Chapter I

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

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

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

anew

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading What more unlike that air, tranced with sunlight and silence, than this dense atmosphere?

frightening because of an awareness of danger

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

surrounded by; in the middle of a group

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

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

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

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

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

a particular environment or surrounding influence

From this reading What more unlike that air, tranced with sunlight and silence, than this dense atmosphere?

writes (books or stories or articles or the like) professionally (for pay)

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading What could be more unlike Montarel than this cold and paltry scene?

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

having a broad or rounded end

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

state capital and largest city of Massachusetts; a major center for banking and financial services

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

a university in England

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

period extending from Dec. 24 to Jan. 6

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

a timepiece that shows the time of day

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading What could be more unlike Montarel than this cold and paltry scene?

an institution created to conduct business

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

a place off to the side of an area

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading What could be more unlike Montarel than this cold and paltry scene?

the act of counting; reciting numbers in ascending order

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

(usually plural) discussion of all sides of a question

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

permitting little if any light to pass through because of denseness of matter

From this reading What more unlike that air, tranced with sunlight and silence, than this dense atmosphere?

separated in space or coming from or going to a distance

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

spatially or metaphorically from a higher to a lower level or position

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

plural of “drone” — stingless male bee in a colony of social bees (especially honeybees) whose sole function is to mate with the queen

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

being one more than seven

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

past form of “emerge” — come out into view, as from concealment

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

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

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

called forth from a latent or potential state by stimulation

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

plural of “face” — the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

descend in free fall under the influence of gravity

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

(of a number) having a fixed and unchanging value

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

droplets of water vapor suspended in the air near the ground

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

a young female

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

move smoothly and effortlessly

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

of comparatively great physical weight or density

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

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

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

used of physical heat; having a high or higher than desirable temperature or giving off heat or feeling or causing a sensation of heat or burning

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

United States publisher who founded a printing shop that became an important book publisher (1823-1895)

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

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

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

the act of moving a newly built vessel into the water for the first time

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

characterized by or producing sound of great volume or intensity

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

the message that is intended or expressed or signified

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading What could be more unlike Montarel than this cold and paltry scene?

not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

not worth considering

From this reading What could be more unlike Montarel than this cold and paltry scene?

past form of “pause” — interrupt temporarily an activity before continuing

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

exert pressure or force to or upon

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

the act of applying force in order to move something away

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

on the contrary

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

the bank of a river

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

plural of “rose” — any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

acutely insightful and wise

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

the place where some action occurs

From this reading What could be more unlike Montarel than this cold and paltry scene?

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

in an aggressive manner

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

used to say what is right, expected, or advisable

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading What more unlike that air, tranced with sunlight and silence, than this dense atmosphere?

(photography) the act of assuming a certain position (as for a photograph or portrait)

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

not moving quickly; taking a comparatively long time

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

a pesticide in suspension or solution; intended for spraying

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

a facility equipped with special equipment and personnel for a particular purpose

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

plural of “story” — a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

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

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

plural of “stroke” — (sports) the act of swinging or striking at a ball with a club or racket or bat or cue or hand

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

sullen or moody

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

the rays of the sun

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

of a light brown to brownish orange color; the color of tanned leather

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

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

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

used when the people doing the action are also its object

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

plural of “thicket” — a dense growth of bushes

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

judge or regard; look upon; judge

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

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

From this reading What could be more unlike Montarel than this cold and paltry scene?

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

(used to introduce a logical conclusion) from that fact or reason or as a result

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

any of various mints of the genus Thymus

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

the extreme end of something; especially something pointed

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

a solution containing chemicals that can change the color of a photographic print

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

to a degree exceeding normal or proper limits

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading What more unlike that air, tranced with sunlight and silence, than this dense atmosphere?

a state of commotion and noise and confusion

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

marked by dissimilarity

From this reading What could be more unlike Montarel than this cold and paltry scene?

a formal word for “on”

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

queen of Great Britain and Ireland and empress of India from 1837 to 1901; the last Hanoverian ruler of England (1819-1901)

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

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

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

look attentively

From this reading Sitting straightly in her corner of the Victoria waiting-room, the little French girl fixed her mind upon the picture thus evoked so that she should not feel too sharply the alarming meaning of the hour, and seemed again to watch the blunt, sagacious faces of the drones as they paused in sulky deliberation on the tip of a spray before launching themselves into the sunlight.

how something is done or how it happens

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading The strokes, Alix thought, seemed to glide downwards rather than to fall through the fog and tumult of the station, and, counting them as they emerged, they were so slow and heavy that they made her think of tawny drones pushing their way forth from among the thickets of hot thyme in the _jardin potager_ at Montarel.

used to ask for information about something

From this reading What could be more unlike Montarel than this cold and paltry scene?

in the company of; together with

From this reading What more unlike that air, tranced with sunlight and silence, than this dense atmosphere?

but in spite of that

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.

the English royal house (a branch of the Plantagenet line) that reigned from 1461 to 1485; its emblem was a white rose

From this reading _Author of “Adrienne Toner,” “Christmas Roses, and Other Stories”_ _“Tante,” etc._ Boston and New York HOUGHTON MIFFLIN COMPANY The Riverside Press Cambridge A clock struck eight, a loud yet distant clock.