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The Bridal March
The Bridal March

Chapter II

Cover illustration for The Bridal March
Context Illustration Reading 1/20 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Bridal March

Chapter II

Reading 1/20 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.
Line 2
But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.
Line 3
Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.
Line 4
It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.
Line 5
Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Although noun US /ˈalthough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

Because conjunction US /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading “Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

Below preposition US /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading “It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.”

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.”

Ever noun US /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

Exact adjective US /ɪɡˈzækt/

Strictly particular and correct.

From this reading “It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

Herself pronoun US /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading “Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.”

Length noun US /leŋθ/

a period of time or extent

From this reading “It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

Little noun US /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.”

Looked noun US /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.”

Merry noun US /merry/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

Passed noun US /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

Perhaps noun US /perhaps/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.”

Question noun US /ˈquestion/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.”

Though conjunction US /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading “Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.”

Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.”

All words in this reading · 83

Every word is available to listen to. 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 It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

accept

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

althoughnounUS /ˈalthough/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

any

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.

becauseconjunctionUS /bɪˈkɔːz/

for the reason that

From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

belonged

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

belowprepositionUS /bɪˈloʊ/

at or to a lower level than something

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

blonde

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

boasted

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

called

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

colour

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

dictum

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

doubtful

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

Ella

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

From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.

evernounUS /ever/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

exactadjectiveUS /ɪɡˈzækt/

Strictly particular and correct.

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

generally

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

From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.

girl

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

From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.

give

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

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

going

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

half-tones

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

hardly

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

inclined

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

known

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

From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.

led

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

lengthnounUS /leŋθ/

a period of time or extent

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

less

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

light

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

littlenounUS /little/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

lookednounUS /looked/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.

merry

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

necessary

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

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

noticed

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

passednounUS /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

people

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

Perhaps

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

From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.

plait

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

From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.

questionnounUS /ˈquestion/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

reached

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

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

really

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

From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.

red

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

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

shapely

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

sprightly

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

thick

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

thicker

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

From this reading Perhaps it looked even thicker than it really was, because Ella herself was little.

thickest

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/

in spite of the fact that

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

town

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

unobserved

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

waist

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

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.

way

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

From this reading It is not necessary to give its exact length, but it reached below her waist; a long way below it.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Ella was generally known as the girl with the plait.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading Its colour was doubtful but inclined a little to red, though people in the town generally called it light, and we will accept their dictum without going into the question of half-tones.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading But, thick as the plait was, if it had belonged to any one less shapely, less blonde, less sprightly, hardly any one would have noticed it; the merry life which it led behind her would have passed unobserved, and that, although it was the thickest plait which any one in the little town had ever boasted.