Chapter 26 of On the red staircase is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of On the red staircase is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LOVE AND FIRE. THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect. “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be? What has happened?” I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.
Chapter 26 of On the red staircase is here in full — 112 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading ““The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?”
firmly closed or secured
From this reading “THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.”
made afraid
From this reading ““The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?”
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading “THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.”
something that is lost
From this reading “I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.”
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading ““The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?”
filled with bewilderment
From this reading “I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.”
several time
From this reading “THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.”
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.
look on as or consider
In this reading ““The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?”
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 “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
in addition
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading LOVE AND FIRE.
react verbally
From this reading I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
forsaken by owner or inhabitants
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
a phenomenon that follows and is caused by some previous phenomenon
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
firmly closed or secured
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
start firing a weapon
From this reading LOVE AND FIRE.
made afraid
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading What has happened?”
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading What has happened?”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
past form of “knock” — deliver a sharp blow or push
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
something that is lost
From this reading I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading LOVE AND FIRE.
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.
a small gate in the rear of a fort or castle
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
filled with bewilderment
From this reading I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.
several time
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I was puzzled myself, and at loss to answer her.
the act of changing or reversing the direction of the course
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
a formal word for “on”
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What has happened?”
in or at the place that
From this reading “The house is deserted,” she said, turning a frightened look upon me; “where can mademoiselle be?
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE postern was also fastened, and Zénaïde knocked repeatedly without effect.
Chapter 26 of On the red staircase by Mary Imlay Taylor holds 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 26 holds 112 sentences of On the red staircase, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of On the red staircase by Mary Imlay Taylor exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 112 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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.
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Words and structures a reader meets early in On the red staircase, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
