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The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories
The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Five weeks drifted tediously along.
The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.
Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: Damn his livers, he's immortal!”
Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”
Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories is here in full — 115 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Five weeks drifted tediously along.
/faɪv wiːks ˈdrɪftəd ˈtiːdiəsli əˈlɔːŋ/
Line 2
The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.
Line 3
Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”
Line 4
Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”
Line 5
Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

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.

Foster verb US /ˈfɑːstər/

promote the growth of

From this reading “The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.”

icy adjective US /ˈaɪsi/

devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain

From this reading “Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?””

livers noun US /ˈlɪvərz/

plural of “liver” — large and complicated reddish-brown glandular organ located in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity

From this reading “Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!””

rebuke verb US /riˈbjuːk/

censure severely or angrily

From this reading “Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?””

Sally's noun US /ˈsæliz/

possessive form of “sally” — witty remark

From this reading “Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!””

Saturdays noun US /ˈsætərdiz/

plural of “saturday” — the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading “The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.”

solemnity noun US /səˈlemnəti/

a trait of dignified seriousness

From this reading “Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?””

tediously adverb US /ˈtiːdiəsli/

in a tedious manner

From this reading “Five weeks drifted tediously along.”

All words in this reading · 79

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

Aleck

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

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

alongprepositionUS /əˈlɔːŋ/

following the length of something from one end toward the other

From this reading Five weeks drifted tediously along.

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

arrivedverbUS /ərˈaɪvd/

past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

awfuladjectiveUS /ˈɑːfəl/

exceptionally bad or displeasing

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

brokeadjectiveUS /broʊk/

lacking funds

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

caughtverbUS /kɑːt/

inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

containedadjectiveUS /kənˈteɪnd/

gotten under control

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

cutverbUS /kʌt/

separate with or as if with an instrument

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

DamnadjectiveUS /dæm/

used as expletives

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

driftedverbUS /ˈdrɪftəd/

past form of “drift” — be in motion due to some air or water current

From this reading Five weeks drifted tediously along.

escapedadjectiveUS /ɪˈskeɪpt/

having escaped, especially from confinement

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

feelverbUS /fiːl/

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

FivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading Five weeks drifted tediously along.

FosterverbUS /ˈfɑːstər/

promote the growth of

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

giveverbUS /ɡɪv/

cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

gotverbUS /ɡɑːt/

inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

hadn't

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

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

he's

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

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

How

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

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

I'd

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

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

icyadjectiveUS /ˈaɪsi/

devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

immortaladjUS /ɪˈmɔːr.t̬əl/

Living forever; never dying or decaying. (Bất tử, trường tồn vĩnh cửu.)

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

justadverbUS /dʒʌst/

and nothing more

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

liversnounUS /ˈlɪvərz/

plural of “liver” — large and complicated reddish-brown glandular organ located in the upper right portion of the abdominal cavity

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

luckyadjectiveUS /ˈlʌki/

occurring by chance

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

mentionverbUS /ˈmenʃən/

make reference to

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

patiencenounUS /ˈpeɪʃəns/

good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

a geometric element that has position but no extension

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

rebukeverbUS /riˈbjuːk/

censure severely or angrily

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

reflectionnounUS /rɪˈflekʃən/

a calm, lengthy, intent consideration

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

regularlyadverbUS /ˈreɡjələrli/

in a regular manner

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

remarknounUS /rɪˈmɑːrk/

a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

resentfullyadverb

with resentment; in a resentful manner

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

respondedverbUS /rɪˈspɑːndɪd/

past form of “respond” — show a response or a reaction to something

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

Sagamorenoun

a chief of a North American tribe or confederation (especially an Algonquian chief)

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

SallynounUS /ˈsæli/

witty remark

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

Sally'snounUS /ˈsæliz/

possessive form of “sally” — witty remark

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

SaturdaysnounUS /ˈsætərdiz/

plural of “saturday” — the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

severeadjectiveUS /səˈvɪr/

intensely or extremely bad or unpleasant in degree or quality

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

solemnitynounUS /səˈlemnəti/

a trait of dignified seriousness

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

suddenlyadverbUS /ˈsʌdənli/

happening unexpectedly

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

sufficientadjectiveUS /səˈfɪʃənt/

of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

tediouslyadverbUS /ˈtiːdiəsli/

in a tedious manner

From this reading Five weeks drifted tediously along.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Sally's patience broke down at this point, and he said, resentfully: “Damn his livers, he's immortal!”

Tilbury

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

From this reading The _Sagamore _arrived regularly on the Saturdays, but never once contained a mention of Tilbury Foster.

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

weeksnounUS /wiːks/

plural of “week” — any period of seven consecutive days

From this reading Five weeks drifted tediously along.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

WithoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Without sufficient reflection Sally responded: “I'd feel I was lucky I hadn't got caught with it _in_ me.”

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Aleck give him a very severe rebuke, and added with icy solemnity: “How would you feel if you were suddenly cut off just after such an awful remark had escaped out of you?”

Chapter 4 of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories by Mark Twain holds 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 4 of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories contain?

Chapter 4 holds 115 sentences of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories by Mark Twain exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 115 sentences, grouped into 23 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 4 of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories?

Work through the 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 23 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 4 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 4 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 The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories

Common questions about reading The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories by Mark Twain on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories?

Yes. All 4631 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #142 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #142, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories take to read?

About 385 minutes of reading across 927 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories section by section

How to work through The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories 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 The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories

Words and structures a reader meets early in The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Lakeside
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pleasant
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Little
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Thousand
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The $30,000 Bequest, and Other Stories; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.