Chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
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Chapter I
Chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"They're comin' up here," she faltered. The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her. "You've been spyin'!" The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again: "They're comin' up here!"
Chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills is here in full — 429 sentences across 86 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 78/85 · 5 reading units · Lines 386–390
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.
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading “The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.”
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading “"They're comin' up here," she faltered.”
the act of pausing uncertainly
From this reading “The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:”
in a helpless manner
From this reading “The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:”
in a humble manner
From this reading “The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:”
the state of being a man; manly qualities
From this reading “The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:”
without pity; in a merciless manner
From this reading “The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.”
angered at something unjust or wrong
From this reading “The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:”
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.
a low or downcast state
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
a defendant in a criminal proceeding
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
anew
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "You've been spyin'!"
possessive form of “boy” — a youthful male person
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They're comin' up here," she faltered.
the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
opinion or judgment
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading "They're comin' up here," she faltered.
the act of pausing uncertainly
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
perceive (sound) via the auditory sense
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
in a helpless manner
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "They're comin' up here," she faltered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
in a humble manner
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
the state of being a man; manly qualities
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
without pity; in a merciless manner
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
inflected form of “nod” — express or signify by nodding
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
angered at something unjust or wrong
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "They're comin' up here," she faltered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've been spyin'!"
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "They're comin' up here," she faltered.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The boy's eyes accused her mercilessly and he seemed not to hear her.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading "They're comin' up here," she faltered.
articulate; either verbally or with a cry, shout, or noise
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The dignity of his manhood was outraged, and humbly and helplessly she nodded in utter abasement, faltering again:
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You've been spyin'!"
Chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills by John, Jr. Fox holds 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 1 holds 429 sentences of The Heart of the Hills, unabridged, divided into 86 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 1 of The Heart of the Hills by John, Jr. Fox exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 429 sentences, grouped into 86 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 86 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 86 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 1 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 Heart of the Hills by John, Jr. Fox on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3941 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #5145 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #5145, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 328 minutes of reading across 789 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Heart of the Hills section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 9 chapters of The Heart of the Hills 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 Heart of the Hills, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
