The House of the White Shadows

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of The House of the White Shadows is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon • Curated US English Learning Edition

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SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

That there was premeditation or design in the coincidence, or that the Advocate had cunningly led the conversation to this point for the purpose of confounding him and bringing him face to face with his treachery, did not suggest itself to his mind.

He was, indeed, incapable of reasoning coherently.

All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXVII Reading 1/59

The House of the White Shadows B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of The House of the White Shadows is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it. That there was premeditation or design in the coincidence, or that the Advocate had cunningly led the conversation to this point for the purpose of confounding him and bringing him face to face with his treachery, did not suggest itself to his mind. He was, indeed, incapable of reasoning coherently. All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair. Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

The House of the White Shadows

Chapter XXVII

Chapter 27 of The House of the White Shadows is here in full — 295 sentences across 59 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/59 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

Line 2

Line 3

He was, indeed, incapable of reasoning coherently.

/hiː wɑːz ˌɪnˈdiːd ˌɪnˈkeɪpəbəl ʌv ˈriːzənɪŋ koʊˈhiːrəntli/

Line 4

All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

/ɔːl ðæt hiː wɑːz ˌmoʊmənˈterəli ˈkɑːnʃəs ʌv wɑːz ðæt dɪˈskʌvəri wɑːz ˈɪmənənt ðæt ðə sɔːrd hʌŋ ˈoʊvər hɪm səˈspendɪd baɪ ə her/

Line 5

Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

/wʊd ɪt fɔːl ənd ɪn ɪts fɔːl kəmˈpel ˈɪntuː ə ˈdefənət kɔːrs ðə kənˈflɪktɪŋ ˈpæʃənz baɪ wɪtʃ hiː wɑːz ˈtɔːrtʃərd/

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.

Advocate verb US /ˈædvəkət/

push for something

From this reading “That there was premeditation or design in the coincidence, or that the Advocate had cunningly led the conversation to this point for the purpose of confounding him and bringing him face to face with his treachery, did not suggest itself to his mind.”

coherently adverb US /koʊˈhiːrəntli/

in a coherent manner

From this reading “He was, indeed, incapable of reasoning coherently.”

coincidence noun US /koʊˈɪnsɪdəns/

an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental

From this reading “SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.”

conflicting adjective US /kənˈflɪktɪŋ/

in disagreement

From this reading “Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?”

confounding adjective US /kənˈfaʊndɪŋ/

that confounds or contradicts or confuses

imminent adjective US /ˈɪmənənt/

close in time; about to occur

From this reading “All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.”

momentarily adverb US /ˌmoʊmənˈterəli/

for an instant or moment

From this reading “All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.”

premeditation noun US /priˌmedəˈteɪʃən/

planning or plotting in advance of acting

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.

hung over verb + particle counted as “hang over”

In this reading “All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.”

for the purpose preposition + article + noun counted as “for … purpose”

In this reading “That there was premeditation or design in the coincidence, or that the Advocate had cunningly led the conversation to this point for the purpose of confounding him and bringing him face to face with his treachery, did not suggest itself to his mind.”

All words in this reading · 73

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 SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

actionnounUS /ˈækʃən/

something done (usually as opposed to something said)

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

AdvocateverbUS /ˈædvəkət/

push for something

From this reading That there was premeditation or design in the coincidence, or that the Advocate had cunningly led the conversation to this point for the purpose of confounding him and bringing him face to face with his treachery, did not suggest itself to his mind.

AlladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

Almer

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

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

bringingnounUS /ˈbrɪŋɪŋ/

the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

ChristianadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪstʃən/

relating to or characteristic of Christianity

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

coherentlyadverbUS /koʊˈhiːrəntli/

in a coherent manner

From this reading He was, indeed, incapable of reasoning coherently.

coincidencenounUS /koʊˈɪnsɪdəns/

an event that might have been arranged although it was really accidental

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

compelverbUS /kəmˈpel/

force somebody to do something

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

conflictingadjectiveUS /kənˈflɪktɪŋ/

in disagreement

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

confoundingadjectiveUS /kənˈfaʊndɪŋ/

that confounds or contradicts or confuses

consciousadjectiveUS /ˈkɑːnʃəs/

intentionally conceived

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

conversationnounUS /ˌkɑːnvərˈseɪʃən/

the use of speech for informal exchange of views or ideas or information etc.

