Chapter 40 of Red Fleece is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of Red Fleece is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop. If only she wouldn't act up. A serious thing, this he had done. Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs. But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
Chapter 40 of Red Fleece is here in full — 141 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/28 · 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.
a health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs
From this reading “A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.”
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading “Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.”
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading “A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.”
a person who invites guests to a social event (such as a party in his or her own home) and who is responsible for them while they are there
From this reading “Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.”
incapable of being explained or accounted for
From this reading “Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.”
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading “But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....”
done under pressure
From this reading “Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.”
-ing form of “tread” — put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading “Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.”
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 A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
perform an action, or work out or perform (an action)
From this reading If only she wouldn't act up.
something done (usually as opposed to something said)
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
matters of personal concern
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
a health professional trained in the art of preparing and dispensing drugs
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
endless loop of flexible material between two rotating shafts or pulleys
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
past form of “climb” — go upward with gradual or continuous progress
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
exquisitely fine and subtle and pleasing; susceptible to injury
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
having finished or arrived at completion
From this reading A serious thing, this he had done.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
the inside lower horizontal surface (as of a room, hallway, tent, or other structure)
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
set up or found
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A serious thing, this he had done.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
a person who invites guests to a social event (such as a party in his or her own home) and who is responsible for them while they are there
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If only she wouldn't act up.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
incapable of being explained or accounted for
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
immediately past
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
engage in
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
and nothing more
From this reading If only she wouldn't act up.
past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
by chance
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
done under pressure
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
concerned with work or important matters rather than play or trivialities
From this reading A serious thing, this he had done.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading If only she wouldn't act up.
do one's shopping
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
a special situation
From this reading A serious thing, this he had done.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading A serious thing, this he had done.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading A last time he climbed to the floor above the apothecary shop.
-ing form of “tread” — put down or press the foot, place the foot
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading If only she wouldn't act up.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Big Belt felt that he had rushed matters, possibly treading upon a host of delicate and incomprehensible affairs.
at the time that
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
the words that are spoken
From this reading But, when he had found in Colonel Hartz a man to make action of his words, he had plunged....
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If only she wouldn't act up.
Chapter 40 of Red Fleece by Will Levington Comfort holds 141 sentences, grouped into 29 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 40 holds 141 sentences of Red Fleece, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of Red Fleece by Will Levington Comfort exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 141 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 40 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 Red Fleece by Will Levington Comfort on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3946 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6351 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6351, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 790 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Red Fleece section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of Red Fleece 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 Red Fleece, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
