Chapter 2 of The bacillus of beauty is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of The bacillus of beauty is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HORNETS' NEST. It was dusk when I left Helen. My head was buzzing. Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable. I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
Chapter 2 of The bacillus of beauty is here in full — 204 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
noisy like the sound of a bee
From this reading “My head was buzzing.”
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading “I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “It was dusk when I left Helen.”
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading “It was dusk when I left Helen.”
plural of “hornet” — large stinging paper wasp
From this reading “THE HORNETS' NEST.”
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading “THE HORNETS' NEST.”
beyond belief or understanding
From this reading “Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.”
incapable of being conceived or considered
From this reading “Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.”
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 I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
noisy like the sound of a bee
From this reading My head was buzzing.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.
From this reading I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading It was dusk when I left Helen.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading My head was buzzing.
(Greek mythology) the beautiful daughter of Zeus and Leda who was abducted by Paris; the Greek army sailed to Troy to get her back which resulted in the Trojan War
From this reading It was dusk when I left Helen.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.
plural of “hornet” — large stinging paper wasp
From this reading THE HORNETS' NEST.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading It was dusk when I left Helen.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was dusk when I left Helen.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading It was dusk when I left Helen.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My head was buzzing.
a structure in which animals lay eggs or give birth to their young
From this reading THE HORNETS' NEST.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.
the state of being present; current existence
From this reading Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.
inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HORNETS' NEST.
beyond belief or understanding
From this reading Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.
incapable of being conceived or considered
From this reading Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading I could do nothing but walk, walk--a man in a dream.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was dusk when I left Helen.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Out of her presence what I had seen was unthinkable, unbelievable.
at the time that
From this reading It was dusk when I left Helen.
Chapter 2 of The bacillus of beauty by Harriet Stark holds 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 204 sentences of The bacillus of beauty, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of The bacillus of beauty by Harriet Stark exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 204 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 The bacillus of beauty by Harriet Stark on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5660 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9081 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9081, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 471 minutes of reading across 1132 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The bacillus of beauty section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The bacillus of beauty 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 The bacillus of beauty, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
