Chapter 23 of The Furnace of Gold is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIII
Chapter 23 of The Furnace of Gold is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed. The air was chill and wonderfully clean. Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear. Beth still lay deep in slumber. She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
Chapter 23 of The Furnace of Gold is here in full — 124 sentences across 25 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/24 · 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.
only a very short time before
From this reading “TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.”
the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet
From this reading “Beth still lay deep in slumber.”
past form of “broaden” — make broader
From this reading “TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.”
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading “She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.”
(of hair) making curls or having been made to curl
From this reading “She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.”
deficient in amount or quality or extent
From this reading “She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.”
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading “Beth still lay deep in slumber.”
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading “The air was chill and wonderfully clean.”
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 She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear.
a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of
From this reading The air was chill and wonderfully clean.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The air was chill and wonderfully clean.
give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear.
out of bed
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
only a very short time before
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
the 2nd letter of the Hebrew alphabet
From this reading Beth still lay deep in slumber.
past form of “broaden” — make broader
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
a young person of either sex
From this reading She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
coldness due to a cold environment
From this reading The air was chill and wonderfully clean.
free from dirt or impurities; or having clean habits
From this reading The air was chill and wonderfully clean.
a natural object that covers or envelops
From this reading She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
(of hair) making curls or having been made to curl
From this reading She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading Beth still lay deep in slumber.
lying toward or situated in the east
From this reading Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
plural of “hill” — a local and well-defined elevation of the land
From this reading Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Beth still lay deep in slumber.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Beth still lay deep in slumber.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
deficient in amount or quality or extent
From this reading She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear.
completely prepared or in condition for immediate action or use or progress
From this reading Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear.
move fast by using one's feet, with one foot off the ground at any given time
From this reading Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading Beth still lay deep in slumber.
not in physical motion
From this reading Beth still lay deep in slumber.
plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear.
great in vertical dimension; high in stature
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The air was chill and wonderfully clean.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Above the eastern run of hills the sun was ready to appear.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She had curled up like a child in her meager covering.
any creative group active in the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques in a given field (especially in the arts)
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
at the time that
From this reading TALL STORIES Daylight had barely broadened into morning when Van was astir from his bed.
(used as an intensifier) extremely well
From this reading The air was chill and wonderfully clean.
Chapter 23 of The Furnace of Gold by Philip Verrill Mighels holds 124 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.
Chapter 23 holds 124 sentences of The Furnace of Gold, unabridged, divided into 25 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 23 of The Furnace of Gold by Philip Verrill Mighels exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 124 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.
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.
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 Furnace of Gold by Philip Verrill Mighels on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6680 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #16629 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #16629, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 556 minutes of reading across 1336 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Furnace of Gold section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Furnace of Gold 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 Furnace of Gold, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
