Chapter 16 of Priscilla's Spies is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of Priscilla's Spies is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
It was ten o’clock in the forenoon. Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay. When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare. The Blue Wanderer was at her moorings. The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
Chapter 16 of Priscilla's Spies is here in full — 243 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading “When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.”
plural of “mooring” — a place where a craft can be made fast
From this reading “The Blue Wanderer was at her moorings.”
wharf usually built parallel to the shoreline
From this reading “Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.”
a hinged vertical airfoil mounted at the tail of an aircraft and used to make horizontal course changes
From this reading “The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.”
past form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading “Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.”
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading “When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.”
usually herbivorous land turtles having clawed elephant-like limbs; worldwide in arid area except Australia and Antarctica
From this reading “The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.”
someone who leads a wandering unsettled life
From this reading “The Blue Wanderer was at her moorings.”
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 When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The Blue Wanderer was at her moorings.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading The Blue Wanderer was at her moorings.
plural of “boat” — a small vessel for travel on water
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.
carefully thought out in advance
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading It was ten o’clock in the forenoon.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
the -ing form of “have”
From this reading Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Blue Wanderer was at her moorings.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was ten o’clock in the forenoon.
a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood
From this reading The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was ten o’clock in the forenoon.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
plural of “mooring” — a place where a craft can be made fast
From this reading The Blue Wanderer was at her moorings.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
according to the clock
From this reading It was ten o’clock in the forenoon.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
disciple of Jesus and leader of the Apostles; regarded by Catholics as the vicar of Christ on earth and first Pope
From this reading Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.
wharf usually built parallel to the shoreline
From this reading Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
a hinged vertical airfoil mounted at the tail of an aircraft and used to make horizontal course changes
From this reading The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one
From this reading The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
look at with fixed eyes
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings
From this reading Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.
past form of “stroll” — walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
From this reading Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.
past form of “survey” — consider in a comprehensive way
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading It was ten o’clock in the forenoon.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading It was ten o’clock in the forenoon.
in or at that place or location
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
usually herbivorous land turtles having clawed elephant-like limbs; worldwide in arid area except Australia and Antarctica
From this reading The Tortoise, with a new iron on her rudder, had gone out at seven o’clock.
in the direction of
From this reading Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Peter Walsh, having breakfasted, strolled down the street towards the quay.
someone who leads a wandering unsettled life
From this reading The Blue Wanderer was at her moorings.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was ten o’clock in the forenoon.
at the time that
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
in the company of; together with
From this reading When he reached it he surveyed the boats which lay there with a long, deliberate stare.
Chapter 16 of Priscilla's Spies by George A. Birmingham holds 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 16 holds 243 sentences of Priscilla's Spies, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of Priscilla's Spies by George A. Birmingham exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 243 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 16 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 Priscilla's Spies by George A. Birmingham on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5408 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21394 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21394, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 450 minutes of reading across 1082 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Priscilla's Spies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of Priscilla's Spies 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 Priscilla's Spies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
