Chapter 4 of The Highwayman is here in full — 271 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Highwayman is here in full — 271 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son. "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered. "It's damp, I vow it's damp," he complained. "Oh yes. It's damp after rain, and it's hot after sun, and it's icy after frost.
Chapter 4 of The Highwayman is here in full — 271 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
possessive form of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading “A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.”
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading “It's damp after rain, and it's hot after sun, and it's icy after frost.”
the range of colour characteristic of a particular artist or painting or school of art
From this reading “A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.”
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading “"My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.”
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading “"My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.”
marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter
From this reading “"My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.”
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading “"My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.”
humorously sarcastic or mocking
From this reading “A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.”
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 GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
later than; following
From this reading It's damp after rain, and it's hot after sun, and it's icy after frost.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
completely unclothed
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
a youthful male person
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
a commissioned military officer in the United States Army or Air Force or Marines who ranks above a lieutenant colonel and below a brigadier general
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
past form of “complain” — express complaints, discontent, displeasure, or unhappiness
From this reading "It's damp, I vow it's damp," he complained.
slightly wet
From this reading "It's damp, I vow it's damp," he complained.
dearly loved
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
ice crystals forming a white deposit (especially on objects outside)
From this reading It's damp after rain, and it's hot after sun, and it's icy after frost.
possessive form of “gentleman” — a man of refinement
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning
From this reading It's damp after rain, and it's hot after sun, and it's icy after frost.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It's damp, I vow it's damp," he complained.
devoid of warmth and cordiality; expressive of unfriendliness or disdain
From this reading It's damp after rain, and it's hot after sun, and it's icy after frost.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "It's damp, I vow it's damp," he complained.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh yes.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
the range of colour characteristic of a particular artist or painting or school of art
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
a container used for carrying money and small personal items or accessories (especially by women)
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading It's damp after rain, and it's hot after sun, and it's icy after frost.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
a charge of ammunition for a single shot
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
past form of “shift” — make a shift in or exchange of
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
past form of “shiver” — tremble convulsively, as from fear or excitement
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
a male human offspring
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
marked or dyed or discolored with foreign matter
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading It's damp after rain, and it's hot after sun, and it's icy after frost.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
with anxiety or apprehension
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
make a vow; promise
From this reading "It's damp, I vow it's damp," he complained.
plural of “wall” — an architectural partition with a height and length greater than its thickness; used to divide or enclose an area or to support another structure
From this reading "My poor, dear boy," he said, and shifted uneasily, and looked round at the stained walls and shivered.
humorously sarcastic or mocking
From this reading A GENTLEMAN'S PURSE In a small, bare room Colonel Boyce sat himself down on a pallet bed and made a wry face at his son.
an affirmative
From this reading "Oh yes.
Chapter 4 of The Highwayman by H. C. (Henry Christopher) Bailey holds 271 sentences, grouped into 55 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 4 holds 271 sentences of The Highwayman, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Highwayman by H. C. (Henry Christopher) Bailey exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 271 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 4 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 Highwayman by H. C. (Henry Christopher) Bailey on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Highwayman section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 0 chapters of The Highwayman 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 Highwayman, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
