Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Kingdom of Slender Swords
The Kingdom of Slender Swords

Chapter XXXI

Chapter 31 of The Kingdom of Slender Swords is here in full — 262 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Kingdom of Slender Swords
Context Illustration Reading 1/52 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.
There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.
The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.
Why should he come at such an hour--and to her?
The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Kingdom of Slender Swords

Chapter XXXI

Chapter 31 of The Kingdom of Slender Swords is here in full — 262 sentences across 53 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/52 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.
Line 2
There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.
/ðer wɑːz noʊ hɪnt ʌv spruːs ˈɡruːmɪŋ ɪn hɪz əˈtaɪər ɪt wɑːz ˈoʊvərleɪd wɪð ðə dʌst ənd ɡraɪm ʌv ðə roʊd/
Line 3
The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.
Line 4
Why should he come at such an hour--and to her?
Line 5
The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:
/ðə dɪˈsteɪst wɪtʃ hɜːr fɜːrst vjuː ʌv hɪm hæd ˌɪnˈspaɪərd rɪˈtɜːrnd wɪð ˈædəd fɔːrs æz ʃiː felt ðə tʌtʃ ʌv hɪz hænd ənd hɜːrd hərˈself seɪ/

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.

cringing adjective US /ˈkrɪndʒɪŋ/

totally submissive

From this reading “The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.”

distaste noun US /dɪˈsteɪst/

a feeling of intense dislike

From this reading “The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:”

grime noun US /ɡraɪm/

the state of being covered with unclean things

From this reading “There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.”

grooming noun US /ˈɡruːmɪŋ/

activity leading to skilled behavior

From this reading “There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.”

jaunty adjective US /ˈdʒɔːnti/

marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners

From this reading “The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.”

overlaid verb US /ˈoʊvərleɪd/

inflected form of “overlay” — put something on top of something else

From this reading “There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.”

ravaged adjective US /ˈrævɪdʒd/

having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence

From this reading “The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.”

undefined adjective US /ˌʌndɪˈfaɪnd/

not precisely limited, determined, or distinguished

From this reading “The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.”

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.

stood before verb + particle

In this reading “PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.”

touch of verb + particle

In this reading “The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

addedverbUS /ˈædəd/

past form of “add” — make an addition (to); join or combine or unite with others; increase the quality, quantity, size or scope of

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

ANdeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

anxietynounUS /æŋˈzaɪəti/

(psychiatry) a relatively permanent state of worry and nervousness occurring in a variety of mental disorders, usually accompanied by compulsive behavior or attacks of panic

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

APPEALverbUS /əˈpiːl/

take a court case to a higher court for review

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

attirenounUS /əˈtaɪər/

clothing of a distinctive style or for a particular occasion

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

Barbara

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

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

comeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading Why should he come at such an hour--and to her?

cringingadjectiveUS /ˈkrɪndʒɪŋ/

totally submissive

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

distastenounUS /dɪˈsteɪst/

a feeling of intense dislike

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

dustverbUS /dʌst/

remove the dust from

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

feltverbUS /felt/

mat together and make felt-like

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

firstadjectiveUS /fɜːrst/

preceding all others in time or space or degree

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

forcenounUS /fɔːrs/

a powerful effect or influence

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

grimenounUS /ɡraɪm/

the state of being covered with unclean things

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

groomingnounUS /ˈɡruːmɪŋ/

activity leading to skilled behavior

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Why should he come at such an hour--and to her?

heardadjectiveUS /hɜːrd/

detected or perceived by the sense of hearing

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

hintnounUS /hɪnt/

an indirect suggestion

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

hournounUS /ˈaʊər/

a period of time equal to 1/24th of a day

From this reading Why should he come at such an hour--and to her?

howeveradverbUS /ˌhaʊˈevər/

used to add a contrasting statement

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

inspiredadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈspaɪərd/

being of such surpassing excellence as to suggest inspiration by the gods

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

jauntyadjectiveUS /ˈdʒɔːnti/

marked by up-to-dateness in dress and manners

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

lookverbUS /lʊk/

perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

MAKESnounUS /meɪks/

plural of “make” — a recognizable kind

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

Mukojima

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

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

overlaidverbUS /ˈoʊvərleɪd/

inflected form of “overlay” — put something on top of something else

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

PHIL

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

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

ravagedadjectiveUS /ˈrævɪdʒd/

having been robbed and destroyed by force and violence

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

returnedverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrnd/

past form of “return” — go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

sayverbUS /seɪ/

express in words

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

seenverbUS /siːn/

inflected form of “see” — perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

self-satisfiedadjective

marked by excessive complacency or self-satisfaction

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

shouldmodal verbUS /ʃʊd/

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading Why should he come at such an hour--and to her?

sleeplessnessnoun

a temporary state in which you are unable (or unwilling) to sleep

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

sprucenounUS /spruːs/

light soft moderately strong wood of spruce trees; used especially for timbers and millwork

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading Why should he come at such an hour--and to her?

suggestedverbUS /səˈdʒestɪd/

past form of “suggest” — make a proposal, declare a plan for something

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Why should he come at such an hour--and to her?

touchverbUS /tʌtʃ/

make physical contact with, come in contact with

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

undefinedadjectiveUS /ˌʌndɪˈfaɪnd/

not precisely limited, determined, or distinguished

From this reading The jaunty, self-satisfied look was ravaged by something cringing, that suggested sleeplessness and undefined anxiety.

viewnounUS /vjuː/

a way of regarding situations or topics etc.

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The distaste which her first view of him had inspired returned with added force as she felt the touch of his hand and heard herself say:

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading Why should he come at such an hour--and to her?

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading There was no hint of spruce grooming in his attire; it was overlaid with the dust and grime of the road.

youthnounUS /juːθ/

a young person (especially a young man or boy)

From this reading PHIL MAKES AN APPEAL The youth who stood before her now, however, was not the Phil Barbara had seen at Mukojima.

Chapter 31 of The Kingdom of Slender Swords by Hallie Erminie Rives holds 262 sentences, grouped into 53 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 31 of The Kingdom of Slender Swords contain?

Chapter 31 holds 262 sentences of The Kingdom of Slender Swords, unabridged, divided into 53 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 31 of The Kingdom of Slender Swords by Hallie Erminie Rives exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 262 sentences, grouped into 53 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 31 of The Kingdom of Slender Swords?

Work through the 53 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 53 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 31 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 31 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 Kingdom of Slender Swords

Common questions about reading The Kingdom of Slender Swords by Hallie Erminie Rives on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Kingdom of Slender Swords?

Yes. All 6249 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #42427 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Kingdom of Slender Swords is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #42427, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Kingdom of Slender Swords take to read?

About 520 minutes of reading across 1250 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Kingdom of Slender Swords section by section

How to work through The Kingdom of Slender Swords section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Kingdom of Slender Swords 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 Kingdom of Slender Swords

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Kingdom of Slender Swords, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Satan
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Kingdom of Slender Swords; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sanderson
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Kingdom of Slender Swords; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Illustrated
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Kingdom of Slender Swords; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Wenzell
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Kingdom of Slender Swords; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.