Chapter 4 of Miss Million's Maid is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Miss Million's Maid is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said. With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office. It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs. Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names. I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
Chapter 4 of Miss Million's Maid is here in full — 93 sentences across 19 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/18 · 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.
plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading “Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.”
covered with or as if with carpeting or with carpeting as specified; often used in combination
From this reading “It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.”
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
From this reading “THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.”
in an attractively handsome manner
From this reading “It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.”
a female heir
From this reading “With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.”
begging
From this reading “With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.”
possessive form of “lawyer” — a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.”
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading “Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.”
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 “With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.”
In this reading “It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.”
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 It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
surrounding, or on every side of, something
From this reading Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.
relevant relation or interconnection
From this reading Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.
plural of “box” — a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
covered with or as if with carpeting or with carpeting as specified; often used in combination
From this reading It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.
plural of “chair” — a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.
state of uncertainty or perplexity especially as requiring a choice between equally unfavorable options
From this reading THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.
opinion or judgment
From this reading I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
travel through the air; be airborne
From this reading I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
in an attractively handsome manner
From this reading It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.
a female heir
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
begging
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
located inward
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.
possessive form of “lawyer” — a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.
an animal skin made smooth and flexible by removing the hair and then tanning
From this reading It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
verbal abuse; a crude substitute for argument
From this reading Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.
place of business where professional or clerical duties are performed
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.
cut with a saw
From this reading I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
Plural of shelf; the vast wooden or stone structures holding archives.
From this reading Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.
inflected form of “step” — shift or move by taking a step
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I saw little Million's eyes fly to these boxes.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was a big, handsomely carpeted room, with leather chairs.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading THE LAWYER'S DILEMMA "STEP this way, please," he said.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Around the walls were shelves with black-japanned deed-boxes bearing white-lettered names.
in the company of; together with
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading With an imploring "You go first, Miss," from the heiress we "stepped" into the inner office.
Chapter 4 of Miss Million's Maid by Berta Ruck holds 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 4 holds 93 sentences of Miss Million's Maid, unabridged, divided into 19 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Miss Million's Maid by Berta Ruck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 93 sentences, grouped into 19 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 19 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 19 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 4 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 Million's Maid by Berta Ruck on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6764 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33977 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33977, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 563 minutes of reading across 1353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Miss Million's Maid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Miss Million's Maid 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 Million's Maid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
