Chapter 26 of Marcella is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of Marcella is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven. "This is Friday--say Monday?" Wharton nodded. He and Craven were sitting in Marcella's little sitting-room. Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
Chapter 26 of Marcella is here in full — 476 sentences across 96 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/95 · 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.
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading “Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.”
lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
From this reading “"So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.”
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading “"This is Friday--say Monday?"”
a woman host
From this reading “Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.”
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading “"So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.”
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading “"This is Friday--say Monday?"”
a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
From this reading “Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.”
United States novelist (1862-1937)
From this reading “Wharton nodded.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He and Craven were sitting in Marcella's little sitting-room.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
the activity of communicating; the activity of conveying information
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
lacking even the rudiments of courage; abjectly fearful
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
having escaped, especially from confinement
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
the sixth day of the week; the fifth working day
From this reading "This is Friday--say Monday?"
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He and Craven were sitting in Marcella's little sitting-room.
a woman host
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He and Craven were sitting in Marcella's little sitting-room.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "This is Friday--say Monday?"
a room equipped for preparing meals
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
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 Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading He and Craven were sitting in Marcella's little sitting-room.
United States prizefighter who was world heavyweight champion for 12 years (1914-1981)
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and Craven were sitting in Marcella's little sitting-room.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
the force of workers available
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
the second day of the week; the first working day
From this reading "This is Friday--say Monday?"
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading Wharton nodded.
on one occasion
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
express in words
From this reading "This is Friday--say Monday?"
(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)
From this reading He and Craven were sitting in Marcella's little sitting-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He and Craven were sitting in Marcella's little sitting-room.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
a run-down apartment house barely meeting minimal standards
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "This is Friday--say Monday?"
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading He and Craven were sitting in Marcella's little sitting-room.
United States novelist (1862-1937)
From this reading Wharton nodded.
during the time that
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
hope for; have a wish
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Their hostess and Edith Craven had escaped through the door in the back kitchen communicating with the Hurds' tenement, so that the two men might be left alone a while.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "So I understand you wish me to go down at once?" said Louis Craven.
Chapter 26 of Marcella by Humphry, Mrs. Ward holds 476 sentences, grouped into 96 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 26 holds 476 sentences of Marcella, unabridged, divided into 96 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of Marcella by Humphry, Mrs. Ward exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 476 sentences, grouped into 96 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 96 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 96 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Marcella by Humphry, Mrs. Ward on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13996 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #13728 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #13728, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2800 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Marcella section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Marcella 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 Marcella, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
