Chapter 20 of The Chief Legatee is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Chief Legatee is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
BETWEEN THE ELDERBERRY BUSHES "No." The word came from Ransom. He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot. "Come into my room," said he. "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
Chapter 20 of The Chief Legatee is here in full — 100 sentences across 20 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/20 · 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.
matters of personal concern
From this reading “"If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."”
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading “BETWEEN THE ELDERBERRY BUSHES "No."”
plural of “demand” — an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading “"If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “"If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."”
of the present time and place
From this reading “"If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."”
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading “He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.”
money demanded for the return of a captured person
From this reading “The word came from Ransom.”
the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
From this reading “"If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."”
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.
matters of personal concern
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading BETWEEN THE ELDERBERRY BUSHES "No."
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading BETWEEN THE ELDERBERRY BUSHES "No."
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading The word came from Ransom.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Come into my room," said he.
plural of “demand” — an urgent or peremptory request
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
characterized by great determination
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
the state of being unsure of something
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
a common shrub with black fruit or a small tree of Europe and Asia; fruit used for wines and jellies
From this reading BETWEEN THE ELDERBERRY BUSHES "No."
either extremity of something that has length
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading The word came from Ransom.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
of the present time and place
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading "Come into my room," said he.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "Come into my room," said he.
not any; not one
From this reading BETWEEN THE ELDERBERRY BUSHES "No."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
good-natured tolerance of delay or incompetence
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
give an exhibition of to an interested audience
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
money demanded for the return of a captured person
From this reading The word came from Ransom.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading "Come into my room," said he.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Come into my room," said he.
a point located with respect to surface features of some region
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading BETWEEN THE ELDERBERRY BUSHES "No."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
in the company of; together with
From this reading He had reached the end of his patience and was determined to have it out with this man on the spot.
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading The word came from Ransom.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "If you doubt her, you doubt me; and in the present stress of my affairs this demands an immediate explanation."
Chapter 20 of The Chief Legatee by Anna Katharine Green holds 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 holds 100 sentences of The Chief Legatee, unabridged, divided into 20 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Chief Legatee by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 100 sentences, grouped into 20 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 20 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 20 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 20 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 Chief Legatee by Anna Katharine Green on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4042 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17999 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17999, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 336 minutes of reading across 809 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Chief Legatee section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 30 chapters of The Chief Legatee 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 Chief Legatee, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
