Chapter 16 of In the Cage is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of In the Cage is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself. They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them. “It‘s only because I’m tired. It’s that—it’s that!” Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
Chapter 16 of In the Cage is here in full — 78 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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 “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.”
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.”
in an incoherent manner
From this reading “Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.””
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading “Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.”
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading “Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.”
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading “Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading ““It‘s only because I’m tired.”
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you 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 Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
anew
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.
for the reason that
From this reading “It‘s only because I’m tired.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.
hide (feelings) from other people
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
past form of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
destroyed or killed
From this reading They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It‘s only because I’m tired.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
in an incoherent manner
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “It‘s only because I’m tired.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It’s that—it’s that!”
a unit of time equal to 60 seconds or 1/60th of an hour
From this reading They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
and nothing more
From this reading “It‘s only because I’m tired.
people in general considered as a whole
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
get or find back; recover the use of
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading “It‘s only because I’m tired.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
the general state of things; the combination of circumstances at a given time
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It’s that—it’s that!”
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had come and gone in half a minute, and she immediately explained them.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “It‘s only because I’m tired.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her tears helped her really to dissimulate, for she had instantly, in so public a situation, to recover herself.
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Then she added a trifle incoherently: “I shall never see you again.”
Chapter 16 of In the Cage by Henry James holds 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 holds 78 sentences of In the Cage, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of In the Cage by Henry James exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 78 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 16 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 the Cage by Henry James on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1637 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1144 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1144, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 136 minutes of reading across 328 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through In the Cage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of In the Cage 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 the Cage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
