The Broad Highway

Chapter XXII · Chapter 22

Chapter 22 of The Broad Highway is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Jeffery Farnol • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Broad Highway

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

The word had been uttered close behind me, and very softly, yet I started at this sudden mention of my name and stood for a moment with my hammer poised above the anvil ere I turned and faced the speaker.

He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

"You spoke, I think!" said I.

"I said, 'Vibart'!"

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXII Reading 1/37

The Broad Highway

Chapter XXII · Chapter 22

Chapter 22 of The Broad Highway is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/37 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

Line 2

/ðə wɜːrd hæd bɪn ˈʌtərd kloʊs bɪˈhaɪnd miː ənd ˈveri ˈsɔːftli jet aɪ ˈstɑːrtɪd æt ðɪs ˈsʌdən ˈmenʃən ʌv maɪ neɪm ənd stʊd fɔːr ə ˈmoʊmənt wɪð maɪ ˈhæmər pɔɪzd əˈbʌv ðə ˈænvəl er aɪ tɜːrnd ənd feɪst ðə ˈspiːkər/

Line 3

He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

Line 4

"You spoke, I think!" said I.

/juː spoʊk aɪ θɪŋk sed aɪ/

Line 5

"I said, 'Vibart'!"

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.

anvil noun US /ˈænvəl/

a heavy block of iron or steel on which hot metals are shaped by hammering

From this reading “The word had been uttered close behind me, and very softly, yet I started at this sudden mention of my name and stood for a moment with my hammer poised above the anvil ere I turned and faced the speaker.”

grassy adjective US /ˈɡræsi/

abounding in grass

From this reading “He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.”

grizzled adjective US /ˈɡrɪzəld/

having dark hairs mixed with grey or white

From this reading “He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.”

growth noun US /ɡroʊθ/

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

From this reading “He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.”

hammer noun US /ˈhæmər/

the part of a gunlock that strikes the percussion cap when the trigger is pulled

jaws noun US /dʒɔːz/

plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth

From this reading “He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.”

lank adjective US /læŋk/

long and thin and often limp

From this reading “He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.”

poised adjective US /pɔɪzd/

marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action

All words in this reading · 67

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 word had been uttered close behind me, and very softly, yet I started at this sudden mention of my name and stood for a moment with my hammer poised above the anvil ere I turned and faced the speaker.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

AMauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

anvilnounUS /ˈænvəl/

a heavy block of iron or steel on which hot metals are shaped by hammering

ARTauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

BLACKadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

certainadjectiveUS /ˈsɜːrtən/

definite but not specified or identified

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

ereconjunctionUS /er/

an old word for “before”

facedadjectiveUS /feɪst/

having a face or facing especially of a specified kind or number; often used in combination

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

gaveverbUS /ɡeɪv/

inflected form of “give” — cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

grassyadjectiveUS /ˈɡræsi/

abounding in grass

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

grizzledadjectiveUS /ˈɡrɪzəld/

having dark hairs mixed with grey or white

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

growthnounUS /ɡroʊθ/

(biology) the process of an individual organism growing organically; a purely biological unfolding of events involved in an organism changing gradually from a simple to a more complex level

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

hammernounUS /ˈhæmər/

the part of a gunlock that strikes the percussion cap when the trigger is pulled

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

jawsnounUS /dʒɔːz/

plural of “jaw” — the part of the skull of a vertebrate that frames the mouth and holds the teeth

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

lanenounUS /leɪn/

a narrow way or road

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

lankadjectiveUS /læŋk/

long and thin and often limp

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

leaningadjectiveUS /ˈliːnɪŋ/

departing or being caused to depart from the true vertical or horizontal

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

mepronounUS /miː/

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

mentionverbUS /ˈmenʃən/

make reference to

momentnounUS /ˈmoʊmənt/

a particular point in time

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

nameverbUS /neɪm/

assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

poisedadjectiveUS /pɔɪzd/

marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading "You spoke, I think!" said I.

smithynoun

a workplace where metal is worked by heating and hammering

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

softlyadverbUS /ˈsɔːftli/

with low volume

speakernounUS /ˈspiːkər/

someone who expresses in language; someone who talks (especially someone who delivers a public speech or someone especially garrulous)

spokenounUS /spoʊk/

support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim

From this reading "You spoke, I think!" said I.

startedverbUS /ˈstɑːrtɪd/

past form of “start” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

stubblyadjective

having a short growth of beard

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

suddenadjectiveUS /ˈsʌdən/

happening without warning or in a short space of time

SUSPECTEDadjectiveUS /səˈspektɪd/

believed likely

From this reading I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

talladjectiveUS /tɔːl/

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

thinkverbUS /θɪŋk/

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading "You spoke, I think!" said I.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

turnedadjectiveUS /tɜːrnd/

moved around an axis or center

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

utteredadjectiveUS /ˈʌtərd/

communicated in words

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

Vibart

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

From this reading I AM SUSPECTED OF THE BLACK ART "Vibart!"

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

windownounUS /ˈwɪndoʊ/

a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air

From this reading He was a tall man with a stubbly growth of grizzled hair about his lank jaws, and he was leaning in at that window of the smithy which gave upon a certain grassy back lane.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wordnounUS /wɜːrd/

a unit of language that native speakers can identify

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

YoupronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "You spoke, I think!" said I.

Chapter 22 of The Broad Highway by Jeffery Farnol holds 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 Broad Highway contain?

Chapter 22 holds 189 sentences of The Broad Highway, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 22 of The Broad Highway by Jeffery Farnol exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 Broad Highway?

Work through the 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 38 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 Broad Highway

Common questions about reading The Broad Highway by Jeffery Farnol on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Broad Highway?

Yes. All 7830 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5257 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Broad Highway is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #5257, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Broad Highway take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 1566 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Broad Highway section by section

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

Open a chapter

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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Broad Highway

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

Nephew: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Broad Highway; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Maurice: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Broad Highway; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Vibart: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Broad Highway; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Bequeath: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Broad Highway; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXII · Chapter 22

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Vocabulary met early in The Broad Highway