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Miss Crespigny
Miss Crespigny

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of Miss Crespigny is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Frances Hodgson Burnett • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Miss Crespigny
Context Illustration Reading 1/21 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.
But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.
She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.
She did not condescend to take the trouble.
She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.
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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.

Miss Crespigny

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of Miss Crespigny is here in full — 105 sentences across 21 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/21 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.
/aɪ wɪl tel juː ðə truːθ fɔːr wʌns/
Line 2
But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.
Line 3
She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.
/ʃiː dɪd nɑːt priˈtend tuː haɪd ðə ˈtreɪsəz ʌv hɜːr ˈmentəl dɪˈstɜːrbəns/
Line 4
She did not condescend to take the trouble.
/ʃiː dɪd nɑːt ˌkɑːndɪˈsend tuː teɪk ðə ˈtrʌbəl/
Line 5
She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.
/ʃiː ˈevədəntli riˈzentɪd hɪz əˈpɪrəns æz ənˈtaɪmli bʌt ʃiː ˈɡriːtəd hɪm wɪð ˌɪnˈdɪfrənt kəmˈpoʊʒər/

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.

composure noun US /kəmˈpoʊʒər/

steadiness of mind under stress

From this reading “She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
condescend verb US /ˌkɑːndɪˈsend/

behave in a patronizing and condescending manner

From this reading “She did not condescend to take the trouble.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
disturbance noun US /dɪˈstɜːrbəns/

activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption

From this reading “She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lashes noun US /ˈlæʃɪz/

plural of “lash” — any of the short curved hairs that grow from the edges of the eyelids

From this reading “But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
moods noun US /muːdz/

plural of “mood” — a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling

From this reading “But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
resented verb US /riˈzentɪd/

past form of “resent” — feel bitter or indignant about

From this reading “She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
strangest adjective US /ˈstreɪndʒɪst/

superlative of “strange” — being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading “But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
untimely adjective US /ənˈtaɪmli/

badly timed

From this reading “She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

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.

mental disturbance adjective + noun

(psychiatry) a psychological disorder of thought or emotion; a more neutral term than mental illness

In this reading “She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.”

161 times in 426,211 chapters
pale face adjective + noun

In this reading “But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.”

7,765 times in 426,211 chapters
next night adjective + noun

In this reading “But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.”

3,436 times in 426,211 chapters
take the trouble verb + article + noun counted as “take … trouble”

In this reading “She did not condescend to take the trouble.”

3,976 times in 426,211 chapters

All words in this reading · 62

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 But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
appearancenounUS /əˈpɪrəns/

outward or visible aspect of a person or thing

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
Clarissa's

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Pending verification
composurenounUS /kəmˈpoʊʒər/

steadiness of mind under stress

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
condescendverbUS /ˌkɑːndɪˈsend/

behave in a patronizing and condescending manner

From this reading She did not condescend to take the trouble.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Despard

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Pending verification
didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

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

From this reading She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
disturbancenounUS /dɪˈstɜːrbəns/

activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption

From this reading She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
droppedverbUS /drɑːpt/

inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
evidentlyadverbUS /ˈevədəntli/

unmistakably (“plain” is often used informally for “plainly”)

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
facenounUS /feɪs/

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
FORprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
greetedverbUS /ˈɡriːtəd/

past form of “greet” — express greetings upon meeting someone

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
heavyadjectiveUS /ˈhevi/

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hideverbUS /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
how

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Pending verification
IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
indifferentadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈdɪfrənt/

marked by a lack of interest

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
lashesnounUS /ˈlæʃɪz/

plural of “lash” — any of the short curved hairs that grow from the edges of the eyelids

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mentaladjectiveUS /ˈmentəl/

involving the mind or an intellectual process

From this reading She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MissverbUS /mɪs/

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
moodsnounUS /muːdz/

plural of “mood” — a characteristic (habitual or relatively temporary) state of feeling

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ONCEadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/

very light colored; highly diluted with white

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
pretendverbUS /priˈtend/

make believe with the intent to deceive

From this reading She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
readingnounUS /ˈriːdɪŋ/

the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
resentedverbUS /riˈzentɪd/

past form of “resent” — feel bitter or indignant about

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
seeverbUS /siː/

perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
strangestadjectiveUS /ˈstreɪndʒɪst/

superlative of “strange” — being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
surprisedadjectiveUS /sərˈpraɪzd/

taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
syren

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Pending verification
takeverbUS /teɪk/

carry out

From this reading She did not condescend to take the trouble.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TELLverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tracesnounUS /ˈtreɪsəz/

plural of “trace” — a just detectable amount

From this reading She did not pretend to hide the traces of her mental disturbance.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
troublenounUS /ˈtrʌbəl/

a source of difficulty

From this reading She did not condescend to take the trouble.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
TRUTHnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
untimelyadjectiveUS /ənˈtaɪmli/

badly timed

From this reading She evidently resented his appearance as untimely, but she greeted him with indifferent composure.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
wetadjectiveUS /wet/

covered or soaked with a liquid such as water

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WILLmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading But how was it, the very next night, when he dropped in to see Mrs. Despard, and surprised the syren, reading a letter of Miss Clarissa’s, and reading it in the strangest of moods, reading it with a pale face, and heavy, wet lashes.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
YOUpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I WILL TELL YOU THE TRUTH FOR ONCE.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 8 of Miss Crespigny by Frances Hodgson Burnett holds 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 8 of Miss Crespigny contain?

Chapter 8 holds 105 sentences of Miss Crespigny, unabridged, divided into 21 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of Miss Crespigny by Frances Hodgson Burnett exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 105 sentences, grouped into 21 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 8 of Miss Crespigny?

Work through the 21 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 21 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 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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 Miss Crespigny

Common questions about reading Miss Crespigny by Frances Hodgson Burnett on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Miss Crespigny?

Yes. All 2382 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57099 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Miss Crespigny is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #57099, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Miss Crespigny take to read?

About 198 minutes of reading across 477 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Miss Crespigny section by section

How to work through Miss Crespigny section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 19 chapters of Miss Crespigny 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 Miss Crespigny

Words and structures a reader meets early in Miss Crespigny, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Https
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miss Crespigny; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Earlier
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miss Crespigny; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Stories
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miss Crespigny; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Frances
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miss Crespigny; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.