Chapter 20 of The Legacy of Cain is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Legacy of Cain is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room. Her bed remains near the window. My bed has been placed opposite, near the door. Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see. What trifles these are to write about!
Chapter 20 of The Legacy of Cain is here in full — 299 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading “Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.”
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading “Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.”
not accessible to view
From this reading “Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.”
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading “My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.”
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading “My bed has been placed opposite, near the door.”
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading “Her bed remains near the window.”
worried and uneasy
From this reading “My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.”
plural of “trifle” — a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “What trifles these are to write about!”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading What trifles these are to write about!
(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 Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.
a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep
From this reading Her bed remains near the window.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading My bed has been placed opposite, near the door.
a place off to the side of an area
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading My bed has been placed opposite, near the door.
deficient in magnitude; barely perceptible; lacking clarity or brightness or loudness etc
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
an alert and refreshed state
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading My bed has been placed opposite, near the door.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her bed remains near the window.
not accessible to view
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading Her bed remains near the window.
light (as a candle or small bulb) that burns in a bedroom at night (as for children or invalids)
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
Periods of darkness between sunset and sunrise.
From this reading My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
being directly across from each other; facing
From this reading My bed has been placed opposite, near the door.
belonging to the speaker and others
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.
situated in a particular spot or position
From this reading My bed has been placed opposite, near the door.
any object that is left unused or still extant
From this reading Her bed remains near the window.
worried and uneasy
From this reading My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading My restless nights are passed in Selina’s room.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Her bed remains near the window.
the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned
From this reading What trifles these are to write about!
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading What trifles these are to write about!
plural of “trifle” — a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading What trifles these are to write about!
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Our night-light is hidden in a corner, so that the faint glow of it is all that we see.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading What trifles these are to write about!
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Her bed remains near the window.
produce a literary work
From this reading What trifles these are to write about!
Chapter 20 of The Legacy of Cain by Wilkie Collins holds 299 sentences, grouped into 60 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 20 holds 299 sentences of The Legacy of Cain, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Legacy of Cain by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 299 sentences, grouped into 60 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 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.
Common questions about reading The Legacy of Cain by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8449 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1975 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1975, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1690 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Legacy of Cain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Legacy of Cain to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Legacy of Cain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
