Chapter 9 of Portia is here in full — 365 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of Portia is here in full — 365 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices." --HON. MRS. NORTON. PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
Chapter 9 of Portia is here in full — 365 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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 best people or things in a group
From this reading “PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.”
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading “"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."”
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading “"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."”
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading “"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."”
reflecting optimism
From this reading “"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."”
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading “PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.”
not beset by troubles or disturbance or distress
From this reading “"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."”
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."”
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 “"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."”
In this reading “"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."”
In this reading “PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.”
In this reading “"Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."”
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 "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
emitting or reflecting light readily or in large amounts
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
the best people or things in a group
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
opinion or judgment
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
a small being, human in form, playful and having magical powers
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
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 PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
the locus of feelings and intuitions
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
a form of whist in which players avoid winning tricks containing hearts or the queen of spades
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --HON.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
showing or feeling mirth or pleasure or happiness
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
an artistic form of auditory communication incorporating instrumental or vocal tones in a structured and continuous manner
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading NORTON.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
the sound of a bell ringing
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
reflecting optimism
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
relative darkness caused by light rays being intercepted by an opaque body
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
yielding readily to pressure or weight
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
in or at that place or location
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
not beset by troubles or disturbance or distress
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
accept gladly
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
in the company of; together with
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
of the color intermediate between green and orange in the color spectrum; of something resembling the color of an egg yolk
From this reading PORTIA, dressed in _merveilleux_ of a cream shade, with a soft, yellow rose in her hair, is looking her loveliest.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading "Young hearts, bright eyes, and rosy lips are there, And fairy steps, and light and laughing voices, Ringing like welcome music through the air-- A sound at which the untroubled heart rejoices."
Chapter 9 of Portia by Duchess holds 365 sentences, grouped into 73 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 9 holds 365 sentences of Portia, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of Portia by Duchess exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 365 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 9 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 Portia by Duchess on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6566 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31825 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31825, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 547 minutes of reading across 1314 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Portia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of Portia 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 Portia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
