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St. Ives
St. Ives

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of St. Ives is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for St. Ives
Context Illustration Reading 1/22 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
I had two views.
The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.
What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.
Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.
Wit and a good exteriorthere is all life in a nutshell.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

St. Ives

Chapter VII · Chapter 7

Chapter 7 of St. Ives is here in full — 110 sentences across 22 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/22 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
I had two views.
Line 2
The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.
Line 3
What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.
Line 4
Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.
Line 5
Wit and a good exteriorthere is all life in a nutshell.

Learner Dictionary

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.

Open verb US /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading “Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.”

All words in this reading · 74

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.

a

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

all

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Wit and a good exterior—there is all life in a nutshell.

and

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

as

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

be

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

being

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

by

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

called

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

care

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

Castle

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

Chance

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

Circumstance

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

clear

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

Cottage

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

couple

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

devotee

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

did

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

divinities

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

do

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

Edinburgh

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

exterior

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Wit and a good exterior—there is all life in a nutshell.

eyes

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

fellow-prisoners

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

first

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

forward

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

get

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

good

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Wit and a good exterior—there is all life in a nutshell.

greatly

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

guess

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

had

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I had two views.

I

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I had two views.

if

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

impossible

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

in

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Wit and a good exterior—there is all life in a nutshell.

is

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

it

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

keep

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

life

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Wit and a good exterior—there is all life in a nutshell.

long

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

morning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

my

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

naturally

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

near

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

night

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

no

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

not

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

nothing

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

nutshell

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Wit and a good exterior—there is all life in a nutshell.

of

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

oiled

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

possible

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

Prepare

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

say

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

second

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

should

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

so

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

southward

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

straight

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

Swanston

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

The

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

then

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

there

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

to

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

tongue

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

town

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

two

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I had two views.

views

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading I had two views.

was

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

What

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading What I should do there and then, I had no guess, and did not greatly care, being a devotee of a couple of divinities called Chance and Circumstance.

where

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

Wit

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Wit and a good exterior—there is all life in a nutshell.

work

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The first was, naturally, to get clear of Edinburgh Castle and the town, to say nothing of my fellow-prisoners; the second to work to the southward so long as it was night, and be near Swanston Cottage by morning.

your

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Prepare, if possible; where it is impossible, work straight forward, and keep your eyes open and your tongue oiled.

Chapter 7 of St. Ives by Robert Louis Stevenson holds 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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.

What does chapter 7 of St. Ives contain?

Chapter 7 holds 110 sentences of St. Ives, unabridged, divided into 22 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 7 of St. Ives by Robert Louis Stevenson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 110 sentences, grouped into 22 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.

How do I study chapter 7 of St. Ives?

Work through the 22 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 22 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.

Can chapter 7 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 7 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.

Questions about reading St. Ives

Common questions about reading St. Ives by Robert Louis Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of St. Ives?

Yes. All 5601 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #322 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of St. Ives is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #322, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does St. Ives take to read?

About 466 minutes of reading across 1121 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read St. Ives section by section

How to work through St. Ives section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 30 chapters of St. Ives to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in St. Ives

Words and structures a reader meets early in St. Ives, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Month
A word that appears in the opening chapter of St. Ives; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Unlucky
A word that appears in the opening chapter of St. Ives; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Hands
A word that appears in the opening chapter of St. Ives; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Enemy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of St. Ives; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.