Chapter 26 of John Brent is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of John Brent is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HAM. Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started. Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles. It was hard to say good-bye. We were grateful, and they were sorry.
Chapter 26 of John Brent is here in full — 165 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/33 · 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.
a farewell remark
From this reading “It was hard to say good-bye.”
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading “We were grateful, and they were sorry.”
meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading “HAM.”
plural of “luxury” — something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
From this reading “Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.”
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading “Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.”
possessive form of “ruby” — a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)
From this reading “Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.”
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading “Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.”
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.
In this reading “It was hard to say good-bye.”
In this reading “Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.”
In this reading “Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.”
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 Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
a farewell remark
From this reading It was hard to say good-bye.
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading We were grateful, and they were sorry.
meat cut from the thigh of a hog (usually smoked)
From this reading HAM.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading It was hard to say good-bye.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was hard to say good-bye.
plural of “luxury” — something that is an indulgence rather than a necessity
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
plural of “mile” — a unit of length equal to 1,760 yards or 5,280 feet; exactly 1609.344 meters
From this reading Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
not widely known; especially valued for its uncommonness
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
inflected form of “ride” — sit and travel on the back of animal, usually while controlling its motions
From this reading Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.
a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.
possessive form of “ruby” — a transparent piece of ruby that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
express in words
From this reading It was hard to say good-bye.
a number or letter indicating quality (especially of a student's performance)
From this reading Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
feeling or expressing regret or sorrow or a sense of loss over something done or undone
From this reading We were grateful, and they were sorry.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
a physician who specializes in surgery
From this reading Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading We were grateful, and they were sorry.
one of three equal parts of a divisible whole
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was hard to say good-bye.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was hard to say good-bye.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Two days Biddulph solaced himself on those rare luxuries of Ruby’s _ménage_; the third, we started.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading We were grateful, and they were sorry.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Ruby and the surgeon rode with us a score of miles.
Chapter 26 of John Brent by Theodore Winthrop holds 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 26 holds 165 sentences of John Brent, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of John Brent by Theodore Winthrop exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 165 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 John Brent by Theodore Winthrop on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5312 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #73738 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #73738, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 442 minutes of reading across 1063 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through John Brent section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of John Brent 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 John Brent, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