coursenounUS /kɔːrs/

education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

cunninglyadverb

in an attractive manner

definiteadjectiveUS /ˈdefənət/

precise; explicit and clearly defined

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

designnounUS /dɪˈzaɪn/

the act of working out the form of something (as by making a sketch or outline or plan)

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

discoverynounUS /dɪˈskʌvəri/

the act of discovering something

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

facenounUS /feɪs/

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

fallverbUS /fɔːl/

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

fascinatedadjectiveUS /ˈfæsəneɪtəd/

having your attention fixated as though by a spell

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

HepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading He was, indeed, incapable of reasoning coherently.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

hungverbUS /hʌŋ/

inflected form of “hang” — be suspended or hanging

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

imminentadjectiveUS /ˈɪmənənt/

close in time; about to occur

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

incapableadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈkeɪpəbəl/

(followed by “of”) lacking capacity or ability

From this reading He was, indeed, incapable of reasoning coherently.

indeedadverbUS /ˌɪnˈdiːd/

in truth (often tends to intensify)

From this reading He was, indeed, incapable of reasoning coherently.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

lednounUS /led/

diode such that light emitted at a p-n junction is proportional to the bias current; color depends on the material used

mindnounUS /maɪnd/

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

momentarilyadverbUS /ˌmoʊmənˈterəli/

for an instant or moment

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

overprepositionUS /ˈoʊvər/

above and across; more than

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

passionsnounUS /ˈpæʃənz/

plural of “passion” — a strong feeling or emotion

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

pointnounUS /pɔɪnt/

a geometric element that has position but no extension

premeditationnounUS /priˌmedəˈteɪʃən/

planning or plotting in advance of acting

presentedverbUS /priˈzentɪd/

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

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

purposenounUS /ˈpɜːrpəs/

an anticipated outcome that is intended or that guides your planned actions

questionverbUS /ˈkwestʃən/

challenge the accuracy, probity, or propriety of

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

reasoningnounUS /ˈriːzənɪŋ/

thinking that is coherent and logical

From this reading He was, indeed, incapable of reasoning coherently.

SELF-JUSTIFICATIONnoun

a defense of some offensive behavior or some failure to keep a promise etc.

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

significantadjectiveUS /səɡˈnɪfɪkənt/

important in effect or meaning

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

slightnounUS /slaɪt/

a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

startlingadjectiveUS /ˈstɑːrtlɪŋ/

so remarkably different or sudden as to cause momentary shock or alarm

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

suggestverbUS /səˈdʒest/

make a proposal, declare a plan for something

suspendedadjectiveUS /səˈspendɪd/

(of undissolved particles in a fluid) supported or kept from sinking or falling by buoyancy and without apparent attachment

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

swordnounUS /sɔːrd/

a cutting or thrusting weapon that has a long metal blade and a hilt with a hand guard

From this reading All that he was momentarily conscious of was, that discovery was imminent, that the sword hung over him, suspended by a hair.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

thereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

torturedadjectiveUS /ˈtɔːrtʃərd/

experiencing intense pain especially mental pain

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

treacherynounUS /ˈtretʃ.ər.i/

Betrayal of trust; deceptive action or disloyalty against a host or ally.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading SELF-JUSTIFICATION The slight action and the significant question presented a coincidence so startling that Christian Almer was fascinated by it.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Would it fall, and in its fall compel into a definite course the conflicting passions by which he was tortured?

Chapter 27 of The House of the White Shadows by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon holds 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 27 of The House of the White Shadows contain?

Chapter 27 holds 295 sentences of The House of the White Shadows, unabridged, divided into 59 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 27 of The House of the White Shadows by B. L. (Benjamin Leopold) Farjeon exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 295 sentences, grouped into 59 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 27 of The House of the White Shadows?

Work through the 59 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 59 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 27 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 27 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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Yes. All 8712 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42973 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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Project Gutenberg eBook #42973, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

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About 600 minutes of reading across 1743 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Chapter XXVII

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