Chapter 24 of Miss Fairfax of Virginia is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIV
Chapter 24 of Miss Fairfax of Virginia is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE STRANGE MEETING IN THE DUNGEON. A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn. It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper. "What is it?" he asked. "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
Chapter 24 of Miss Fairfax of Virginia is here in full — 119 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
a United States youth subculture of the 1950s; rejected possessions or regular work or traditional dress; for communal living and psychedelic drugs and anarchism; favored modern forms of jazz (e.g., bebop)
From this reading “"Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.”
the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress
From this reading “THE STRANGE MEETING IN THE DUNGEON.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “"Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.”
lowest in rank or importance
From this reading “It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.”
-ing form of “near” — move towards
From this reading “"Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.”
pull hard
From this reading “A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.”
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading “It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.”
a raging and rapidly spreading conflagration
From this reading “"Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.”
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.
In this reading “"Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.”
In this reading “It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.”
In this reading “A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.”
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 A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
eagerly desirous
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "What is it?" he asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
a United States youth subculture of the 1950s; rejected possessions or regular work or traditional dress; for communal living and psychedelic drugs and anarchism; favored modern forms of jazz (e.g., bebop)
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors
From this reading A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
wanted intensely
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
the main tower within the walls of a medieval castle or fortress
From this reading THE STRANGE MEETING IN THE DUNGEON.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
soft and mild; not harsh or stern or severe
From this reading A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "What is it?" he asked.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE STRANGE MEETING IN THE DUNGEON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "What is it?" he asked.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
lowest in rank or importance
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
a formally arranged gathering
From this reading THE STRANGE MEETING IN THE DUNGEON.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
-ing form of “near” — move towards
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
express in speech
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading THE STRANGE MEETING IN THE DUNGEON.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
express in words
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE STRANGE MEETING IN THE DUNGEON.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
pull hard
From this reading A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading A gentle tug at his coat made Roderic turn.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What is it?" he asked.
speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
which person or people
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
a raging and rapidly spreading conflagration
From this reading "Tell me--are we not nearing there--I am so anxious--my heart almost suffocates me, for it beats like wildfire," she gasped.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
but in spite of that
From this reading It was Inez, who desired to speak, and yet who knew she should not utter a word above the lowest whisper.
Chapter 24 of Miss Fairfax of Virginia by St. George Rathborne holds 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 holds 119 sentences of Miss Fairfax of Virginia, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 24 of Miss Fairfax of Virginia by St. George Rathborne exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 119 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 24 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 Miss Fairfax of Virginia by St. George Rathborne on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3393 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #52599 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #52599, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 282 minutes of reading across 679 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miss Fairfax of Virginia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of Miss Fairfax of Virginia 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 Miss Fairfax of Virginia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
