Chapter 21 of The Legacy of Cain is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of The Legacy of Cain is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Do you know that lady?” Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house. “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered. “Are you sure you have not forgotten her?” “Why do you think I have forgotten her?”
Chapter 21 of The Legacy of Cain is here in full — 298 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.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading ““She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.”
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading “Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.”
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading ““Are you sure you have not forgotten her?””
capital of the state of Montana; located in western Montana
From this reading “Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.”
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading “Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.”
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading ““She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.”
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading ““She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading ““Are you sure you have not forgotten her?””
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 “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “Are you sure you have not forgotten her?”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “Do you know that lady?”
past form of “enter” — to come or go into
From this reading Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.
Not remembered; lapsed from memory.
From this reading “Are you sure you have not forgotten her?”
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Are you sure you have not forgotten her?”
capital of the state of Montana; located in western Montana
From this reading Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “Are you sure you have not forgotten her?”
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading “Do you know that lady?”
a polite name for any woman
From this reading “Do you know that lady?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “Are you sure you have not forgotten her?”
being complete of its kind and without defect or blemish
From this reading “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.
anyone who does not belong in the environment in which they are found
From this reading “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “Are you sure you have not forgotten her?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “Do you know that lady?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “Why do you think I have forgotten her?”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “She is a perfect stranger to me,” I answered.
the speaker together with one or more other people
From this reading Miss Helena asked, as we entered the house.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Why do you think I have forgotten her?”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Do you know that lady?”
Chapter 21 of The Legacy of Cain by Wilkie Collins holds 298 sentences, grouped into 60 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.
Chapter 21 holds 298 sentences of The Legacy of Cain, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of The Legacy of Cain by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 298 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 21 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
