The House of Egremont

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The House of Egremont is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Molly Elliot Seawell • Curated US English Learning Edition

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“HUGO STEIN IS MY ENEMY, AND I AM HIS, AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE” FOUR days after Dicky Egremont’s execution there was a great stir in the village of Egremont at nightfall.

A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.

Narrator

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LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XX Reading 1/82

The House of Egremont Molly Elliot Seawell

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The House of Egremont is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

“HUGO STEIN IS MY ENEMY, AND I AM HIS, AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE” FOUR days after Dicky Egremont’s execution there was a great stir in the village of Egremont at nightfall. A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street. At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens. She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night. It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.

The House of Egremont

Chapter XX

Chapter 20 of The House of Egremont is here in full — 410 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/82 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

“HUGO STEIN IS MY ENEMY, AND I AM HIS, AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE” FOUR days after Dicky Egremont’s execution there was a great stir in the village of Egremont at nightfall.

Line 2

A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

Line 3

At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

Line 4

She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

/ʃiː wɔːr hɜːr blæk ɡaʊn ənd hʊd ənd hɜːr peɪl feɪs ʃoʊd ðə stres ʌv ðə ˈdredfəl ɪˈmoʊʃənz ʃiː hæd pæst θruː ənd ðə ˈtrævəl frʌm ˈlʌndən baɪ deɪ ənd naɪt/

Line 5

It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.

/ɪt wɑːz jet brɔːd ˈdeɪlaɪt ɪn ðə ˈfreɪɡrənt ˌdʒuːˈlaɪ ˈiːvnɪŋ/

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.

Dicky noun US /ˈdɪki/

a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater

From this reading ““HUGO STEIN IS MY ENEMY, AND I AM HIS, AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE” FOUR days after Dicky Egremont’s execution there was a great stir in the village of Egremont at nightfall.”

execution noun US /ˌeksəˈkjuːʃən/

putting a condemned person to death

fragrant adjective US /ˈfreɪɡrənt/

pleasant-smelling

From this reading “It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.”

hood noun US /hʊd/

an aggressive and violent young criminal

From this reading “She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.”

hugo noun US /ˈhjuːɡoʊ/

French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)

nightfall noun US /ˈnaɪtfɔːl/

the time of day immediately following sunset

stein noun US /staɪn/

a mug intended for serving beer

stress noun US /stres/

the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)

From this reading “She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

broad daylight adjective + noun

In this reading “It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.”

black gown adjective + noun

In this reading “She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.”

FOUR days noun + noun

In this reading ““HUGO STEIN IS MY ENEMY, AND I AM HIS, AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE” FOUR days after Dicky Egremont’s execution there was a great stir in the village of Egremont at nightfall.”

passed through verb + particle counted as “pass through”

make a passage or journey from one place to another

In this reading “She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.”

pale face adjective + noun

In this reading “She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.”

at nightfall preposition + noun

on the edge preposition + article + noun counted as “on … edge”

In this reading “A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.”

tired horse adjective + noun

In this reading “At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.”

All words in this reading · 79

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading “HUGO STEIN IS MY ENEMY, AND I AM HIS, AS LONG AS WE BOTH SHALL LIVE” FOUR days after Dicky Egremont’s execution there was a great stir in the village of Egremont at nightfall.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

AMauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

ANDconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

ASconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

Bess

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

blackadjectiveUS /blæk/

being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

BOTHdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

boxnounUS /bɑːks/

a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

boynounUS /bɔɪ/

a youthful male person

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

broadadjectiveUS /brɔːd/

having great (or a certain) extent from one side to the other

From this reading It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

cartnounUS /kɑːrt/

a heavy open wagon usually having two wheels and drawn by an animal

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

closeadjectiveUS /kloʊs/

at or within a short distance in space or time or having elements near each other

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

daylightnounUS /ˈdeɪlaɪt/

the time after sunrise and before sunset while it is light outside

From this reading It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

DickynounUS /ˈdɪki/

a small third seat in the back of an old-fashioned two-seater

dreadfuladjectiveUS /ˈdredfəl/

causing fear or dread or terror

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

edgenounUS /edʒ/

the boundary of a surface

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

Egremont

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

Egremont's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

emotionsnounUS /ɪˈmoʊʃənz/

plural of “emotion” — any strong feeling

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

ENEMYnounUS /ˈenəmi/

an opposing military force

eveningnounUS /ˈiːvnɪŋ/

the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)

From this reading It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.

executionnounUS /ˌeksəˈkjuːʃən/

putting a condemned person to death

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

FOURnounUS /fɔːr/

the cardinal number that is the sum of three and one

fragrantadjectiveUS /ˈfreɪɡrənt/

pleasant-smelling

From this reading It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

gownnounUS /ɡaʊn/

a woman's dress, usually with a close-fitting bodice and a long flared skirt, often worn on formal occasions

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

greatadjectiveUS /ɡreɪt/

relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

haltedverbUS /ˈhɔːltəd/

past form of “halt” — cause to stop

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

HISdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

hoodnounUS /hʊd/

an aggressive and violent young criminal

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

horsenounUS /hɔːrs/

solid-hoofed herbivorous quadruped domesticated since prehistoric times

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

HUGOnounUS /ˈhjuːɡoʊ/

French poet and novelist and dramatist; leader of the romantic movement in France (1802-1885)

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

ISauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

JulynounUS /ˌdʒuːˈlaɪ/

the month following June and preceding August

From this reading It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.

LIVEverbUS /laɪv/

be an inhabitant of or reside in

LondonnounUS /ˈlʌndən/

the capital and largest city of England; located on the Thames in southeastern England; financial and industrial and cultural center

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

LONGadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified

Lukens

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

MYdeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

nightnounUS /naɪt/

the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

nightfallnounUS /ˈnaɪtfɔːl/

the time of day immediately following sunset

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/

very light colored; highly diluted with white

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

SHALLmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

showedverbUS /ʃoʊd/

past form of “show” — give an exhibition of to an interested audience

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

STEINnounUS /staɪn/

a mug intended for serving beer

stirverbUS /stɜːr/

move an implement through

stolid-looking

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

stragglingadjective

spreading out in different directions or distributed irregularly

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

streetnounUS /striːt/

a thoroughfare (usually including sidewalks) that is lined with buildings

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

stressnounUS /stres/

the relative prominence of a syllable or musical note (especially with regard to stress or pitch)

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

tiredadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪərd/

depleted of strength or energy

From this reading At the head of the tired horse was a stolid-looking boy, and close by stood Bess Lukens.

travelverbUS /ˈtrævəl/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

villagenounUS /ˈvɪlədʒ/

a community of people smaller than a town

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

WEpronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading A cart, with a long box in it, had halted on the edge of the one straggling street.

woreverbUS /wɔːr/

inflected form of “wear” — be dressed in

From this reading She wore her black gown and hood, and her pale face showed the stress of the dreadful emotions she had passed through and the travel from London by day and night.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading It was yet broad daylight in the fragrant July evening.

Chapter 20 of The House of Egremont by Molly Elliot Seawell holds 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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.

What does chapter 20 of The House of Egremont contain?

Chapter 20 holds 410 sentences of The House of Egremont, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 20 of The House of Egremont by Molly Elliot Seawell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 410 sentences, grouped into 82 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 20 of The House of Egremont?

Work through the 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 82 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 20 be read aloud to me?

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.

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Chapter XX

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