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The blue wall
The blue wall

Chapter XXII · Chapter 22

Chapter 22 of The blue wall is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The blue wall
Context Illustration Reading 1/29 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.
Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.
I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.
This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.
I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The blue wall

Chapter XXII · Chapter 22

Chapter 22 of The blue wall is here in full — 149 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/29 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.
/ðə vɔɪs ʌv ðə blʌd aɪ æm ə ˈmɪzərəbəl ˈwʊmən/
Line 2
Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.
/bɪˈfɔːr aɪ æsk juː tuː rɪˈtɜːrn tuː miː aɪ æm dɪˈtɜːrmənd ðæt juː ʃæl noʊ ðə truːθ/
Line 3
I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.
/aɪ beɡ juː tuː red ðɪs ənd kənˈsɪdər wel wʌt aɪ æm ənd wʌt aɪ hæv dʌn bɪˈfɔːr juː ˈʌndərteɪk laɪf wɪð miː ɔːr əˈɡen brɪŋ jɔːr lʌv ˈɪntuː maɪ ˈkiːpɪŋ/
Line 4
This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.
/ðɪs aɪ æsk fɔːr jɔːr seɪk ənd fɔːr maɪ oʊn fɔːr jʊrz bɪˈkɔːz aɪ ɡrænt ðæt juː hæv bɪn dɪˈsiːvd ənd oʊ miː ˈnʌθɪŋ fɔːr maɪ oʊn bɪˈkɔːz aɪ bɪˈliːv ðæt aɪ hæv bɔːrn ɔːl ðæt aɪ kæn ənd tuː hæv juː kʌm bæk tuː miː wɪˈθaʊt ˈnoʊɪŋ ɔːl ənd wɪˈθaʊt stɪl ˈlʌvɪŋ miː æz juː juːzd tuː lʌv miː wʊd breɪk maɪ hɑːrt/
Line 5
I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.
/aɪ mʌst nɑːt raɪt juː wɪð ɪˈmoʊʃən aɪ mʌst ˈstaɪfəl maɪ dɪˈzaɪər tuː kraɪ aʊt fɔːr jɔːr ˈsɪmpəθi/

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.

borne verb US /bɔːrn/

inflected form of “bear” — have

From this reading “This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.”

deceived verb US /dɪˈsiːvd/

past form of “deceive” — be false to; be dishonest with

From this reading “This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.”

emotion noun US /ɪˈmoʊʃən/

any strong feeling

From this reading “I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.”

grant verb US /ɡrænt/

let have

From this reading “This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.”

loving adjective US /ˈlʌvɪŋ/

feeling or showing love and affection

From this reading “This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.”

owe verb US /oʊ/

be obliged to pay or repay

From this reading “This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.”

stifle verb US /ˈstaɪfəl/

suppress in order to conceal or hide

From this reading “I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.”

undertake verb US /ˈʌndərteɪk/

enter upon an activity or enterprise

From this reading “I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.”

All words in this reading · 74

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 VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

askverbUS /æsk/

make a request or demand for something to somebody

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

BeforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

begverbUS /beɡ/

call upon in supplication; entreat

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

BLOODnounUS /blʌd/

The red fluid that circulates in the heart and blood vessels.

From this reading THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.

borneverbUS /bɔːrn/

inflected form of “bear” — have

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

breakverbUS /breɪk/

terminate

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

bringverbUS /brɪŋ/

take something or somebody with oneself somewhere

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

considerverbUS /kənˈsɪdər/

deem to be

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

cryverbUS /kraɪ/

utter a sudden loud cry

From this reading I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.

deceivedverbUS /dɪˈsiːvd/

past form of “deceive” — be false to; be dishonest with

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

desirenounUS /dɪˈzaɪər/

the feeling that accompanies an unsatisfied state

From this reading I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.

determinedadjectiveUS /dɪˈtɜːrmənd/

characterized by great determination

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

doneadjectiveUS /dʌn/

having finished or arrived at completion

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

emotionnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃən/

any strong feeling

From this reading I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

grantverbUS /ɡrænt/

let have

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

keepingnounUS /ˈkiːpɪŋ/

conformity or harmony

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

knowingadjectiveUS /ˈnoʊɪŋ/

evidencing the possession of inside information

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

lovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

lovingadjectiveUS /ˈlʌvɪŋ/

feeling or showing love and affection

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

miserableadjectiveUS /ˈmɪzərəbəl/

very unhappy; full of misery

From this reading THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

outadjectiveUS /aʊt/

not allowed to continue to bat or run

From this reading I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.

oweverbUS /oʊ/

be obliged to pay or repay

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

sakenounUS /seɪk/

a reason for wanting something done

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

stifleverbUS /ˈstaɪfəl/

suppress in order to conceal or hide

From this reading I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

sympathynounUS /ˈsɪmpəθi/

an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion

From this reading I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

truthnounUS /truːθ/

a fact that has been verified

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

undertakeverbUS /ˈʌndərteɪk/

enter upon an activity or enterprise

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

usedadjectiveUS /juːzd/

employed in accomplishing something

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

VOICEnounUS /vɔɪs/

the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech

From this reading THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.

welladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading THE VOICE OF THE BLOOD I am a miserable woman.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

writeverbUS /raɪt/

produce a literary work

From this reading I must not write you with emotion; I must stifle my desire to cry out for your sympathy.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading Before I ask you to return to me, I am determined that you shall know the truth.

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

From this reading I beg you to read this and consider well what I am and what I have done before you undertake life with me or again bring your love into my keeping.

yourspronounUS /jʊrz/

the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to

From this reading This I ask for your sake and for my own; for yours, because I grant that you have been deceived and owe me nothing; for my own, because I believe that I have borne all that I can, and to have you come back to me without knowing all, and without still loving me as you used to love me, would break my heart.

Chapter 22 of The blue wall by Richard Washburn Child holds 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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.

What does chapter 22 of The blue wall contain?

Chapter 22 holds 149 sentences of The blue wall, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 22 of The blue wall by Richard Washburn Child exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 149 sentences, grouped into 30 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 22 of The blue wall?

Work through the 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 30 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 22 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 22 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 blue wall

Common questions about reading The blue wall by Richard Washburn Child on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The blue wall?

Yes. All 5300 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #24451 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The blue wall is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #24451, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The blue wall take to read?

About 441 minutes of reading across 1060 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The blue wall section by section

How to work through The blue wall section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of The blue wall 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 blue wall

Words and structures a reader meets early in The blue wall, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

What's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The blue wall; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Behind
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The blue wall; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Write
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The blue wall; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Surgeon's
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The blue wall; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.