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The House of Mirth
The House of Mirth

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The House of Mirth is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The House of Mirth
Context Illustration Reading 1/49 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.
Dearest Lily,” it ran, if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”
Lily tossed aside the note and subsided on her pillows with a sigh.
It WAS a bore to be down by tenan hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunriseand she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.
Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.
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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 House of Mirth

Chapter IV · Chapter 4

Chapter 4 of The House of Mirth is here in full — 245 sentences across 49 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.
Line 2
Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”
Line 3
Lily tossed aside the note and subsided on her pillows with a sigh.
Line 4
It WAS a bore to be down by tenan hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunriseand she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.
Line 5
Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

All words in this reading · 82

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

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

addresses

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

an

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

and

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

From this reading Lily tossed aside the note and subsided on her pillows with a sigh.

as

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

aside

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

From this reading Lily tossed aside the note and subsided on her pillows with a sigh.

at

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

away

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

Bart

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

be

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

been

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

Bellomont

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

bore

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

breakfast

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

by

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

called

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

come

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

Dearest

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

dinner-cards

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

down

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

drudgery

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

found

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

from

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

had

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

help

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

her

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

hostess

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

hour

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

hunt

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

if

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

in

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

is

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

it

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

knew

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

Lily

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

lost

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

me

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

Miss

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

morning

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

much

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

my

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

nature

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

next

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

not

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

note

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

notes

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

of

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

on

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

other

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

perform

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

pillows

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

From this reading Lily tossed aside the note and subsided on her pillows with a sigh.

Pragg

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

question

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

ran

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

regarded

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

secretary

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

she

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

sigh

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

From this reading Lily tossed aside the note and subsided on her pillows with a sigh.

sitting-room

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

social

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

some

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

subsided

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

From this reading Lily tossed aside the note and subsided on her pillows with a sigh.

sunrise

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

synchronous

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

ten

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

The

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

there

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

things

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

tiresome

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

to

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

too

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

tossed

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

From this reading Lily tossed aside the note and subsided on her pillows with a sigh.

tray

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

From this reading The next morning, on her breakfast tray, Miss Bart found a note from her hostess.

up

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

vaguely

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

WAS

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

well

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

From this reading It WAS a bore to be down by ten—an hour regarded at Bellomont as vaguely synchronous with sunrise—and she knew too well the nature of the tiresome things in question.

will

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

with

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

would

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

write

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

From this reading Miss Pragg, the secretary, had been called away, and there would be notes and dinner-cards to write, lost addresses to hunt up, and other social drudgery to perform.

you

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

From this reading “Dearest Lily,” it ran, “if it is not too much of a bore to be down by ten, will you come to my sitting-room to help me with some tiresome things?”

Chapter 4 of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton holds 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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 4 of The House of Mirth contain?

Chapter 4 holds 245 sentences of The House of Mirth, unabridged, divided into 49 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 4 of The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 245 sentences, grouped into 49 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 4 of The House of Mirth?

Work through the 49 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 49 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 4 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The House of Mirth

Common questions about reading The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The House of Mirth?

Yes. All 5714 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #284 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The House of Mirth is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #284, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The House of Mirth take to read?

About 476 minutes of reading across 1143 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The House of Mirth section by section

How to work through The House of Mirth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 29 chapters of The House of Mirth 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 House of Mirth

Words and structures a reader meets early in The House of Mirth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Selden
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The House of Mirth; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Paused
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The House of Mirth; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Surprise
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The House of Mirth; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Afternoon
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The House of Mirth; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.