Chapter IX of The Gilded Chair: A Novel, “The Usurper,” is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter IX of The Gilded Chair: A Novel, “The Usurper,” is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht. She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait. A deep topaz twilight lay on the world. There was no darkness. It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
Chapter IX of The Gilded Chair: A Novel, “The Usurper,” is here in full — 164 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.”
absence of light or illumination
From this reading “There was no darkness.”
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading “The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.”
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading “She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.”
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading “It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.”
a yellow quartz
From this reading “A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.”
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading “A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.”
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading “The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.”
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.
move upward
In this reading “The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.”
In this reading “A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.”
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 A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.
(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 It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
having color or a certain color; sometimes used in combination
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading There was no darkness.
any of various platforms built into a vessel
From this reading The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.
relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply
From this reading A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.
dressed or clothed especially in fine attire; often used in combination
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
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 had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.
not any; not one
From this reading There was no darkness.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.
past form of “remain” — stay the same; remain in a certain state
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.
in or at that place or location
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.
a yellow quartz
From this reading A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.
the time of day immediately following sunset
From this reading A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.
stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading It was as though all the light remained, but it came now through a colored window.
everything that exists anywhere
From this reading A deep topaz twilight lay on the world.
an expensive vessel propelled by sail or power and used for cruising or racing
From this reading The Marchesa went up to the deck of the yacht.
but in spite of that
From this reading She had dressed early and there was yet an hour to wait.
Chapter 9 of The Gilded Chair: A Novel by Melville Davisson Post holds 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 164 sentences of The Gilded Chair: A Novel, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Gilded Chair: A Novel by Melville Davisson Post exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 164 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 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.
