Chapter 40 of The Legacy of Cain is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of The Legacy of Cain is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice. The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks. Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm. Hearing this, I asked naturally what had become of Philip. Melancholy news, again, was the news that I now heard.
Chapter 40 of The Legacy of Cain is here in full — 358 sentences across 72 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/71 · 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.
an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another
From this reading “The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.”
having lost your job
From this reading “When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.”
a woman entrusted with the care and supervision of a child (especially in a private home)
From this reading “Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.”
a search for knowledge
From this reading “When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.”
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading “The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.”
being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics
From this reading “When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.”
plural of “sigh” — an utterance made by exhaling audibly
From this reading “The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.”
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.
an event or situation that happens at the same time as or in connection with another
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
anew
From this reading Melancholy news, again, was the news that I now heard.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Hearing this, I asked naturally what had become of Philip.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.
enter or assume a certain state or condition
From this reading Hearing this, I asked naturally what had become of Philip.
having lost your job
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
plural of “duty” — the social force that binds you to the courses of action demanded by that force
From this reading Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
be a farmer; work as a farmer
From this reading Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
destroyed or killed
From this reading Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.
a woman entrusted with the care and supervision of a child (especially in a private home)
From this reading Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.
in a joyous manner
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading Melancholy news, again, was the news that I now heard.
(law) a proceeding (usually by a court) where evidence is taken for the purpose of determining an issue of fact and reaching a decision based on that evidence
From this reading Hearing this, I asked naturally what had become of Philip.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Eunice had gone back to her duties as governess at the farm.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Hearing this, I asked naturally what had become of Philip.
a search for knowledge
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
a feeling of thoughtful sadness
From this reading Melancholy news, again, was the news that I now heard.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
as might be expected
From this reading Hearing this, I asked naturally what had become of Philip.
information about recent and important events
From this reading Melancholy news, again, was the news that I now heard.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Melancholy news, again, was the news that I now heard.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
Englishman and husband of Elizabeth II (born 1921)
From this reading Hearing this, I asked naturally what had become of Philip.
being connected either logically or causally or by shared characteristics
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
plural of “sigh” — an utterance made by exhaling audibly
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
the subject matter of a conversation or discussion
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading Melancholy news, again, was the news that I now heard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading Hearing this, I asked naturally what had become of Philip.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
the act of testing something
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading Hearing this, I asked naturally what had become of Philip.
at the time that
From this reading When the subject of the trial was happily dismissed, my first inquiry related to Eunice.
in the company of; together with
From this reading The reply was made with an ominous accompaniment of sighs and sad looks.
Chapter 40 of The Legacy of Cain by Wilkie Collins holds 358 sentences, grouped into 72 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 40 holds 358 sentences of The Legacy of Cain, unabridged, divided into 72 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of The Legacy of Cain by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 358 sentences, grouped into 72 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 72 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 72 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 40 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.
