Chapter 25 of The Changeling is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of The Changeling is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE FIRST MOTHER. There were once two women who claimed the same child. The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice. "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child." So they laid the child before him.
Chapter 25 of The Changeling is here in full — 218 sentences across 44 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/43 · 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.
a person who is in charge
From this reading “The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.”
past form of “claim” — assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing
From this reading “There were once two women who claimed the same child.”
recognizable; marked
From this reading “"It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."”
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading “"It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."”
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading “"It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."”
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading “The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.”
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading “The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.”
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading “"It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."”
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 “"It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."”
In this reading “There were once two women who claimed the same child.”
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.
later than; following
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
in addition
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading So they laid the child before him.
the two together, not just one
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
an occurrence of something
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
a person who is in charge
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
a young person of either sex
From this reading There were once two women who claimed the same child.
past form of “claim” — assert or affirm strongly; state to be true or existing
From this reading There were once two women who claimed the same child.
rid of obstructions
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
a politically organized body of people under a single government
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
recognizable; marked
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
your basis for belief or disbelief; knowledge on which to base belief
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading THE FIRST MOTHER.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading So they laid the child before him.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
the quality of being just or fair
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
a male sovereign; ruler of a kingdom
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
set down according to a plan
From this reading So they laid the child before him.
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading THE FIRST MOTHER.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
on one occasion
From this reading There were once two women who claimed the same child.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
inflected form of “refer” — make reference to
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
Identical; not different.
From this reading There were once two women who claimed the same child.
plural of “side” — a place within a region identified relative to a center or reference location
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading So they laid the child before him.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE FIRST MOTHER.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There were once two women who claimed the same child.
for that reason; as a result
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading So they laid the child before him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading There were once two women who claimed the same child.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The case was referred to the king, who in that country was also lord chief justice.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading "It is clear to me," said the king, after hearing the evidence on both sides, "that the case cannot be decided one way or the other; therefore bring me the child."
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading There were once two women who claimed the same child.
which person or people
From this reading There were once two women who claimed the same child.
plural of “woman” — an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading There were once two women who claimed the same child.
Chapter 25 of The Changeling by Walter Besant holds 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 25 holds 218 sentences of The Changeling, unabridged, divided into 44 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of The Changeling by Walter Besant exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 218 sentences, grouped into 44 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 44 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 44 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 25 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 Changeling by Walter Besant on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7114 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #49035 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #49035, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 592 minutes of reading across 1423 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Changeling section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Changeling 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 Changeling, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
