Mabel's Mistake

Chapter XXXIII

Chapter 33 of Mabel's Mistake is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

THREATS AND PERSUASIONS.

Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

"You are not pleased to find me here so soon," she said quickly, for impatience had for the moment disturbed the wonderful self-control with which her interviews with General Harrington were invariably conducted.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXXIII Reading 1/38

Mabel's Mistake Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens

Chapter XXXIII

Chapter 33 of Mabel's Mistake is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

THREATS AND PERSUASIONS. Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness. She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her. When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance. "You are not pleased to find me here so soon," she said quickly, for impatience had for the moment disturbed the wonderful self-control with which her interviews with General Harrington were invariably conducted.

Mabel's Mistake

Chapter XXXIII

Chapter 33 of Mabel's Mistake is here in full — 192 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

THREATS AND PERSUASIONS.

/θrets ənd pərˈsweɪʒənz/

Line 2

Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

Line 3

She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

/ʃiː stʊd sʌm ˈmoʊmənts ˈpɑːrtli bɪˈhaɪnd ðə ˈdʒenərəlz tʃer bɪˈfɔːr hiː rɪˈɡɑːrdɪd hɜːr/

Line 4

When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

/wen hiː dɪd lʊk ʌp ə feɪnt ˈkʌlər swept ˈoʊvər hɪz feɪs ənd hiː meɪd ə ˈdʒestʃər ʌv əˈnɔɪəns/

Line 5

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.

annoyance noun US /əˈnɔɪəns/

the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed

From this reading “When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.”

breathless adjective US /ˈbreθləs/

not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty

From this reading “Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.”

General's noun US /ˈdʒenərəlz/

possessive form of “general” — a general officer of the highest rank

From this reading “Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.”

interviews noun US /ˈɪntərvjuːz/

plural of “interview” — the questioning of a person (or a conversation in which information is elicited); often conducted by journalists

From this reading “"You are not pleased to find me here so soon," she said quickly, for impatience had for the moment disturbed the wonderful self-control with which her interviews with General Harrington were invariably conducted.”

invariably adverb US /ˌɪnˈveriəbli/

without variation or change, in every case

persuasions noun US /pərˈsweɪʒənz/

plural of “persuasion” — the act of persuading (or attempting to persuade); communication intended to induce belief or action

From this reading “THREATS AND PERSUASIONS.”

self-control noun US /ˌselfkənˈtroʊl/

the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses

threats noun US /θrets/

plural of “threat” — something that is a source of danger

From this reading “THREATS AND PERSUASIONS.”

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.

faint color adjective + noun

In this reading “When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.”

interviews with verb + particle counted as “interview with”

In this reading “"You are not pleased to find me here so soon," she said quickly, for impatience had for the moment disturbed the wonderful self-control with which her interviews with General Harrington were invariably conducted.”

for the moment preposition + article + noun counted as “for … moment”

temporarily

look up verb + adjective

seek information from

In this reading “When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.”

some moments adjective + noun counted as “some moment”

In this reading “She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.”

All words in this reading · 69

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 When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading THREATS AND PERSUASIONS.

annoyancenounUS /əˈnɔɪəns/

the psychological state of being irritated or annoyed

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading "You are not pleased to find me here so soon," she said quickly, for impatience had for the moment disturbed the wonderful self-control with which her interviews with General Harrington were invariably conducted.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

breathlessadjectiveUS /ˈbreθləs/

not breathing or able to breathe except with difficulty

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

cautiouslyadverbUS /ˈkɔːʃəsli/

as if with kid gloves; with caution or prudence or tact

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

colornounUS /ˈkʌlər/

a visual attribute of things that results from the light they emit or transmit or reflect

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

conductedverbUS /kənˈdʌktəd/

past form of “conduct” — direct the course of; manage or control

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

DirectlyadverbUS /dərˈektli/

without deviation

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

disturbedadjectiveUS /dɪˈstɜːrbd/

having the place or position changed

eagernessnounUS /ˈiːɡərnəs/

a positive feeling of wanting to push ahead with something

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

faintadjectiveUS /feɪnt/

deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

findverbUS /faɪnd/

come upon, as if by accident; meet with

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

GeneraladjectiveUS /ˈdʒenərəl/

applying to all or most members of a category or group

General'snounUS /ˈdʒenərəlz/

possessive form of “general” — a general officer of the highest rank

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

gesturenounUS /ˈdʒestʃər/

motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

Harrington

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

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

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

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

impatiencenounUS /ˌɪmˈpeɪʃəns/

a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay

interviewsnounUS /ˈɪntərvjuːz/

plural of “interview” — the questioning of a person (or a conversation in which information is elicited); often conducted by journalists

invariablyadverbUS /ˌɪnˈveriəbli/

without variation or change, in every case

JamesnounUS /dʒeɪmz/

a Stuart king of Scotland who married a daughter of Henry VII; when England and France went to war in 1513 he invaded England and died in defeat at Flodden (1473-1513)

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

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 Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

momentsnounUS /ˈmoʊmənts/

plural of “moment” — a particular point in time

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

partlyadverbUS /ˈpɑːrtli/

to some extent; in some degree; not wholly

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

PERSUASIONSnounUS /pərˈsweɪʒənz/

plural of “persuasion” — the act of persuading (or attempting to persuade); communication intended to induce belief or action

From this reading THREATS AND PERSUASIONS.

pleasedadjectiveUS /pliːzd/

experiencing or manifesting pleasure

quicklyadverbUS /ˈkwɪkli/

with speed

regardedverbUS /rɪˈɡɑːrdɪd/

past form of “regard” — deem to be

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

self-controlnounUS /ˌselfkənˈtroʊl/

the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

soonadverbUS /suːn/

in the near future

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading She stood some moments partly behind the General's chair, before he regarded her.

sweptadjectiveUS /swept/

possessing sweep

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

THREATSnounUS /θrets/

plural of “threat” — something that is a source of danger

From this reading THREATS AND PERSUASIONS.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

waiting-woman

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

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

WhenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading When he did look up, a faint color swept over his face, and he made a gesture of annoyance.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

wonderfuladjectiveUS /ˈwʌndərfəl/

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

Zillah

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

From this reading Directly after James Harrington left the General's room, the waiting-woman Zillah entered cautiously, and with breathless eagerness.

Chapter 33 of Mabel's Mistake by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens holds 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 33 of Mabel's Mistake contain?

Chapter 33 holds 192 sentences of Mabel's Mistake, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 33 of Mabel's Mistake by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 192 sentences, grouped into 39 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 33 of Mabel's Mistake?

Work through the 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 39 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 33 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 33 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 Mabel's Mistake

Common questions about reading Mabel's Mistake by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Mabel's Mistake?

Yes. All 6613 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #30247 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Mabel's Mistake is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #30247, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Mabel's Mistake take to read?

About 551 minutes of reading across 1323 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in Mabel's Mistake

Words and structures a reader meets early in Mabel's Mistake, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Mabel's: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mabel's Mistake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mistake: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mabel's Mistake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stephens: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mabel's Mistake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mabel's Mistake; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXXIII

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Vocabulary met early in Mabel's Mistake