Chapter 31 of The Black Robe is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Black Robe is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MRS. EYRECO URT’S DISCOVERY. THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come. An unchanging dullness pervaded the house. Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
Chapter 31 of The Black Robe is here in full — 177 sentences across 36 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 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.
extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
From this reading “THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.”
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading “Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.”
the quality of being slow to understand
From this reading “An unchanging dullness pervaded the house.”
something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
From this reading “Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.”
be a lodger; stay temporarily
From this reading “THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.”
past form of “pervade” — spread or diffuse through
From this reading “An unchanging dullness pervaded the house.”
(especially of weather) affected or characterized by storms or commotion
From this reading “THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.”
conforming to the same principles or course of action over time
From this reading “An unchanging dullness pervaded the house.”
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.
not being in a specified place
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
extensive landed property (especially in the country) retained by the owner for his own use
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading An unchanging dullness pervaded the house.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
without variation or change, in every case
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
the act of discovering something
From this reading EYRECO URT’S DISCOVERY.
in a cheerless manner
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
the quality of being slow to understand
From this reading An unchanging dullness pervaded the house.
plural of “duty” — the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EYRECO URT’S DISCOVERY.
having dropped by the force of gravity
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
something that provides direction or advice as to a decision or course of action
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading An unchanging dullness pervaded the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
plural of “leaf” — the main organ of photosynthesis and transpiration in higher plants
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
be a lodger; stay temporarily
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading MRS.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
past form of “pervade” — spread or diffuse through
From this reading An unchanging dullness pervaded the house.
concerned with sacred matters or religion or the church
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
(especially of weather) affected or characterized by storms or commotion
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
the cardinal number that is the sum of nine and one; the base of the decimal system
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
conforming to the same principles or course of action over time
From this reading An unchanging dullness pervaded the house.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading EYRECO URT’S DISCOVERY.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Romayne was constantly absent in London, attending to his new religious duties under the guidance of Father Benwell.
plural of “wind” — air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading THE leaves had fallen in the grounds at Ten Acres Lodge, and stormy winds told drearily that winter had come.
Chapter 31 of The Black Robe by Wilkie Collins holds 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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.
Chapter 31 holds 177 sentences of The Black Robe, unabridged, divided into 36 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Black Robe by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 177 sentences, grouped into 36 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 36 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 36 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 31 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 Black Robe by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6846 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1587 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1587, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 570 minutes of reading across 1370 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Black Robe section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 34 chapters of The Black Robe 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 Black Robe, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
