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Miss Million's Maid
Miss Million's Maid

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Miss Million's Maid is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Berta Ruck • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for Miss Million's Maid
Context Illustration Reading 1/44 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.
It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.
I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.
It's addressed in a small, precise, masculine hand:
"To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Million's Maid

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of Miss Million's Maid is here in full — 224 sentences across 45 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/44 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.
Line 2
It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.
Line 3
I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.
Line 4
It's addressed in a small, precise, masculine hand:
Line 5
"To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."

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.

belt noun US /belt/

endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys

From this reading “A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
contents noun US /ˈkɑːntents/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading “I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
frilly adjective US /ˈfrɪli/

having decorative ruffles or frills

From this reading “A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
grasp verb US /ɡræsp/

hold firmly

From this reading “I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
masculine adjective US /ˈmæskjələn/

of grammatical gender

From this reading “It's addressed in a small, precise, masculine hand:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Million noun US /ˈmɪljən/

the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading “"To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
precise adjective US /prɪˈsaɪs/

sharply exact or accurate or delimited

From this reading “It's addressed in a small, precise, masculine hand:”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
warning noun US /ˈwɔːrnɪŋ/

a message informing of danger

From this reading “A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.”

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.

shut behind verb + particle

In this reading “A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.”

673 times in 426,212 chapters

All words in this reading · 53

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 A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
addressedadjectiveUS /əˈdrest/

(of mail) marked with a destination

From this reading It's addressed in a small, precise, masculine hand:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
apron-bib

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

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Pending verification
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
beltnounUS /belt/

endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cnounUS /siː/

a degree on the centigrade scale of temperature

From this reading "To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Cecil

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

From this reading "To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."

Pending verification
contentsnounUS /ˈkɑːntents/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
frillyadjectiveUS /ˈfrɪli/

having decorative ruffles or frills

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
graspverbUS /ɡræsp/

hold firmly

From this reading I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading It's addressed in a small, precise, masculine hand:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hardlyadverbUS /ˈhɑːrdli/

only a very short time before

From this reading I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
hiding-place

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

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Pending verification
HotelnounUS /hoʊˈtel/

a building where travelers can pay for lodging and meals and other services

From this reading "To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
I've

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

From this reading I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.

Pending verification
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
It's

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

From this reading It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.

Pending verification
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

From this reading It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
masculineadjectiveUS /ˈmæskjələn/

of grammatical gender

From this reading It's addressed in a small, precise, masculine hand:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
MillionnounUS /ˈmɪljən/

the number that is represented as a one followed by 6 zeros

From this reading "To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MISSverbUS /mɪs/

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

From this reading "To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mistressnounUS /ˈmɪstrəs/

an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading "To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
preciseadjectiveUS /prɪˈsaɪs/

sharply exact or accurate or delimited

From this reading It's addressed in a small, precise, masculine hand:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
shutverbUS /ʃʌt/

move so that an opening or passage is obstructed; make shut

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
smalladjectiveUS /smɔːl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading It's addressed in a small, precise, masculine hand:

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
SMITHnounUS /smɪθ/

Rhodesian statesman who declared independence of Zimbabwe from Great Britain (born in 1919)

From this reading "To MISS SMITH, "c/o Miss Million, "Hotel Cecil."

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
tookverbUS /tʊk/

inflected form of “take” — carry out

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
waitingnounUS /ˈweɪtɪŋ/

the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)

From this reading It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
WARNINGnounUS /ˈwɔːrnɪŋ/

a message informing of danger

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

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 It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading It's the letter that was waiting for me when I came in.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
WORDnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

From this reading A WORD OF WARNING AND as the door shut behind my mistress I took that "something to read" out of its hiding-place behind my belt and my frilly apron-bib.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading I've hardly had time to grasp the contents of it yet.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary

Chapter 16 of Miss Million's Maid by Berta Ruck holds 224 sentences, grouped into 45 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 16 of Miss Million's Maid contain?

Chapter 16 holds 224 sentences of Miss Million's Maid, unabridged, divided into 45 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of Miss Million's Maid by Berta Ruck exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 224 sentences, grouped into 45 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 16 of Miss Million's Maid?

Work through the 45 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 45 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 16 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 16 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 Million's Maid

Common questions about reading Miss Million's Maid by Berta Ruck on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Miss Million's Maid?

Yes. All 6764 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33977 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Miss Million's Maid is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #33977, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Miss Million's Maid take to read?

About 563 minutes of reading across 1353 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Miss Million's Maid section by section

How to work through Miss Million's Maid section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 33 chapters of Miss Million's Maid 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 Million's Maid

Words and structures a reader meets early in Miss Million's Maid, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Romance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miss Million's Maid; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fortune
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miss Million's Maid; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Berta
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miss Million's Maid; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Oliver
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Miss Million's Maid; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.