Chapter 17 of The Casque's Lark is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Casque's Lark is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE CATASTROPHE. When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle. The moment Sampso saw me she cried: "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen? What afflicts you?"
Chapter 17 of The Casque's Lark is here in full — 226 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
third-person singular of “afflict” — cause great unhappiness for; distress
From this reading “What afflicts you?"”
plural of “ail” — aromatic bulb used as seasoning
From this reading “"You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?”
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “"You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?”
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading “THE CATASTROPHE.”
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading “"You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?”
a baby bed with sides and rockers
From this reading “When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.”
without a basis in reason or fact
From this reading “"You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?”
showing sorrow
From this reading “"You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.”
In this reading “"You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?”
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.
third-person singular of “afflict” — cause great unhappiness for; distress
From this reading What afflicts you?"
plural of “ail” — aromatic bulb used as seasoning
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
an event resulting in great loss and misfortune
From this reading THE CATASTROPHE.
make (someone) agree, understand, or realize the truth or validity of something
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
a baby bed with sides and rockers
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading The moment Sampso saw me she cried:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
plural of “fear” — an emotion experienced in anticipation of some specific pain or danger (usually accompanied by a desire to flee or fight)
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
set up or found
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
without a basis in reason or fact
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading The moment Sampso saw me she cried:
a particular point in time
From this reading The moment Sampso saw me she cried:
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
cut with a saw
From this reading The moment Sampso saw me she cried:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
(of persons) having the torso erect and legs bent with the body supported on the buttocks
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The moment Sampso saw me she cried:
a female person who has the same parents as another person
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
a male human offspring
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE CATASTROPHE.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
showing sorrow
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
at the time that
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You arrive in time, Schanvoch, to help me convince Ellen that her fears are groundless--she is weeping--" "What ails you, Ellen?
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading When I reached home, my son, I found your mother Ellen and her sister Sampso seated near your cradle.
Chapter 17 of The Casque's Lark by Eugène Sue holds 226 sentences, grouped into 46 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.
Chapter 17 holds 226 sentences of The Casque's Lark, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Casque's Lark by Eugène Sue exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 226 sentences, grouped into 46 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 17 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Casque's Lark by Eugène Sue on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4510 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #33868 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #33868, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 375 minutes of reading across 902 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Casque's Lark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Casque's Lark to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Casque's Lark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
