In Silk Attire: A Novel

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of In Silk Attire: A Novel is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By William Black • Curated US English Learning Edition

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IN ENGLAND.

Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

He had spent half his fortune in beautifying his theatre, in getting up elaborate scenery for the new piece with which he was to welcome the return to town of his patrons, and in providing costly properties.

So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

"You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXI Reading 1/22

In Silk Attire: A Novel William Black

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of In Silk Attire: A Novel is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

IN ENGLAND. Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again. He had spent half his fortune in beautifying his theatre, in getting up elaborate scenery for the new piece with which he was to welcome the return to town of his patrons, and in providing costly properties. So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease. "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

In Silk Attire: A Novel

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of In Silk Attire: A Novel is here in full — 111 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

IN ENGLAND.

/ɪn ˈɪŋɡlənd/

Line 2

Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

Line 3

Line 4

So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

Line 5

"You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

/juː ʃæl kʌm raʊnd naʊ ənd siː wʌt wiː hæv dʌn fɔːr juː ənd ɡɪv ʌs jɔːr əˈpɪnjən sed hiː pəˈlaɪtli/

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.

costly adjective US /ˈkɑːstli/

entailing great loss or sacrifice

From this reading “He had spent half his fortune in beautifying his theatre, in getting up elaborate scenery for the new piece with which he was to welcome the return to town of his patrons, and in providing costly properties.”

elaborate adjective US /ɪˈlæbrət/

marked by complexity and richness of detail

heroine noun US /ˈheroʊən/

the main good female character in a work of fiction

From this reading “So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.”

manager's noun US /ˈmænɪdʒərz/

possessive form of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures

overjoyed adjective US /ˌoʊvərˈdʒɔɪd/

extremely joyful

From this reading “Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.”

patrons noun US /ˈpeɪtrənz/

plural of “patron” — a regular customer

properties noun US /ˈprɑːpərtiz/

plural of “property” — something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone

providing verb US /prəˈvaɪdɪŋ/

-ing form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to

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.

among the mountains preposition + article + noun counted as “among … mountain”

In this reading “So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.”

come round verb + noun

change one's position or opinion

In this reading “"You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.”

All words in this reading · 72

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

amongprepositionUS /əˈmʌŋ/

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He had spent half his fortune in beautifying his theatre, in getting up elaborate scenery for the new piece with which he was to welcome the return to town of his patrons, and in providing costly properties.

Annie

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

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

beautifying

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

Brunel

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

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

costlyadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːstli/

entailing great loss or sacrifice

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

easeverbUS /iːz/

move gently or carefully

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

elaborateadjectiveUS /ɪˈlæbrət/

marked by complexity and richness of detail

ENGLANDnounUS /ˈɪŋɡlənd/

a division of the United Kingdom

From this reading IN ENGLAND.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

an unknown and unpredictable phenomenon that causes an event to result one way rather than another

gettingnounUS /ˈɡetɪŋ/

the act of acquiring something

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

halfadjectiveUS /hæf/

consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

heroinenounUS /ˈheroʊən/

the main good female character in a work of fiction

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

impossibleadjectiveUS /ˌɪmˈpɑːsəbəl/

not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

INprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading IN ENGLAND.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

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 So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

manager'snounUS /ˈmænɪdʒərz/

possessive form of “manager” — someone who controls resources and expenditures

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

Melton

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

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

mountainsnounUS /ˈmaʊntənz/

plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

newadjectiveUS /nuː/

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

opinionnounUS /əˈpɪnjən/

a personal belief or judgment that is not founded on proof or certainty

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

overjoyedadjectiveUS /ˌoʊvərˈdʒɔɪd/

extremely joyful

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

patronsnounUS /ˈpeɪtrənz/

plural of “patron” — a regular customer

piecenounUS /piːs/

a separate part of a whole

politelyadverbUS /pəˈlaɪtli/

in a polite manner

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

propertiesnounUS /ˈprɑːpərtiz/

plural of “property” — something owned; any tangible or intangible possession that is owned by someone

providingverbUS /prəˈvaɪdɪŋ/

-ing form of “provide” — give something useful or necessary to

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

roundnounUS /raʊnd/

a charge of ammunition for a single shot

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

scenerynounUS /ˈsiːnəri/

the painted structures of a stage set that are intended to suggest a particular locale

Schwarzwaldnoun

a hilly forest region in southwestern Germany

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

spentadjectiveUS /spent/

depleted of energy, force, or strength

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

theatrenounUS /ˈθiːətər/

a building where theatrical performances or motion-picture shows can be presented

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

wanderingadjectiveUS /ˈwɑːndərɪŋ/

migratory

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Mr. Melton was overjoyed to see Annie Brunel in London again.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

welcomeverbUS /ˈwelkəm/

accept gladly

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading So long as the heroine of the piece was wandering among the mountains of the Schwarzwald, it was impossible that the manager’s mind could be well at ease.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You shall come round now, and see what we have done for you, and give us your opinion," said he, politely.

Chapter 21 of In Silk Attire: A Novel by William Black holds 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 21 of In Silk Attire: A Novel contain?

Chapter 21 holds 111 sentences of In Silk Attire: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of In Silk Attire: A Novel by William Black exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 111 sentences, grouped into 23 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 21 of In Silk Attire: A Novel?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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.

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Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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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Yes. All 5806 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40111 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #40111, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 483 minutes of reading across 1162 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in In Silk Attire: A Novel

Words and structures a reader meets early in In Silk Attire: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Attire: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Silk Attire: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Silk Attire: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Daughter: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Silk Attire: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Three: A word that appears in the opening chapter of In Silk Attire: A Novel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXI

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