Chapter 20 of The Helmet of Navarre is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Helmet of Navarre is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do." As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness. "Mademoiselle!" I cried in pure delight. "Mademoiselle, that you are here!"
Chapter 20 of The Helmet of Navarre is here in full — 400 sentences across 80 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “I cried in pure delight.”
be the source of pain
From this reading “As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.”
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading “As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.”
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading “"Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."”
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading “As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.”
free of extraneous elements of any kind
From this reading “I cried in pure delight.”
with low volume
From this reading “As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.”
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading “As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Mademoiselle, that you are here!"
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading I cried in pure delight.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading I cried in pure delight.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
inflected form of “drop” — let fall to the ground
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
divisible by two
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
be afraid or feel anxious or apprehensive about a possible or probable situation or event
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
plural of “finger” — any of the terminal members of the hand (sometimes excepting the thumb)
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Mademoiselle, that you are here!"
be the source of pain
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I cried in pure delight.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
plural of “knee” — hinge joint in the human leg connecting the tibia and fibula with the femur and protected in front by the patella
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
set down according to a plan
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
small silvery drumfish often mistaken for white perch; found along coasts of United States from New York to Mexico
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
the force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
free of extraneous elements of any kind
From this reading I cried in pure delight.
express in words
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
with low volume
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
a tendency to express warm and affectionate feeling
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Mademoiselle, that you are here!"
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading As for me, I dropped on my knees and laid my lips to her fingers, softly, for fear even their pressure might hurt her tenderness.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading "Mademoiselle, it is yours to say what you can do."
Chapter 20 of The Helmet of Navarre by Bertha Runkle holds 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 20 holds 400 sentences of The Helmet of Navarre, unabridged, divided into 80 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Helmet of Navarre by Bertha Runkle exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 400 sentences, grouped into 80 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 80 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 80 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 20 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 Helmet of Navarre by Bertha Runkle on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8967 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #14219 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #14219, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1794 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Helmet of Navarre section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 22 chapters of The Helmet of Navarre 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 Helmet of Navarre, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
