Chapter 26 of The Dust Flower is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Dust Flower is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Waiting was becoming dreamlike. She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense. On the contrary, it was soothing. It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness. It was so strange to see him still.
Chapter 26 of The Dust Flower is here in full — 286 sentences across 58 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/57 · 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.
according with custom or propriety
From this reading “Waiting was becoming dreamlike.”
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading “On the contrary, it was soothing.”
resembling a dream
From this reading “Waiting was becoming dreamlike.”
affording physical relief
From this reading “On the contrary, it was soothing.”
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading “It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.”
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading “She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.”
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading “She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “Waiting was becoming dreamlike.”
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 It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
according with custom or propriety
From this reading Waiting was becoming dreamlike.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
very opposed in nature or character or purpose
From this reading On the contrary, it was soothing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.
resembling a dream
From this reading Waiting was becoming dreamlike.
giving or marked by complete attention to
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
come upon, as if by accident; meet with
From this reading She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading It was so strange to see him still.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading On the contrary, it was soothing.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading It was so strange to see him still.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was so strange to see him still.
affording physical relief
From this reading On the contrary, it was soothing.
not in physical motion
From this reading It was so strange to see him still.
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
being definitely out of the ordinary and unexpected; slightly odd or even a bit weird
From this reading It was so strange to see him still.
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.
so lacking in interest as to cause mental weariness
From this reading She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading On the contrary, it was soothing.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading It was so strange to see him still.
to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was a little trance-like, too, almost as if she had been enwrapped in Rash's stillness.
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Waiting was becoming dreamlike.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Waiting was becoming dreamlike.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She didn't find it tedious, or over-fraught with suspense.
Chapter 26 of The Dust Flower by Basil King holds 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 26 holds 286 sentences of The Dust Flower, unabridged, divided into 58 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Dust Flower by Basil King exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 286 sentences, grouped into 58 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 58 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 58 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 26 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 Dust Flower by Basil King on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6311 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28590 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28590, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 525 minutes of reading across 1263 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Dust Flower section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Dust Flower 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 Dust Flower, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
