Indian Tales

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of Indian Tales is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Rudyard Kipling • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Three years ago it was my fortune--my great misfortune--to sail from Gravesend to Bombay, on return from long leave, with one Agnes Keith-Wessington, wife of an officer on the Bombay side.

It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XX Reading 1/85

Indian Tales Rudyard Kipling

Chapter XX

Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of Indian Tales is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Three years ago it was my fortune--my great misfortune--to sail from Gravesend to Bombay, on return from long leave, with one Agnes Keith-Wessington, wife of an officer on the Bombay side. It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was. Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another. Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity. In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

Indian Tales

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

Chapter 20 of Indian Tales is here in full — 427 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Three years ago it was my fortune--my great misfortune--to sail from Gravesend to Bombay, on return from long leave, with one Agnes Keith-Wessington, wife of an officer on the Bombay side.

Line 2

It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

/ɪt dʌz nɑːt ɪn ðə liːst kənˈsɜːrn juː tuː noʊ wʌt ˈmænər ʌv ˈwʊmən ʃiː wɑːz/

Line 3

Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

Line 4

Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

/ˈhevən noʊz ðæt aɪ kæn meɪk ðə ædˈmɪʃən naʊ wɪˈθaʊt wʌn ˈpɑːrtəkəl ʌv ˈvænəti/

Line 5

In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

/ɪn ˈmætərz ʌv ðɪs sɔːrt ðer ɪz ˈɔːlweɪz wʌn huː ɡɪvz ənd əˈnʌðər huː ækˈsepts/

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.

accepts verb US /ækˈsepts/

third-person singular of “accept” — consider or hold as true

From this reading “In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.”

admission noun US /ædˈmɪʃən/

the act of admitting someone to enter

From this reading “Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.”

Bombay noun US /bɑːmˈbeɪ/

a city in western India just off the coast of the Arabian Sea; India's 2nd largest city (after Calcutta); has the only natural deep-water harbor in western India

From this reading “Three years ago it was my fortune--my great misfortune--to sail from Gravesend to Bombay, on return from long leave, with one Agnes Keith-Wessington, wife of an officer on the Bombay side.”

concern noun US /kənˈsɜːrn/

something that interests you because it is important or affects you

From this reading “It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.”

desperately adverb US /ˈdespərətli/

with great urgency

From this reading “Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.”

particle noun US /ˈpɑːrtəkəl/

(nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything

From this reading “Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.”

vanity noun US /ˈvænəti/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading “Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.”

voyage noun US /ˈvɔɪədʒ/

an act of traveling by water

From this reading “Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.”

All words in this reading · 73

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.

acceptsverbUS /ækˈsepts/

third-person singular of “accept” — consider or hold as true

From this reading In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

admissionnounUS /ædˈmɪʃən/

the act of admitting someone to enter

From this reading Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

Agnes

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

From this reading Three years ago it was my fortune--my great misfortune--to sail from Gravesend to Bombay, on return from long leave, with one Agnes Keith-Wessington, wife of an officer on the Bombay side.

agoadverbUS /əˈɡoʊ/

in the past

alwaysadverbUS /ˈɔːlweɪz/

at all times; all the time and on every occasion

From this reading In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

Beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

BombaynounUS /bɑːmˈbeɪ/

a city in western India just off the coast of the Arabian Sea; India's 2nd largest city (after Calcutta); has the only natural deep-water harbor in western India

bothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

concernnounUS /kənˈsɜːrn/

something that interests you because it is important or affects you

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

contentnounUS /ˈkɑːntent/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

desperatelyadverbUS /ˈdespərətli/

with great urgency

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

doesauxiliary verbUS /dʌz/

the form of “do” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

endedadjectiveUS /ˈendəd/

having come or been brought to a conclusion

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

ereconjunctionUS /er/

an old word for “before”

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

fortunenounUS /ˈfɔːrtʃən/

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

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

givesnounUS /ɡɪvz/

plural of “give” — the elasticity of something that can be stretched and returns to its original length

From this reading In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

Gravesend

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

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

HeavennounUS /ˈhevən/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

Keith-Wessington

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

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

knowledgenounUS /ˈnɑːlədʒ/

the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

knowsnounUS /noʊz/

plural of “know” — the fact of being aware of information that is known to few people

From this reading Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

leastadjectiveUS /liːst/

the superlative of “little” that can be used with mass nouns and is usually preceded by “the”; a quantifier meaning smallest in amount or extent or degree

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

leaveverbUS /liːv/

go away from a place

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

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

mannernounUS /ˈmænər/

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

mattersnounUS /ˈmætərz/

plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern

From this reading In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

misfortunenounUS /mɪˈsfɔːrtʃən/

unnecessary and unforeseen trouble resulting from an unfortunate event

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

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

From this reading Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

officernounUS /ˈɔːfəsər/

any person in the armed services who holds a position of authority or command

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

particlenounUS /ˈpɑːrtəkəl/

(nontechnical usage) a tiny piece of anything

From this reading Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

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

sailverbUS /seɪl/

traverse or travel on (a body of water)

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

sidenounUS /saɪd/

a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location

sortnounUS /sɔːrt/

a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality

From this reading In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

ThreenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

unreasoninglyadverb

in an unreasoning visceral manner

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

vanitynounUS /ˈvænəti/

feelings of excessive pride

From this reading Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

voyagenounUS /ˈvɔɪədʒ/

an act of traveling by water

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Be content with the knowledge that, ere the voyage had ended, both she and I were desperately and unreasoningly in love with one another.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading In matters of this sort there is always one who gives and another who accepts.

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Heaven knows that I can make the admission now without one particle of vanity.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

yearsnounUS /jɪrz/

a late time of life

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading It does not in the least concern you to know what manner of woman she was.

Chapter 20 of Indian Tales by Rudyard Kipling holds 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 20 of Indian Tales contain?

Chapter 20 holds 427 sentences of Indian Tales, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of Indian Tales by Rudyard Kipling exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 427 sentences, grouped into 86 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 20 of Indian Tales?

Work through the 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 86 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 20 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 20 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.

Questions about reading Indian Tales

Common questions about reading Indian Tales by Rudyard Kipling on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Indian Tales?

Yes. All 9523 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8649 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Indian Tales is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #8649, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Indian Tales take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1905 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Indian Tales section by section

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

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 23 chapters of Indian Tales to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Indian Tales

Words and structures a reader meets early in Indian Tales, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Strength: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Indian Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Likeness: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Indian Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Madness: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Indian Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Private: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Indian Tales; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XX · Chapter 20

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Can chapter 20 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading Indian Tales

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Vocabulary met early in Indian Tales