Chapter 39 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIX
Chapter 39 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain. It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house. “Suppose we look for them in the sitting-room?” Kitty proposed. “Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.
Chapter 39 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story is here in full — 244 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/48 · 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.
having the benefit of careful prior consideration or counsel
From this reading ““Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.”
the time you go to bed
From this reading “It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.”
recognizable; marked
From this reading “It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.”
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading ““Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.”
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading “Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.”
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading “Kitty proposed.”
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading “Kitty proposed.”
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading “It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.”
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 “Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.
having the benefit of careful prior consideration or counsel
From this reading “Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
the time you go to bed
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading “Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
a female human offspring
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
recognizable; marked
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “Suppose we look for them in the sitting-room?”
a plot of ground where plants are cultivated
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading “Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
the mother of your father or mother
From this reading “Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
of or relating to two people who are married to each other
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
the combined stakes of the betters
From this reading Kitty proposed.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading “Suppose we look for them in the sitting-room?”
a particular point in time
From this reading “Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
the time that has elapsed
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
past form of “propose” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something
From this reading Kitty proposed.
tending to return to an earlier state
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Suppose we look for them in the sitting-room?”
express a supposition
From this reading “Suppose we look for them in the sitting-room?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading “Suppose we look for them in the sitting-room?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading “Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Mrs. Presty waited in the garden to be joined by her daughter and Captain Bennydeck, and waited in vain.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was past her grandchild’s bedtime; she decided on returning to the house.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading “Suppose we look for them in the sitting-room?”
having or prompted by wisdom or discernment
From this reading “Suppose we wait a moment, before we go in?” her wise grandmother advised.
Chapter 39 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story by Wilkie Collins holds 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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 39 holds 244 sentences of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 39 of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 244 sentences, grouped into 49 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 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 49 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 39 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 Evil Genius: A Domestic Story by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6769 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1627 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1627, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 564 minutes of reading across 1354 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Evil Genius: A Domestic Story 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 Evil Genius: A Domestic Story, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
