Chapter 38 of Mrs. Balfame: A Novel is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of Mrs. Balfame: A Novel is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair. "Is it true that Anna is dead?" Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been. "Yes--and we can only be grateful." "And she did that for me--for _me_.
Chapter 38 of Mrs. Balfame: A Novel is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/14 · 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 former copper coin of Pakistan and India
From this reading “"Is it true that Anna is dead?"”
possessive form of “attorney” — a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading “Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.”
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading “Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.”
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading “"Yes--and we can only be grateful."”
a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)
From this reading “When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.”
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading “When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.”
move hurridly
From this reading “When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.”
a garment that covers the head and face
From this reading “When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.”
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.
an official prosecutor for a judicial district
In this reading “Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.”
In this reading “When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.”
In this reading “When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.”
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 When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
a former copper coin of Pakistan and India
From this reading "Is it true that Anna is dead?"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.
possessive form of “attorney” — a professional person authorized to practice law; conducts lawsuits or gives legal advice
From this reading Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "Yes--and we can only be grateful."
the past participle of “be”
From this reading Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Yes--and we can only be grateful."
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
no longer having or seeming to have or expecting to have life
From this reading "Is it true that Anna is dead?"
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "And she did that for me--for _me_.
a region marked off for administrative or other purposes
From this reading Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "And she did that for me--for _me_.
feeling or showing gratitude
From this reading "Yes--and we can only be grateful."
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.
headdress that protects the head from bad weather; has shaped crown and usually a brim
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Is it true that Anna is dead?"
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Is it true that Anna is dead?"
a correctional institution used to detain persons who are in the lawful custody of the government (either accused persons awaiting trial or convicted persons serving a sentence)
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "And she did that for me--for _me_.
in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
and nothing more
From this reading "Yes--and we can only be grateful."
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
separated in relationship by a given degree of descent
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
move hurridly
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
inflected form of “sink” — fall or descend to a lower place or level
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Is it true that Anna is dead?"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
lacking in tone or expression
From this reading Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading "Is it true that Anna is dead?"
a garment that covers the head and face
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Her voice was as toneless as the district attorney's had been.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading "Yes--and we can only be grateful."
at the time that
From this reading When Rush and Mrs. Balfame reached the jail sitting-room she mechanically removed her heavy hat and veil and sank into a chair.
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes--and we can only be grateful."
Chapter 38 of Mrs. Balfame: A Novel by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton holds 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 38 holds 73 sentences of Mrs. Balfame: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of Mrs. Balfame: A Novel by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 15 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 38 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 Mrs. Balfame: A Novel by Gertrude Franklin Horn Atherton on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5065 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #39443 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #39443, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 422 minutes of reading across 1013 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Mrs. Balfame: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of Mrs. Balfame: A Novel 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 Mrs. Balfame: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
