Chapter 17 of Peggy is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of Peggy is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
WAITING. In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side. The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry. A trained nurse came and took charge. Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
Chapter 17 of Peggy is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading “Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.”
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading “The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.”
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading “In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.”
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading “The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.”
inflected form of “submit” — refer for judgment or consideration
From this reading “Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.”
shaped or conditioned or disciplined by training; often used as a combining form
From this reading “A trained nurse came and took charge.”
United States writer who has written extensively on American culture (born in 1931)
From this reading “In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.”
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading “The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.”
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 doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
that part of the central nervous system that includes all the higher nervous centers; enclosed within the skull; continuous with the spinal cord
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
the work of providing treatment for or attending to someone or something
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
From this reading A trained nurse came and took charge.
-ing form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
intentionally conceived
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
the time during which someone's life continues
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
past form of “follow” — to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
possessive form of “girl” — a young female
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
(Christian theology) a state of sanctification by God; the state of one who is under such divine influence
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
only a very short time before
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
inborn pattern of behavior often responsive to specific stimuli
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
any plant or flower of the genus Lobelia
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
try to cure by special care of treatment, of an illness or injury
From this reading A trained nurse came and took charge.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
strongly marked; easily noticeable
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
affected by an impairment of normal physical or mental function
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
inflected form of “submit” — refer for judgment or consideration
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading A trained nurse came and took charge.
shaped or conditioned or disciplined by training; often used as a combining form
From this reading A trained nurse came and took charge.
a source of difficulty
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading WAITING.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Lobelia submitted to her care, but her one conscious instinct was that of clinging to Grace.
United States writer who has written extensively on American culture (born in 1931)
From this reading In the dreadful days that followed, Grace Wolfe hardly left the sick girl's side.
be worried, concerned, anxious, troubled, or uneasy
From this reading The doctor came, and pronounced the trouble a brain fever, brought on by fear and worry.
Chapter 17 of Peggy by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 17 holds 194 sentences of Peggy, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of Peggy by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 17 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 Peggy by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3721 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #25448 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #25448, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 310 minutes of reading across 745 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Peggy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of Peggy 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 Peggy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
