Chapter 8 of The Gilded Chair: A Novel is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of The Gilded Chair: A Novel is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Caroline was dressing. The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom. Evening had descended. The curtains were drawn. The salon was softly lighted.
Chapter 8 of The Gilded Chair: A Novel is here in full — 147 sentences across 30 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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.
large room used mainly for dancing
From this reading “The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.”
an inlaid furniture decoration; tortoiseshell and yellow and white metal form scrolls in cabinetwork
From this reading “The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.”
of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England
From this reading “Caroline was dressing.”
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading “Caroline was dressing.”
plural of “elbow” — hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading “The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.”
possessive form of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading “The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.”
the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers
From this reading “The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.”
gallery where works of art can be displayed
From this reading “The salon was softly lighted.”
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.
a girl or young woman who is unmarried
In this reading “The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.”
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.
large room used mainly for dancing
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
an inlaid furniture decoration; tortoiseshell and yellow and white metal form scrolls in cabinetwork
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
of or relating to the life and times of kings Charles I or Charles II of England
From this reading Caroline was dressing.
the protruding part of the lower jaw
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
plural of “curtain” — hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading The curtains were drawn.
past form of “descend” — move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
From this reading Evening had descended.
showing the wearing effects of overwork or care or suffering
From this reading The curtains were drawn.
savory dressings for salads; basically of two kinds: either the thin French or vinaigrette type or the creamy mayonnaise type
From this reading Caroline was dressing.
plural of “elbow” — hinge joint between the forearm and upper arm and the corresponding joint in the forelimb of a quadruped
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading Evening had descended.
opinion or judgment
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
a young female
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Evening had descended.
(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
set afire or burning
From this reading The salon was softly lighted.
possessive form of “maid” — a female domestic
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
the inner surface of the hand from the wrist to the base of the fingers
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
made ready or fit or suitable beforehand
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
gallery where works of art can be displayed
From this reading The salon was softly lighted.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
with low volume
From this reading The salon was softly lighted.
a set of data arranged in rows and columns
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Caroline was dressing.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The curtains were drawn.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading The Marchesa sat with her elbows on the Buhl table; her chin in her palm; her eyes following the young girl, being prepared, under the maid's hands, for the Oban ballroom.
Chapter 8 of The Gilded Chair: A Novel by Melville Davisson Post holds 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 8 holds 147 sentences of The Gilded Chair: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 30 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of The Gilded Chair: A Novel by Melville Davisson Post exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 147 sentences, grouped into 30 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 30 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 30 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 8 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 Gilded Chair: A Novel by Melville Davisson Post on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3500 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #51941 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #51941, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 291 minutes of reading across 700 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Gilded Chair: A Novel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Gilded Chair: 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 Gilded Chair: A Novel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
