Chapter 17 of The Desired Woman is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Desired Woman is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains. She was still pale. The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support. She seemed scarcely to breathe. Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
Chapter 17 of The Desired Woman is here in full — 114 sentences across 23 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/22 · 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.
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading “She seemed scarcely to breathe.”
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading “The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.”
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading “Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.”
conveyance consisting of a wheeled support on which a camera can be mounted
From this reading “Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.”
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading “Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.”
shake with fast, tremulous movements
From this reading “Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.”
having a well-proportioned and pleasing shape
From this reading “Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.”
plural of “tip” — the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading “The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.”
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 Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
draw air into, and expel out of, the lungs
From this reading She seemed scarcely to breathe.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
inflected form of “cling” — come or be in close contact with; stick or hold together and resist separation
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
deeply agitated especially from emotion
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
conveyance consisting of a wheeled support on which a camera can be mounted
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
United States comedian and film actor (1880-1946)
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
the deliberate act of deviating from the truth
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
make or become more narrow or restricted
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
very light colored; highly diluted with white
From this reading She was still pale.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
(of a body of water) free from disturbance by heavy waves
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
shake with fast, tremulous movements
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
only a very short time before
From this reading She seemed scarcely to breathe.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading She seemed scarcely to breathe.
having a well-proportioned and pleasing shape
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She was still pale.
not in physical motion
From this reading She was still pale.
Maintained an upright posture.
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
the activity of providing for or maintaining by supplying with money or necessities
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
plural of “tip” — the extreme end of something; especially something pointed
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The tips of her fingers clung to the narrow mullions as if for support.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She was still pale.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her beautiful lips were drawn tight; her shapely chin had a piteous quiver.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Alone in her room, Dolly stood at a window, her distraught eyes on the placid fields lying between the house and the mountains.
Chapter 17 of The Desired Woman by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben holds 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 114 sentences of The Desired Woman, unabridged, divided into 23 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Desired Woman by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 114 sentences, grouped into 23 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 23 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 23 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 Desired Woman by Will N. (Will Nathaniel) Harben on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7922 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6056 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #6056, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1585 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Desired Woman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Desired Woman 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 Desired Woman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
