Chapter 13 of On the Borderland is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of On the Borderland is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Vincent shook his head. “I cannot imagine,” he said, wearily. He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair. Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped. Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
Chapter 13 of On the Borderland is here in full — 414 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/82 · 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.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading “He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.”
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading “Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.”
provided with a frame
From this reading “Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.”
an event that happens
From this reading “Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.”
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading “Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.”
in a weary manner
From this reading ““I cannot imagine,” he said, wearily.”
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 “Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.”
a young female
In this reading “Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.”
In this reading “Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.”
seek information from
In this reading “He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.”
In this reading “He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.”
In this reading “He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his 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 Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.
the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I cannot imagine,” he said, wearily.
a seat for one person, with a support for the back
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
the entrance (the space in a wall) through which you enter or leave a room or building; the space that a door can close
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
provided with a frame
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.
a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
an event that happens
From this reading Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “I cannot imagine,” he said, wearily.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Vincent shook his head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Vincent shook his head.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I cannot imagine,” he said, wearily.
form a mental image of something that is not present or that is not the case
From this reading “I cannot imagine,” he said, wearily.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
not compact or dense in structure or arrangement
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
above and across; more than
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “I cannot imagine,” he said, wearily.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading Vincent shook his head.
plural of “shoulder” — the part of the body between the neck and the upper arm
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
having an intended meaning altered or misrepresented
From this reading Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading He looked up to see Chassaigne staring in astonishment at the door behind his chair.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Vincent shook his head.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.
in a weary manner
From this reading “I cannot imagine,” he said, wearily.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Startled, he twisted himself round to see what was happening--and gasped.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading Framed in the doorway, a dressing-gown over her night-attire, her dark hair loose over her shoulders, was the young woman.
Chapter 13 of On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin holds 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 13 holds 414 sentences of On the Borderland, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 414 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 13 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 On the Borderland by F. Britten (Frederick Britten) Austin on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6737 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #65837 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #65837, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 561 minutes of reading across 1348 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through On the Borderland section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of On the Borderland 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 On the Borderland, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
