Chapter 5 of The Dim Lantern is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Dim Lantern is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this. “She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her. Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone. It has added immeasurably to the gossip.” His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
Chapter 5 of The Dim Lantern is here in full — 170 sentences across 34 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/34 · 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.
flesh of a young domestic duck
From this reading “THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.”
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading “THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.”
light informal conversation for social occasions
From this reading “It has added immeasurably to the gossip.””
to an immeasurable degree; beyond measurement
From this reading “It has added immeasurably to the gossip.””
plural of “listener” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading “His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.”
possessive form of “niece” — a daughter of your brother or sister
share the feelings of; understand the sentiments of
From this reading ““She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her.”
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading “His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.”
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 “Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.”
share the suffering of
In this reading ““She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her.”
move out of or depart from
In this reading “THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.”
In this reading “Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.”
In this reading “His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.”
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.
past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of
From this reading It has added immeasurably to the gossip.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.
any person at all
From this reading “She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her.
bring into balance or equilibrium
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.
flesh of a young domestic duck
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
a formation of aircraft in flight
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
set up or found
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
a town in northern Maryland to the west of Baltimore
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.
light informal conversation for social occasions
From this reading It has added immeasurably to the gossip.”
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It has added immeasurably to the gossip.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
used to add a contrasting statement
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
to an immeasurable degree; beyond measurement
From this reading It has added immeasurably to the gossip.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It has added immeasurably to the gossip.”
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her.
plural of “listener” — someone who listens attentively
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
past form of “lock” — fasten with a lock
From this reading Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.
possessive form of “niece” — a daughter of your brother or sister
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her.
and nothing more
From this reading Simply locked the door of her room, and in the morning she was gone.
share the feelings of; understand the sentiments of
From this reading “She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her.
an inclination to support or be loyal to or to agree with an opinion
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
a special situation
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It has added immeasurably to the gossip.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
displeasing to the senses
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
the cognitive condition of someone who understands
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
nonexistent
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE UGLY DUCKLING The thing that Frederick Towne got out of his niece’s flight was this.
past form of “weigh” — have a certain weight
From this reading His listeners had, however, weighed him in the balance of understanding and sympathy, and had found him wanting.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “She wouldn’t let anybody sympathize with her.
Chapter 5 of The Dim Lantern by Temple Bailey holds 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 5 holds 170 sentences of The Dim Lantern, unabridged, divided into 34 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Dim Lantern by Temple Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 170 sentences, grouped into 34 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 34 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 34 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 5 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 Dim Lantern by Temple Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7186 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #60090 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #60090, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 598 minutes of reading across 1438 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dim Lantern section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Dim Lantern 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 Dim Lantern, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
