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The Butterfly House
The Butterfly House

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Butterfly House is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Butterfly House
Context Illustration Reading 1/83 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.
She scorned subterfuges.
Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.
She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.
Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Butterfly House

Chapter V · Chapter 5

Chapter 5 of The Butterfly House is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/83 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.
Line 2
She scorned subterfuges.
Line 3
Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.
/əˈnʌðər ʌv hɜːr eɪdʒ ənd seks maɪt hæv ɡɔːn tuː bed wɪð ə ˈhedeɪk nɑːt ʃiː/
Line 4
She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.
Line 5
Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

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.

assume verb US /əˈsuːm/

take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof

From this reading “Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.”

departing verb US /dɪˈpɑːrtɪŋ/

-ing form of “depart” — move away from a place into another direction

From this reading “She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.”

headache noun US /ˈhedeɪk/

something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness

From this reading “Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.”

methods noun US /ˈmeθədz/

plural of “method” — a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)

From this reading “Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.”

rap noun US /ræp/

a reproach for some lapse or misdeed

From this reading “She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.”

scorned adjective US /skɔːrnd/

treated with dislike or contempt

From this reading “She scorned subterfuges.”

undoubtedly adverb US /ənˈdaʊtɪdli/

without doubt; certainly

From this reading “She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.”

Zenith noun US /ˈziːnəθ/

the point above the observer that is directly opposite the nadir on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected

From this reading “She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.”

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 Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.

absolutelyadverbUS /ˌæbsəˈluːtli/

completely and without qualification; used informally as intensifiers

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

agenounUS /eɪdʒ/

how long something has existed

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

AnotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

answerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

From this reading Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

assumeverbUS /əˈsuːm/

take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof

From this reading Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

besideprepositionUS /bɪˈsaɪd/

next to; at the side of

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

choseverbUS /tʃoʊz/

inflected form of “choose” — pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives

From this reading Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

ClubnounUS /klʌb/

a team of professional baseball players who play and travel together

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

departingverbUS /dɪˈpɑːrtɪŋ/

-ing form of “depart” — move away from a place into another direction

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

directverbUS /dərˈekt/

command with authority

From this reading Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.

directionnounUS /dərˈekʃən/

a line leading to a place or point

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

enteredverbUS /ˈentərd/

past form of “enter” — to come or go into

From this reading Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

fulladjectiveUS /fʊl/

containing as much or as many as is possible or normal

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

glanceverbUS /ɡlæns/

throw a glance at; take a brief look at

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

goneadjectiveUS /ɡɔːn/

destroyed or killed

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

headachenounUS /ˈhedeɪk/

something or someone that causes anxiety; a source of unhappiness

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

hostess's

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

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

Margaret

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

From this reading Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

Martha

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

From this reading Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.

membersnounUS /ˈmembərz/

plural of “member” — one of the persons who compose a social group (especially individuals who have joined and participate in a group organization)

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

methodsnounUS /ˈmeθədz/

plural of “method” — a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)

From this reading Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

personnounUS /ˈpɜːrsən/

a human being

From this reading Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.

presentlyadverbUS /ˈprezəntli/

in the near future

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

quiteadverbUS /kwaɪt/

to a degree (not used with a negative)

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

rapnounUS /ræp/

a reproach for some lapse or misdeed

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

remainedverbUS /rɪˈmeɪnd/

past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

repeatedadjectiveUS /rɪˈpiːtɪd/

recurring again and again

From this reading Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

scornedadjectiveUS /skɔːrnd/

treated with dislike or contempt

From this reading She scorned subterfuges.

sexnounUS /seks/

activities associated with sexual intercourse

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She scorned subterfuges.

someadjectiveUS /sʌm/

(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

subterfuges

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

From this reading She scorned subterfuges.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

theypronounUS /ðeɪ/

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

tinyadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪni/

very small

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

troublenounUS /ˈtrʌbəl/

a source of difficulty

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

undoubtedlyadverbUS /ənˈdaʊtɪdli/

without doubt; certainly

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

viewnounUS /vjuː/

a way of regarding situations or topics etc.

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

waitverbUS /weɪt/

stay in one place and anticipate or expect something

From this reading Martha did not answer, but after a repeated rap and wait, Margaret chose to assume that she did, and entered.

Wallingford

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

From this reading Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.

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 She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Another of her age and sex might have gone to bed with a headache, not she.

youngadjectiveUS /jʌŋ/

(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth

From this reading Martha Wallingford was a young person of direct methods.

ZenithnounUS /ˈziːnəθ/

the point above the observer that is directly opposite the nadir on the imaginary sphere against which celestial bodies appear to be projected

From this reading She sat absolutely still beside her window, quite in full view of the departing members of the Zenith Club, had they taken the trouble to glance in that direction, and some undoubtedly did, and she remained there; presently she heard her hostess's tiny rap on the door.

Chapter 5 of The Butterfly House by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 5 of The Butterfly House contain?

Chapter 5 holds 417 sentences of The Butterfly House, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Butterfly House by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 5 of The Butterfly House?

Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 84 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 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 Butterfly House

Common questions about reading The Butterfly House by Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Butterfly House?

Yes. All 3029 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18158 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Butterfly House is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #18158, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Butterfly House take to read?

About 252 minutes of reading across 606 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Butterfly House section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 8 chapters of The Butterfly House 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 Butterfly House

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

Things
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Butterfly House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Puzzling
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Butterfly House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Fairbridge
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Butterfly House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Person
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Butterfly House; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.