Chapter 4 of The Delectable Duchy is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Delectable Duchy is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!" He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well. Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths. "A love-charm." The schoolmaster nodded.
Chapter 4 of The Delectable Duchy is here in full — 438 sentences across 88 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/87 · 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.
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading “"The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “"The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"”
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading “Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.”
plural of “pin” — a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment
From this reading “Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.”
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading “"The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"”
presiding officer of a school
From this reading “"The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"”
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading “"The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"”
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading “Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.”
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 "A love-charm."
later than; following
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
with anger
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
in a blank and uncomprehending manner
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
an orange of low brightness and saturation
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
(plural) the deepest and most remote part
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
a flash of light (especially reflected light)
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "A love-charm."
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The schoolmaster nodded.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
plural of “pin” — a piece of jewelry that is pinned onto the wearer's garment
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
-ing form of “retreat” — pull back or move away or backward
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
cut with a saw
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
presiding officer of a school
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
plural of “skirt” — cloth covering that forms the part of a garment below the waist
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
having the back and shoulders rounded; not erect
From this reading Stooping, I saw half-a-dozen pins gleaming in its brown depths.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "The matter?" echoed the schoolmaster, staring blankly after the retreating skirts; then more angrily--"The matter? come and look here!"
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading He took hold of my shirt-sleeve and led me to the well.
Chapter 4 of The Delectable Duchy by Arthur Quiller-Couch holds 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 4 holds 438 sentences of The Delectable Duchy, unabridged, divided into 88 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Delectable Duchy by Arthur Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 438 sentences, grouped into 88 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 88 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 88 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 4 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 Delectable Duchy by Arthur Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3058 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12277 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12277, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 254 minutes of reading across 612 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Delectable Duchy section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 7 chapters of The Delectable Duchy 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 Delectable Duchy, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
