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "Where is Mr. Arbuthnot this evening, my dear?" he asked.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading At nine o'clock that evening, Mr. Emblem looked up from the chess board.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Iris blushed, and said that perhaps he was not coming.
at the time that
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
in or at the place that
From this reading "Where is Mr. Arbuthnot this evening, my dear?" he asked.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading It would be significant in some houses when a young man is expected every evening.
Chapter 8 of In Luck at Last by Walter Besant holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 8 holds 438 sentences of In Luck at Last, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of In Luck at Last by Walter Besant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 8 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 In Luck at Last by Walter Besant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4190 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16129 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16129, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 349 minutes of reading across 838 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In Luck at Last section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 14 chapters of In Luck at Last 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 In Luck at Last, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
