Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Muslin
Muslin

Chapter XII

Cover illustration for Muslin
Context Illustration Reading 1/80 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.
The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.
'What sort of night has Olive had?'
Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.
'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'
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.

Muslin

Chapter XII

Reading 1/80 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.
Line 2
The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.
Line 3
'What sort of night has Olive had?'
Line 4
Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.
Line 5
'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.”

Across preposition US /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading “The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.”

Asked noun US /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.”

Broken noun US /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.”

Flame noun US /fleɪm/

A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.

From this reading “The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.”

Has auxiliary verb US /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “'What sort of night has Olive had?'”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'”

Over preposition US /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading “The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.”

Through noun US /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.”

All words in this reading · 83

Every word is available to listen to. 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 The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.

acrossprepositionUS /əˈkrɔːs/

from one side of something to the other

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

afraid

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

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

Alice's

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

arms

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

askednounUS /asked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.

Barton

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

From this reading Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.

basin

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

bedclothes

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

beds

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

blazing

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

brain

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

brass

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

brokennounUS /broken/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

burnt

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

came

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

From this reading Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.

ceiling

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

covered

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

crowns

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

curtains

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

darkened

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

delirious

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

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

eight

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

From this reading Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.

feverish

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

flamenounUS /fleɪm/

A hot glowing body of ignited gas produced by fire.

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

grew

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading 'What sort of night has Olive had?'

hasauxiliary verbUS /hæz/

the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading 'What sort of night has Olive had?'

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

hot

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

house

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

intense

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

momentarily

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

more

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

Mrs

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

From this reading Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.

night

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

From this reading 'What sort of night has Olive had?'

night-light

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

obscurity

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

Olive

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

From this reading 'What sort of night has Olive had?'

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

only

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

pale

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

peat

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

quiet

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

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

red-glowing

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

scattered

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

she's

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

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

showed

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

sister

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

sleeping

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

solitude

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

soothe

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

sort

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

From this reading 'What sort of night has Olive had?'

strove

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

throughnounUS /ˈthrough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

tongues

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

trembled

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

From this reading The solitude of the sleeping house grew momentarily more intense in Alice's brain, and she trembled as she strove to soothe her sister, and covered the hot feverish arms over with the bedclothes.

two

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

very

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

From this reading 'Not a very quiet one; I am afraid she's a little delirious.'

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading 'What sort of night has Olive had?'

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Mrs. Barton asked when she came in about eight.

whereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

white

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

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The two beds, with their white curtains and brass crowns, showed through the pale obscurity, broken only by the red-glowing basin where a night-light burnt, and the long tongues of flame that the blazing peat scattered from time to time across the darkened ceiling.