Johnstone of the Border

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Johnstone of the Border is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Harold Bindloss • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXVI Reading 1/37

Johnstone of the Border Harold Bindloss

Chapter XXVI

Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Johnstone of the Border is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

TIGHTENING THE MESHES Andrew spent a week at Appleyard, without noticing anything that caused him uneasiness; and then he got a letter from Rankine asking him to meet him in the pool behind the Ross, near Kirkcudbright. He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home. Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie. Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries. Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

Johnstone of the Border

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Johnstone of the Border is here in full — 188 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

/hiː dɪd nɑːt wɑːnt tuː ɡoʊ bʌt hiː θɔːt ðæt hiː kʊd ɡet bæk ɪn θriː ɔːr fɔːr deɪz ənd ˈstæfər wɑːz tuː biː əˈweɪ frʌm hoʊm/

Line 3

Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

Line 4

Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

Line 5

Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

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.

Firth noun US /fɜːrθ/

English linguist who contributed to linguistic semantics and to prosodic phonology and who was noted for his insistence on studying both sound and meaning in context (1890-1960)

From this reading “Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.”

meshes noun US /ˈmeʃɪz/

plural of “mesh” — the number of openings per linear inch of a screen; measures size of particles

From this reading “TIGHTENING THE MESHES Andrew spent a week at Appleyard, without noticing anything that caused him uneasiness; and then he got a letter from Rankine asking him to meet him in the pool behind the Ross, near Kirkcudbright.”

noticing verb US /ˈnoʊtɪsɪŋ/

-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

Rankine noun US /ˈræŋkaɪn/

a unit of temperature on the Rankine scale

Ross noun US /rɑːs/

Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)

Staffer noun US /ˈstæfər/

an employee who is a member of a staff of workers (especially a member of the staff that works for the President of the United States)

From this reading “He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.”

tightening noun US /ˈtaɪtənɪŋ/

the act of making something tighter

Whitney noun US /ˈwɪtni/

United States inventor of the mechanical cotton gin (1765-1825)

From this reading “Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.”

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.

wind blowing noun + noun

In this reading “Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.”

private office adjective + noun

In this reading “Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.”

east wind noun + noun

a wind from the east

In this reading “Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.”

take care verb + noun

be careful, prudent, or watchful

In this reading “Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.”

four days noun + noun

In this reading “He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.”

across the sands preposition + article + noun counted as “across … sands”

In this reading “Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.”

without noticing preposition + noun counted as “without notice”

In this reading “TIGHTENING THE MESHES Andrew spent a week at Appleyard, without noticing anything that caused him uneasiness; and then he got a letter from Rankine asking him to meet him in the pool behind the Ross, near Kirkcudbright.”

called upon verb + particle counted as “call upon”

In this reading “Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.”

All words in this reading · 89

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading TIGHTENING THE MESHES Andrew spent a week at Appleyard, without noticing anything that caused him uneasiness; and then he got a letter from Rankine asking him to meet him in the pool behind the Ross, near Kirkcudbright.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

AndrewnounUS /ˈændruː/

(New Testament) disciple of Jesus; brother of Peter; patron saint of Scotland

anythingpronounUS /ˈeniθɪŋ/

any thing at all

Appleyard

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

askingnounUS /ˈæskɪŋ/

the verbal act of requesting

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

awayadverbUS /əˈweɪ/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

BesidesprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪdz/

in addition to; as well as

From this reading Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

blowingnounUS /ˈbloʊɪŋ/

processing that involves blowing a gas

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

boatnounUS /boʊt/

a small vessel for travel on water

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

calledverbUS /kɔːld/

past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

carenounUS /ker/

the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something

From this reading Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

causedverbUS /kɑːzd/

past form of “cause” — give rise to; cause to happen or occur, not always intentionally

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

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

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

DicknounUS /dɪk/

someone who is a detective

From this reading Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

drovenounUS /droʊv/

a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

Dumfries

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

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

eastnounUS /iːst/

the cardinal compass point that is at 90 degrees

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

Elsie

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

From this reading Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

FirthnounUS /fɜːrθ/

English linguist who contributed to linguistic semantics and to prosodic phonology and who was noted for his insistence on studying both sound and meaning in context (1890-1960)

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

foundverbUS /faʊnd/

set up or found

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

fournounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

getverbUS /ɡet/

come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

goverbUS /ɡoʊ/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

HereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

high-tide

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

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

keenadjectiveUS /kiːn/

having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

Kirkcudbright

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

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

Mackellar

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

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

meetverbUS /miːt/

come together

MESHESnounUS /ˈmeʃɪz/

plural of “mesh” — the number of openings per linear inch of a screen; measures size of particles

mouthnounUS /maʊθ/

the opening through which food is taken in and vocalizations emerge

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

Nith

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

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

noticingverbUS /ˈnoʊtɪsɪŋ/

-ing form of “notice” — discover or determine the existence, presence, or fact of

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

poolnounUS /puːl/

an excavation that is (usually) filled with water

privateadjectiveUS /ˈpraɪvət/

confined to particular persons or groups or providing privacy

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

RankinenounUS /ˈræŋkaɪn/

a unit of temperature on the Rankine scale

RossnounUS /rɑːs/

Scottish explorer who led Arctic expeditions that yielded geographic discoveries while searching for the Northwest Passage (1777-1856)

SailingnounUS /ˈseɪlɪŋ/

the work of a sailor

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

sandsnounUS /sændz/

the region of the shore of a lake or sea or ocean

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

spentadjectiveUS /spent/

depleted of energy, force, or strength

StaffernounUS /ˈstæfər/

an employee who is a member of a staff of workers (especially a member of the staff that works for the President of the United States)

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

threenounUS /θriː/

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

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

TIGHTENINGnounUS /ˈtaɪtənɪŋ/

the act of making something tighter

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

uneasinessnounUS /ˌʌˈniːzinəs/

feelings of anxiety that make you tense and irritable

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

wantverbUS /wɑːnt/

feel or have a desire for; want strongly

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He did not want to go; but he thought that he could get back in three or four days; and Staffer was to be away from home.

waternounUS /ˈwɔːtər/

binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

weeknounUS /wiːk/

any period of seven consecutive days

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

WhitneynounUS /ˈwɪtni/

United States inventor of the mechanical cotton gin (1765-1825)

From this reading Here, he and Whitney called upon Mackellar and were taken into his private office.

windnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Sailing at high-tide, with a keen east wind blowing down the Firth, he found water across the sands to the mouth of the Nith, where he left the boat and drove to Dumfries.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Besides, Dick would be there to take care of Elsie.

Chapter 26 of Johnstone of the Border by Harold Bindloss holds 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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 26 of Johnstone of the Border contain?

Chapter 26 holds 188 sentences of Johnstone of the Border, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 26 of Johnstone of the Border by Harold Bindloss exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 188 sentences, grouped into 38 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.

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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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Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

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