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The Grey Lady
The Grey Lady

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of The Grey Lady is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Grey Lady
Context Illustration Reading 1/23 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.
Time: Five o'clock in the afternoon.
Five o'clock, that is to say, by the railway time.
There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.
But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.
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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 Grey Lady

Chapter III · Chapter 3

Chapter 3 of The Grey Lady is here in full — 116 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/23 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.
/laɪk luːts ʌv ˈeɪndʒəlz tʌtʃt soʊ nɪr helz ˈkɑːnfaɪnz ðæt ðə dæmd kæn hiːr/
Line 2
Time: Five o'clock in the afternoon.
/taɪm faɪv əˈklɑːk ɪn ðə ˌæftərˈnuːn/
Line 3
Five o'clock, that is to say, by the railway time.
/faɪv əˈklɑːk ðæt ɪz tuː seɪ baɪ ðə ˈreɪlweɪ taɪm/
Line 4
There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.
Line 5
But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.
/bʌt ðen ðə taʊn taɪm ɪz ˈspænɪʃ ðæt ɪz tuː seɪ ðæt noʊ wʌn teɪks ˈeni ˈnoʊtəs ʌv ɪt/

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.

angels noun US /ˈeɪndʒəlz/

plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God

From this reading “Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.”

Barcelona noun US /ˌbɑːrsɪˈloʊnə/

a city in northeastern Spain on the Mediterranean; 2nd largest Spanish city and the largest port and commercial center; has been a center for radical political beliefs

From this reading “There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.”

confines noun US /ˈkɑːnfaɪnz/

a bounded scope

From this reading “Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.”

damned adjective US /dæmd/

expletives used informally as intensifiers

From this reading “Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.”

differs verb US /ˈdɪfərz/

third-person singular of “differ” — be different

From this reading “There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.”

Hell's noun US /helz/

possessive form of “hell” — any place of pain and turmoil

From this reading “Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.”

lutes noun US /luːts/

plural of “lute” — a substance for packing a joint or coating a porous surface to make it impervious to gas or liquid

From this reading “Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.”

thereabouts adverb US /ˌðerəˈbaʊts/

near that time or date

From this reading “There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.”

All words in this reading · 48

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.

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading Time: Five o'clock in the afternoon.

angelsnounUS /ˈeɪndʒəlz/

plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

anotherdeterminerUS /əˈnʌðər/

one more of the same kind, or a different one

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.

BarcelonanounUS /ˌbɑːrsɪˈloʊnə/

a city in northeastern Spain on the Mediterranean; 2nd largest Spanish city and the largest port and commercial center; has been a center for radical political beliefs

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

ButconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Five o'clock, that is to say, by the railway time.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

confinesnounUS /ˈkɑːnfaɪnz/

a bounded scope

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

damnedadjectiveUS /dæmd/

expletives used informally as intensifiers

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

differsverbUS /ˈdɪfərz/

third-person singular of “differ” — be different

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

FivenounUS /faɪv/

the cardinal number that is the sum of four and one

From this reading Time: Five o'clock in the afternoon.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

Hell'snounUS /helz/

possessive form of “hell” — any place of pain and turmoil

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Time: Five o'clock in the afternoon.

ironnounUS /ˈaɪərn/

a heavy ductile magnetic metallic element; is silver-white in pure form but readily rusts; used in construction and tools and armament; plays a role in the transport of oxygen by the blood

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading Five o'clock, that is to say, by the railway time.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.

LikeverbUS /laɪk/

prefer or wish to do something

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

lutesnounUS /luːts/

plural of “lute” — a substance for packing a joint or coating a porous surface to make it impervious to gas or liquid

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

minutesnounUS /ˈmɪnəts/

a written account of what transpired at a meeting

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

nearadverbUS /nɪr/

near in time or place or relationship

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.

noticenounUS /ˈnoʊtəs/

an announcement containing information about an event

From this reading But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.

o'clockadverbUS /əˈklɑːk/

according to the clock

From this reading Time: Five o'clock in the afternoon.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

railwaynounUS /ˈreɪlweɪ/

line that is the commercial organization responsible for operating a system of transportation for trains that pull passengers or freight

From this reading Five o'clock, that is to say, by the railway time.

roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading Five o'clock, that is to say, by the railway time.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

SpanishnounUS /ˈspænɪʃ/

the Romance language spoken in most of Spain and the countries colonized by Spain

From this reading But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.

takesnounUS /teɪks/

plural of “take” — the income or profit arising from such transactions as the sale of land or other property

From this reading But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading But then the town time is Spanish, that is to say that no one takes any notice of it.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

thereaboutsadverbUS /ˌðerəˈbaʊts/

near that time or date

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

thirtynounUS /ˈθɜːrdiː/

the cardinal number that is the product of ten and three

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

TimenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading Time: Five o'clock in the afternoon.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Five o'clock, that is to say, by the railway time.

touchedadjectiveUS /tʌtʃt/

having come into contact

From this reading Like lutes of angels, touched so near Hell's confines, that the damned can hear.

townnounUS /taʊn/

an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

witnounUS /wɪt/

a message whose ingenuity or verbal skill or incongruity has the power to evoke laughter

From this reading There is another time in Barcelona--the town time, to wit--which differs from the hour of the iron road by thirty minutes or thereabouts.

Chapter 3 of The Grey Lady by Henry Seton Merriman holds 116 sentences, grouped into 24 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 3 of The Grey Lady contain?

Chapter 3 holds 116 sentences of The Grey Lady, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 3 of The Grey Lady by Henry Seton Merriman exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 116 sentences, grouped into 24 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 3 of The Grey Lady?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 3 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 3 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 Grey Lady

Common questions about reading The Grey Lady by Henry Seton Merriman on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Grey Lady?

Yes. All 4466 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #6517 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Grey Lady is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #6517, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Grey Lady take to read?

About 372 minutes of reading across 894 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Grey Lady section by section

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

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Grey Lady 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 Grey Lady

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

Caress
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grey Lady; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Favourites
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grey Lady; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Avoid
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grey Lady; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Unfortunate
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Grey Lady; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.