Chapter 2 of Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face. The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home. The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way. Had the theft been there committed? Who had been his associates in that tavern?
Chapter 2 of Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
lost in thought; showing preoccupation
From this reading “The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.”
plural of “associate” — a person who joins with others in some activity or endeavor
From this reading “Who had been his associates in that tavern?”
bound or obligated, as under a pledge to a particular cause, action, or attitude
From this reading “Had the theft been there committed?”
-ing form of “consider” — deem to be
From this reading “Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.”
possessive form of “daughter” — a female human offspring
firmly closed or secured
From this reading “Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.”
a building with a bar that is licensed to sell alcoholic drinks
From this reading “Who had been his associates in that tavern?”
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading “Had the theft been there committed?”
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.
a man who is very old
In this reading “The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.”
In this reading “The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.”
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.
lost in thought; showing preoccupation
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
eagerly desirous
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
plural of “associate” — a person who joins with others in some activity or endeavor
From this reading Who had been his associates in that tavern?
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
bound or obligated, as under a pledge to a particular cause, action, or attitude
From this reading Had the theft been there committed?
-ing form of “consider” — deem to be
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
possessive form of “daughter” — a female human offspring
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
one or the other of two
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
firmly closed or secured
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Who had been his associates in that tavern?
where you live at a particular time
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
a hotel providing overnight lodging for travelers
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
a building with a bar that is licensed to sell alcoholic drinks
From this reading Who had been his associates in that tavern?
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The old man had said that he stopped and tarried at the Rose inn on the way.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
the act of taking something from someone unlawfully
From this reading Had the theft been there committed?
in or at that place or location
From this reading Had the theft been there committed?
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading The money must have been abstracted either in Colchester or on the way home.
which person or people
From this reading Who had been his associates in that tavern?
in the company of; together with
From this reading Mehalah sat considering, her mother by her, with anxious eyes fastened on her daughter’s face.
Chapter 2 of Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 2 holds 408 sentences of Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 2 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 Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes by S. (Sabine) Baring-Gould on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8454 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54404 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54404, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1691 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes 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 Mehalah: A Story of the Salt Marshes, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
