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Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes
Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes
Context Illustration Reading 1/85 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"No, no," whispered Lucy hurriedly.
"All right, miss, all right.
I'll be here at seven.
Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."
And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes is here in full — 425 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1
"No, no," whispered Lucy hurriedly.
/noʊ noʊ ˈwɪspərd ˈluːsi ˈhɜːridli/
Line 2
"All right, miss, all right.
/ɔːl raɪt mɪs ɔːl raɪt/
Line 3
I'll be here at seven.
Line 4
Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."
/biː ˈteɪkən bæd aɪ səˈpoʊz ənd slɪp ɔːf fɔːr æn ˈaʊər/
Line 5
And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

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.

agitated adjective US /ˈædʒəteɪtɪd/

troubled emotionally and usually deeply

From this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

appointed adjective US /əˈpɔɪntɪd/

subject to appointment

From this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

dusk noun US /dʌsk/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

employed adjective US /emˈplɔɪd/

having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary

From this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

hurriedly adverb US /ˈhɜːridli/

in a hurried or hasty manner

From this reading “"No, no," whispered Lucy hurriedly.”

mobile adjective US /ˈmoʊbəl/

migratory

From this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

paint verb US /peɪnt/

make a painting

From this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

weird adjective US /wɪrd/

suggesting the operation of supernatural influences

From this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

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.

old man adjective + noun

a man who is very old

In this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

slip off verb + particle

take off with ease or speed

In this reading “Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."”

appointed time adjective + noun

In this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

great risk adjective + noun

In this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

in the dusk preposition + article + noun counted as “in … dusk”

In this reading “And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.”

at seven preposition + noun

In this reading “I'll be here at seven.”

for an hour preposition + article + noun counted as “for … hour”

In this reading “Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."”

All words in this reading · 66

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.

accompaniedadjectiveUS /əˈkʌmpənid/

having companions or an escort

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

agitatedadjectiveUS /ˈædʒəteɪtɪd/

troubled emotionally and usually deeply

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading "All right, miss, all right.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

appointedadjectiveUS /əˈpɔɪntɪd/

subject to appointment

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading I'll be here at seven.

badadjectiveUS /bæd/

having undesirable or negative qualities

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading I'll be here at seven.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

cheeksnounUS /tʃiːks/

plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

countenancenounUS /ˈkaʊntənəns/

the appearance conveyed by a person's face

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

dusknounUS /dʌsk/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

employedadjectiveUS /emˈplɔɪd/

having your services engaged for; or having a job especially one that pays wages or a salary

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

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

From this reading I'll be here at seven.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

hurriedadjectiveUS /ˈhɜːrid/

moving rapidly or performed quickly or in great haste

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

hurriedlyadverbUS /ˈhɜːridli/

in a hurried or hasty manner

From this reading "No, no," whispered Lucy hurriedly.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

I'll

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

From this reading I'll be here at seven.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

LucynounUS /ˈluːsi/

incomplete skeleton of female found in eastern Ethiopia in 1974

From this reading "No, no," whispered Lucy hurriedly.

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

missverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading "All right, miss, all right.

mobileadjectiveUS /ˈmoʊbəl/

migratory

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "No, no," whispered Lucy hurriedly.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

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

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

officenounUS /ˈɔːfɪs/

place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

paintverbUS /peɪnt/

make a painting

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

rightadverbUS /raɪt/

precisely, exactly

From this reading "All right, miss, all right.

risknounUS /rɪsk/

a source of danger; a possibility of incurring loss or misfortune

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

sevennounUS /ˈsevən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one

From this reading I'll be here at seven.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

showily-dressed

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

slipverbUS /slɪp/

move stealthily

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

strangeadjectiveUS /streɪndʒ/

being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

supposeverbUS /səˈpoʊz/

express a supposition

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Be taken bad, I suppose, and slip off for an hour."

talkingnounUS /ˈtɔːkɪŋ/

an exchange of ideas via conversation

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

toldverbUS /toʊld/

inflected form of “tell” — express in words

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

wantedadjectiveUS /ˈwɔːntɪd/

desired or wished for or sought

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

weirdadjectiveUS /wɪrd/

suggesting the operation of supernatural influences

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

whisperedadjectiveUS /ˈwɪspərd/

spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords

From this reading "No, no," whispered Lucy hurriedly.

whosedeterminerUS /huːz/

belonging to which person

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading And at the appointed time the old man hurried from the office where he was employed, at the great risk of being told that he would be wanted no more, and accompanied Lucy to where in the dusk of evening, she stood talking to the dark, showily-dressed woman, whose agitated, mobile countenance made the paint upon her cheeks look weird and strange.

Chapter 5 of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes by George Manville Fenn holds 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 5 of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes contain?

Chapter 5 holds 425 sentences of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes by George Manville Fenn exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 425 sentences, grouped into 85 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 5 of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes?

Work through the 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 85 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 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes

Common questions about reading Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes by George Manville Fenn on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes?

Yes. All 4623 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35367 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #35367, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes take to read?

About 385 minutes of reading across 925 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes section by section

How to work through Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 11 chapters of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes

Words and structures a reader meets early in Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Volume
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Chapter
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wedge
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Septimus
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Mad: A Story of Dust and Ashes; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.