Chapter 1 of The Cavalier is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Cavalier is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Remember! I had yet to make their discovery. But I was on the eve of making it. As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro. Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
Chapter 1 of The Cavalier is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 8/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 36–40
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.
being joined in close association
From this reading “As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.”
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.”
the act of discovering something
From this reading “I had yet to make their discovery.”
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading “As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.”
(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading “But I was on the eve of making it.”
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading “As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.”
plural of “mule” — hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading “As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.”
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading “As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
surrounded by; in the middle of a group
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
being joined in close association
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I was on the eve of making it.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
temporary living quarters specially built by the army for soldiers
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
the act of discovering something
From this reading I had yet to make their discovery.
compelled forcibly by an outside agency
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
(Old Testament) Adam's wife in Judeo-Christian mythology: the first woman and mother of the human race; God created Eve from Adam's rib and placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden
From this reading But I was on the eve of making it.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I had yet to make their discovery.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I had yet to make their discovery.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But I was on the eve of making it.
a polite name for any woman
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
a female domestic
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
engage in
From this reading I had yet to make their discovery.
the act that results in something coming to be
From this reading But I was on the eve of making it.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
the location of something surrounded by other things
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
plural of “mule” — hybrid offspring of a male donkey and a female horse; usually sterile
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
a person with African ancestry, "Negro" and "Negroid" are archaic and pejorative today
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading But I was on the eve of making it.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading But I was on the eve of making it.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
a set of two similar things considered as a unit
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
To recall to mind.
From this reading Remember!
an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Behind him, among the curtains, sat a lady and her black maid.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading But I was on the eve of making it.
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading I had yet to make their discovery.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I had yet to make their discovery.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But I was on the eve of making it.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading As I passed up the road through the midst of our nearly tentless camp I met a leather-curtained spring-wagon to which were attached a pair of little striped-legged mules driven by an old negro.
but in spite of that
From this reading I had yet to make their discovery.
Chapter 1 of The Cavalier by George Washington Cable holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 1 holds 423 sentences of The Cavalier, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Cavalier by George Washington Cable exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 1 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 Cavalier by George Washington Cable on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4529 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #9839 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #9839, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 377 minutes of reading across 906 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Cavalier section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 11 chapters of The Cavalier 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 Cavalier, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
