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The Fire Within
The Fire Within

Chapter XVIII · The Face of Love

Chapter XVIII of The Fire Within, “The Face of Love,” is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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Context Illustration Reading 1/25 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?
Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?
How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?
Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.
Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Fire Within

Chapter XVIII · The Face of Love

Chapter XVIII of The Fire Within, “The Face of Love,” is here in full — 125 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/25 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?
Line 2
Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?
/wer hæv aɪ siːn ðɪs blæk blæk puːl ðæt ˈnevər ˈrʌfəlz tuː ˈeni breθ bʌt sterz ənd sterz æt ðə ˈempti skaɪ æz ˈsaɪləntli æz deθ/
Line 3
How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?
Line 4
Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.
/oʊ ˈiːvɪn ɪn deθ ɔːr ðə dʌsk ʌv ə driːm juː ɑːr hɑːrt ʌv ðə hɑːrt ʌv lʌv/
Line 5
Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.
/ɪˈlɪzəbəθ wɑːz ˈveri peɪl wen ʃiː keɪm daʊn ðə nekst deɪ/

Learner Dictionary

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.

dusk noun US /dʌsk/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading “Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.”

Elizabeth noun US /ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/

daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)

From this reading “Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.”

pointing verb US /ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/

-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively

From this reading “Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?”

pool noun US /puːl/

an excavation that is (usually) filled with water

From this reading “Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?”

ring verb US /rɪŋ/

sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading “Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?”

ruffles noun US /ˈrʌfəlz/

plural of “ruffle” — a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim

From this reading “Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?”

silently adverb US /ˈsaɪləntli/

without speaking

From this reading “Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?”

stares noun US /sterz/

plural of “stare” — a fixed look with eyes open wide

From this reading “Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

next day adjective + noun

In this reading “Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.”

stares at verb + particle counted as “stare at”

In this reading “Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?”

black pool adjective + noun

In this reading “Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?”

came down verb + adjective counted as “come down”

move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way

In this reading “Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.”

come here verb + particle

In this reading “How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?”

All words in this reading · 67

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

aboveprepositionUS /əˈbʌv/

higher than, or over, something

From this reading How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

beneathprepositionUS /bɪˈniːθ/

Directly under; in or to a lower position than.

From this reading How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

breathnounUS /breθ/

the process of taking in and expelling air during breathing

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

deathnounUS /deθ/

the event of dying or departure from life

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

dreamnounUS /driːm/

A series of thoughts, images, or emotions during sleep.

From this reading Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.

dusknounUS /dʌsk/

the time of day immediately following sunset

From this reading Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.

ElizabethnounUS /ɪˈlɪzəbəθ/

daughter of George VI who became the Queen of England and Northern Ireland in 1952 on the death of her father (1926-)

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

emptyverbUS /ˈempti/

make void or empty of contents

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

From this reading Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.

HeavennounUS /ˈhevən/

any place of complete bliss and delight and peace

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

hereadverbUS /hiːr/

in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is

From this reading How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?

How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

LovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

nextadjectiveUS /nekst/

immediately following in time or order

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.

OhnounUS /oʊ/

a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region

From this reading Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Oh, even in death or the dusk of a dream, You are heart of the heart of Love.

paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/

very light colored; highly diluted with white

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

pointingverbUS /ˈpɔɪntɪŋ/

-ing form of “point” — indicate a place, direction, person, or thing; either spatially or figuratively

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

poolnounUS /puːl/

an excavation that is (usually) filled with water

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

ringverbUS /rɪŋ/

sound loudly and sonorously

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

rufflesnounUS /ˈrʌfəlz/

plural of “ruffle” — a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

sevennounUS /ˈsevən/

the cardinal number that is the sum of six and one

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

silentlyadverbUS /ˈsaɪləntli/

without speaking

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

skynounUS /skaɪ/

the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

StandingadjectiveUS /ˈstændɪŋ/

having a supporting base

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

staresnounUS /sterz/

plural of “stare” — a fixed look with eyes open wide

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

talladjectiveUS /tɔːl/

great in vertical dimension; high in stature

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading Where have I seen this black, black pool, That never ruffles to any breath, But stares and stares at the empty sky, As silently as death?

threenounUS /θriː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

treesnounUS /triːz/

plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

TwonounUS /tuː/

the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Elizabeth was very pale when she came down the next day.

WhereconjunctionUS /wer/

in or at the place that

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?

yesnounUS /jes/

an affirmative

From this reading Where have I seen these tall black trees, Two and two and three—yes, seven, Standing all about in a ring, And pointing up to Heaven?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading How did we come here, you and I, With the pool beneath, and the trees above?

Chapter 18 of The Fire Within by Patricia Wentworth holds 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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.

What does chapter 18 of The Fire Within contain?

Chapter 18 holds 125 sentences of The Fire Within, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of The Fire Within by Patricia Wentworth exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 125 sentences, grouped into 25 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.

How do I study chapter 18 of The Fire Within?

Work through the 25 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 25 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.

Can chapter 18 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 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.

Questions about reading The Fire Within

Common questions about reading The Fire Within by Patricia Wentworth on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Fire Within?

Yes. All 4352 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #62820 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Fire Within is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #62820, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Fire Within take to read?

About 362 minutes of reading across 871 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Fire Within section by section

How to work through The Fire Within section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 24 chapters of The Fire Within to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Fire Within

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Fire Within, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Patricia
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fire Within; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wentworth
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fire Within; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Dillon
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fire Within; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Author
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Fire Within; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.