Chapter 12 of Lady Good-for-Nothing is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of Lady Good-for-Nothing is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
VASHTI. The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk. Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it. Beyond the alternative they could not trace it. But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
Chapter 12 of Lady Good-for-Nothing is here in full — 142 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading “But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.”
serving or used in place of another
From this reading “Beyond the alternative they could not trace it.”
put or pin the blame on
From this reading “But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.”
the act of examining resemblances
From this reading “Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.”
plural of “recollection” — the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading “Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.”
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading “The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.”
an idea that is suggested
From this reading “The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.”
a just detectable amount
From this reading “Beyond the alternative they could not trace it.”
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.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
united by being of the same opinion
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
serving or used in place of another
From this reading Beyond the alternative they could not trace it.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
on the far side of; further than
From this reading Beyond the alternative they could not trace it.
put or pin the blame on
From this reading But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
an institution created to conduct business
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
the act of examining resemblances
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Beyond the alternative they could not trace it.
in a damnable manner
From this reading But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
one or the other of two
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
plural of “head” — the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
a form of address for a man
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Beyond the alternative they could not trace it.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
plural of “recollection” — the ability to recall past occurrences
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
a fabric made from the fine threads produced by certain insect larvae
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
an idea that is suggested
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The first bad suggestion almost certainly came from Mr. Silk.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Beyond the alternative they could not trace it.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
a just detectable amount
From this reading Beyond the alternative they could not trace it.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Two or three of the company afterwards put their heads together and, comparing recollections, agreed that either Silk or Manley had started it.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading VASHTI.
including all components without exception; being one unit or constituting the full amount or extent or duration; complete
From this reading But the whole table, they admitted, had been to blame, and pretty damnably.
Chapter 12 of Lady Good-for-Nothing by Arthur Quiller-Couch holds 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 12 holds 142 sentences of Lady Good-for-Nothing, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of Lady Good-for-Nothing by Arthur Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 142 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 12 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 Lady Good-for-Nothing by Arthur Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7355 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15228 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15228, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1471 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Lady Good-for-Nothing section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Lady Good-for-Nothing 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 Lady Good-for-Nothing, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
