Chapter 23 of The Fifth Wheel: A Novel is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Fifth Wheel: A Novel is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner. She excused herself to retire early. I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me. I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited. My thoughts were busy, my cheeks hot.
Chapter 23 of The Fifth Wheel: A Novel is here in full — 265 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/53 · 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.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading “I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.”
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading “My thoughts were busy, my cheeks hot.”
the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working
From this reading “I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.”
come together
From this reading “AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.”
granted exemption
From this reading “She excused herself to retire early.”
a room where books are kept
From this reading “AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.”
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading “She excused herself to retire early.”
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading “I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.”
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 I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.
later than; following
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
using the voice; not silently
From this reading I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.
a small piece or quantity of something
From this reading I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
actively or fully engaged or occupied
From this reading My thoughts were busy, my cheeks hot.
past form of “call” — assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading My thoughts were busy, my cheeks hot.
the deliberate act of delaying and playing instead of working
From this reading I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
the main meal of the day served in the evening or at midday
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
at or near the beginning of a period of time or course of events or before the usual or expected time
From this reading She excused herself to retire early.
come together
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
granted exemption
From this reading She excused herself to retire early.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.
used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object
From this reading She excused herself to retire early.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading My thoughts were busy, my cheeks hot.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
happening at a time subsequent to a reference time
From this reading I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.
a room where books are kept
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My thoughts were busy, my cheeks hot.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.
above and across; more than
From this reading I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.
stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
go into retirement; stop performing one's work or withdraw from one's position
From this reading She excused herself to retire early.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
joining or attaching by stitches
From this reading I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She excused herself to retire early.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
plural of “thought” — the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading My thoughts were busy, my cheeks hot.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She excused herself to retire early.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading I was dawdling over a bit of sewing as I waited.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading My thoughts were busy, my cheeks hot.
at the time that
From this reading I was to read aloud to her later, when Marie called me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading AN ENCOUNTER WITH BRECK Mrs. Sewall didn't remain long with me in the library after dinner.
Chapter 23 of The Fifth Wheel: A Novel by Olive Higgins Prouty holds 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 23 holds 265 sentences of The Fifth Wheel: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Fifth Wheel: A Novel by Olive Higgins Prouty exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 265 sentences, grouped into 53 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 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 53 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 23 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 Fifth Wheel: A Novel by Olive Higgins Prouty on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6031 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #19436 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #19436, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 502 minutes of reading across 1207 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Fifth Wheel: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 32 chapters of The Fifth Wheel: A Novel 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 Fifth Wheel: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
