Chapter 9 of The Gadfly is here in full — 271 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Gadfly is here in full — 271 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Is the mistress in, Katie?” “Yes, sir; she is dressing. If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.” Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl. Martini was a special favourite of hers.
Chapter 9 of The Gadfly is here in full — 271 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
a county in southwestern England
From this reading “Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.”
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading ““Yes, sir; she is dressing.”
a competitor thought likely to win
From this reading “Martini was a special favourite of hers.”
a feeling of liking for another person; enjoyment in their company
From this reading “Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.”
a cocktail made of gin (or vodka) with dry vermouth
From this reading “Martini was a special favourite of hers.”
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading “If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.””
past form of “usher” — take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
From this reading “Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.”
someone who visits
From this reading “Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.”
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 If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
being full of or promoting cheer; having or showing good spirits
From this reading Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.
a county in southwestern England
From this reading Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading “Yes, sir; she is dressing.
a competitor thought likely to win
From this reading Martini was a special favourite of hers.
a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
a feeling of liking for another person; enjoyment in their company
From this reading Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.
a young female
From this reading Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.
the one or ones belonging to her
From this reading Martini was a special favourite of hers.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading “Is the mistress in, Katie?”
moving to the inside of something
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is the mistress in, Katie?”
and nothing more
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Is the mistress in, Katie?”
a cocktail made of gin (or vodka) with dry vermouth
From this reading Martini was a special favourite of hers.
a written account of what transpired at a meeting
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man
From this reading “Is the mistress in, Katie?”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.
reception room in an inn or club where visitors can be received
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes, sir; she is dressing.
term of address for a man
From this reading “Yes, sir; she is dressing.
unique or specific to a person or thing or category
From this reading Martini was a special favourite of hers.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Is the mistress in, Katie?”
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.
past form of “usher” — take (someone) to their seats, as in theaters or auditoriums
From this reading Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.
someone who visits
From this reading Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Martini was a special favourite of hers.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
in the company of; together with
From this reading Katie ushered the visitor in with the cheerful friendliness of a true Devonshire girl.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, sir; she is dressing.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading If you'll just step into the parlour she will be down in a few minutes.”
Chapter 9 of The Gadfly by E. L. (Ethel Lillian) Voynich holds 271 sentences, grouped into 55 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 9 holds 271 sentences of The Gadfly, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Gadfly by E. L. (Ethel Lillian) Voynich exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 271 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 9 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 Gadfly by E. L. (Ethel Lillian) Voynich on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6695 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3431 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3431, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 557 minutes of reading across 1339 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gadfly section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Gadfly 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 Gadfly, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
