Chapter 13 of That Boy of Norcott's is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of That Boy of Norcott's is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell. “No, nothing of the kind.” “Won't you go down, sir, then? It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.” “Who have come?” asked I, eagerly.
Chapter 13 of That Boy of Norcott's is here in full — 122 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
aroused or activated
From this reading “Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.”
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading “Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.”
inflected form of “fret” — worry unnecessarily or excessively
From this reading “Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.”
having abundant light or illumination
From this reading “Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.”
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading “Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.”
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading “Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.”
vice president under Eisenhower and 37th President of the United States; resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1974 (1913-1994)
From this reading “Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.”
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading “Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.”
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 “It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.””
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading ““Won't you go down, sir, then?”
In this reading “Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.”
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 Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Who have come?” asked I, eagerly.
the verbal act of requesting
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
in a state of sleep
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
aroused or activated
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
at or to a lower level than something
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
plural of “candle” — stick of wax with a wick in the middle
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading “Who have come?” asked I, eagerly.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading “Won't you go down, sir, then?
with eagerness; in an eager manner
From this reading “Who have come?” asked I, eagerly.
being one more than ten
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
mat together and make felt-like
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
inflected form of “fret” — worry unnecessarily or excessively
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Won't you go down, sir, then?
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Who have come?” asked I, eagerly.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
having or showing a tender and considerate and helpful nature; used especially of persons and their behavior
From this reading “No, nothing of the kind.”
having abundant light or illumination
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “as” or “too” or “so” or “that”; amounting to a large but indefinite number
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
moderate in type or degree or effect or force; far from extreme
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
a form of address for a man
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
vice president under Eisenhower and 37th President of the United States; resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1974 (1913-1994)
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
not any; not one
From this reading “No, nothing of the kind.”
not one thing; not anything
From this reading “No, nothing of the kind.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “No, nothing of the kind.”
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
term of address for a man
From this reading “Won't you go down, sir, then?
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “No, nothing of the kind.”
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading “Won't you go down, sir, then?
in or at that place or location
From this reading It's past eleven now, and there 's a good many people below.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
somewhat ill or prone to illness
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
precisely as stated
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Musing and thinking and fretting together, I had fallen asleep on my sofa, and was awakened by Mr. Nixon lighting my candles, and asking me, in a very mild voice, if I felt unwell.
which person or people
From this reading “Who have come?” asked I, eagerly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Won't you go down, sir, then?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Won't you go down, sir, then?
Chapter 13 of That Boy of Norcott's by Charles Lever holds 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 13 holds 122 sentences of That Boy of Norcott's, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of That Boy of Norcott's by Charles Lever exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 122 sentences, grouped into 25 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 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 25 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 13 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 That Boy of Norcott's by Charles Lever on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3270 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #32693 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #32693, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 272 minutes of reading across 654 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through That Boy of Norcott's section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of That Boy of Norcott's 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 That Boy of Norcott's, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
