Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Little Lady of the Big House
The Little Lady of the Big House

Chapter XIX

Cover illustration for The Little Lady of the Big House
Context Illustration Reading 1/32 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.
On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.
Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.
Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.
Paula made a practice of calling them the pair of "Brass Tacks."
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 Little Lady of the Big House

Chapter XIX

Reading 1/32 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.
Line 2
On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.
Line 3
Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.
Line 4
Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.
Line 5
Paula made a practice of calling them the pair of "Brass Tacks."

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.”

Dick noun US /dick/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.”

Fine noun US /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.”

Herself pronoun US /hərˈself/

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

From this reading “On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.”

Once noun US /once/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.”

Philosophy noun US /fɪˈlɑː.sə.fi/

The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. (Triết học, đạo lý nhân sinh.)

From this reading “Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.”

Same noun US /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.”

While conjunction US /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading “On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.”

All words in this reading · 79

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Paula made a practice of calling them the pair of "Brass Tacks."

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

angles

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

bed

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

Big

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

BothdeterminerUS /boʊθ/

the two together, not just one

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

Brass

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

From this reading Paula made a practice of calling them the pair of "Brass Tacks."

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

calling

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

From this reading Paula made a practice of calling them the pair of "Brass Tacks."

common

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

Dick

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

dinner

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

doing

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

ebbed

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

embroidery

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

evenings

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

finenounUS /fine/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

Graham

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

guests

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

harsh

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

From this reading Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

hour

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

House

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

listening

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

lived

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

longer

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

lunch

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

made

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

From this reading Paula made a practice of calling them the pair of "Brass Tacks."

men

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

more

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

much

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

OnprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

Once

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

only

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

pair

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

From this reading Paula made a practice of calling them the pair of "Brass Tacks."

Paula

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

philosophynounUS /fɪˈlɑː.sə.fi/

The study of the fundamental nature of knowledge, reality, and existence. (Triết học, đạo lý nhân sinh.)

From this reading Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.

piano

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

played

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

practice

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

From this reading Paula made a practice of calling them the pair of "Brass Tacks."

rather

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

From this reading Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.

realists

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

From this reading Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.

regarded

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

sat

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

sentimental

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

From this reading Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.

similar

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

soft

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

somewhat

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

table

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

Tacks

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

From this reading Paula made a practice of calling them the pair of "Brass Tacks."

talk

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

things

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

tide

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

two

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

From this reading Once again the tide of guests ebbed from the Big House, and more than one lunch and dinner found only the two men and Paula at the table.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.

ways

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

From this reading Both men had much in common, had lived life in somewhat similar ways, and regarded life from the same angles.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading Their philosophy was harsh rather than sentimental, and both were realists.

whileconjunctionUS /waɪl/

during the time that

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.

yarned

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

From this reading On such evenings, while Graham and Dick yarned for their hour before bed, Paula no longer played soft things to herself at the piano, but sat with them doing fine embroidery and listening to the talk.