Chapter 2 of Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT. "I hear some one coming." "How can that be, Anat? I see no one." "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
Chapter 2 of Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross is here in full — 118 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/23 · 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.
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading “"It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."”
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading “"I hear some one coming."”
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading “GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT.”
put a harness
From this reading “"It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."”
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading “"I hear some one coming."”
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading “"It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."”
information about recent and important events
From this reading “GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT.”
a light clear metallic sound as of a small bell
From this reading “"It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."”
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 “GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How can that be, Anat?
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "How can that be, Anat?
plural of “bell” — a hollow device made of metal that makes a ringing sound when struck
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "How can that be, Anat?
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading "I hear some one coming."
leave someone who needs or counts on you; leave in the lurch
From this reading GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT.
put a harness
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading "I hear some one coming."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "How can that be, Anat?
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I hear some one coming."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
plural of “matter” — a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
not any; not one
From this reading I see no one."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "I hear some one coming."
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I see no one."
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "I hear some one coming."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "How can that be, Anat?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT.
in or at that place or location
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
information about recent and important events
From this reading GOOD TIDINGS OUT OF THE DESERT.
a light clear metallic sound as of a small bell
From this reading "It matters not, there is some one; I can hear the tinkle of the harness bells, it is from the desert they come."
Chapter 2 of Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross by Florence Morse Kingsley holds 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 2 holds 118 sentences of Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross by Florence Morse Kingsley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 118 sentences, grouped into 24 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 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 24 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 2 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 Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross by Florence Morse Kingsley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4155 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #41655 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #41655, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 346 minutes of reading across 831 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 36 chapters of Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross 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 Stephen: A Soldier of the Cross, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
