Chapter 2 of Nicky-Nan, Reservist is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Nicky-Nan, Reservist is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
HOW THE MEN WENT. In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue. By her attitude she seemed to be listening. Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs. At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
Chapter 2 of Nicky-Nan, Reservist is here in full — 249 sentences across 50 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/49 · 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 complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading “By her attitude she seemed to be listening.”
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading “At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading “By her attitude she seemed to be listening.”
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.”
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.”
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading “In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.”
a sculpture representing a human or animal
From this reading “In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.”
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 In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
Having no one else present.
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
a complex mental state involving beliefs and feelings and values and dispositions to act in certain ways
From this reading By her attitude she seemed to be listening.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading By her attitude she seemed to be listening.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading By her attitude she seemed to be listening.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
one or the other of two
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
the sound of a step of someone walking
From this reading At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
set up or found
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading By her attitude she seemed to be listening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading HOW THE MEN WENT.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading By her attitude she seemed to be listening.
the force of workers available
From this reading HOW THE MEN WENT.
not caught with the senses or the mind
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
incapable of or resistant to bending
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading By her attitude she seemed to be listening.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading By her attitude she seemed to be listening.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
having a supporting base
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
a sculpture representing a human or animal
From this reading In the passage he found Mrs Penhaligon standing, alone, rigid as a statue.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading HOW THE MEN WENT.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading By her attitude she seemed to be listening.
moved around an axis or center
From this reading At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading HOW THE MEN WENT.
a Caucasian
From this reading At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
in the company of; together with
From this reading At Nicky-Nan's footstep she turned, with a face white and set.
but in spite of that
From this reading Yet she had either missed to hear or, hearing, had missed to understand Varco's call up the stairs.
Chapter 2 of Nicky-Nan, Reservist by Arthur Quiller-Couch holds 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 2 holds 249 sentences of Nicky-Nan, Reservist, unabridged, divided into 50 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Nicky-Nan, Reservist by Arthur Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 249 sentences, grouped into 50 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 50 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 50 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 2 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 Nicky-Nan, Reservist by Arthur Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5119 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15710 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #15710, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 426 minutes of reading across 1024 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Nicky-Nan, Reservist section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 23 chapters of Nicky-Nan, Reservist 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 Nicky-Nan, Reservist, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
