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The Little Maid of Israel
The Little Maid of Israel

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The Little Maid of Israel is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Little Maid of Israel
Context Illustration Reading 1/14 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.
Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.
Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.
One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:
"Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"
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LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Little Maid of Israel

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The Little Maid of Israel is here in full — 72 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.
Line 2
Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.
/səmˈtaɪmz hɜːr hɑːrt wɑːz fɪld wɪð hoʊp ðen əˈɡen ʃiː wʊd biː plʌndʒd ˈɪntuː ðə ˈdiːpəst dɪˈspɑːndənsi wen ɪt siːmd ˈmædnəs tuː bɪˈliːv ðæt ˈeni mæn hæd ˈpaʊər tuː hiːl ðə ˈlepər/
Line 3
Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.
Line 4
One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:
Line 5
"Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"
/waɪ ɑːrt ðaʊ soʊ sæd maɪ dɪr ˈmɪstrəs/

Learner Dictionary

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.

awaited adjective US /əˈweɪtɪd/

expected hopefully

From this reading “The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.”

deepest adjective US /ˈdiːpəst/

superlative of “deep” — relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading “Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.”

despondency noun US /dɪˈspɑːndənsi/

feeling downcast and disheartened and hopeless

From this reading “Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.”

heal verb US /hiːl/

heal or recover

From this reading “Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.”

leper noun US /ˈlepər/

a person afflicted with leprosy

From this reading “Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.”

madness noun US /ˈmædnəs/

obsolete terms for legal insanity

From this reading “Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.”

wearily adverb US /ˈwerəli/

in a weary manner

From this reading “The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.”

wistfully adverb US /ˈwɪstfəli/

in a wistful manner

From this reading “Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.”

Word partnerships in these lines

English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.

Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.

plunged into verb + particle counted as “plunge into”

In this reading “Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.”

little maid adjective + noun

In this reading “Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.”

looked up verb + adjective counted as “look up”

seek information from

In this reading “One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:”

dear mistress adjective + noun

In this reading “"Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"”

beautiful face adjective + noun

In this reading “One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:”

any man adjective + noun

In this reading “Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.”

All words in this reading · 73

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.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

anyadjectiveUS /ˈeni/

one or some or every or all without specification

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

artauxiliary verbUS /ɑːrt/

an old form of “are”, used with “thou”

From this reading "Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

awaitedadjectiveUS /əˈweɪtɪd/

expected hopefully

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

beautifuladjectiveUS /ˈbjuːtəfəl/

delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

believeverbUS /bɪˈliːv/

accept as true; take to be true

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

Claudia

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

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

Claudia's

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

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

daysnounUS /deɪz/

the time during which someone's life continues

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

dearadjectiveUS /dɪr/

dearly loved

From this reading "Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"

deepestadjectiveUS /ˈdiːpəst/

superlative of “deep” — relatively deep or strong; affecting one deeply

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

despondencynounUS /dɪˈspɑːndənsi/

feeling downcast and disheartened and hopeless

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

filledadjectiveUS /fɪld/

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

healverbUS /hiːl/

heal or recover

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

homenounUS /hoʊm/

where you live at a particular time

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

hopenounUS /hoʊp/

a specific instance of feeling hopeful

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

husbandnounUS /ˈhʌzbənd/

a married man; a woman's partner in marriage

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

Leah

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

From this reading Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.

lepernounUS /ˈlepər/

a person afflicted with leprosy

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

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

From this reading Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.

lookedverbUS /lʊkt/

past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

madnessnounUS /ˈmædnəs/

obsolete terms for legal insanity

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

maidnounUS /meɪd/

a female domestic

From this reading Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.

mannounUS /mæn/

an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

mistressnounUS /ˈmɪstrəs/

an adulterous woman; a woman who has an ongoing extramarital sexual relationship with a man

From this reading Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"

Naaman

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

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

OnepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

palacenounUS /ˈpæləs/

a large and stately mansion

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

paleadjectiveUS /peɪl/

very light colored; highly diluted with white

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

passedverbUS /pæst/

past form of “pass” — go across or through

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

plungedverbUS /plʌndʒd/

past form of “plunge” — thrust or throw into

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

powernounUS /ˈpaʊər/

possession of controlling influence

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

returnverbUS /rɪˈtɜːrn/

go or come back to place, condition, or activity where one has been before

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

sadadjectiveUS /sæd/

experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness

From this reading "Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

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

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading "Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"

SometimesadverbUS /səmˈtaɪmz/

on certain occasions or in certain cases but not always

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

tenderlyadverbUS /ˈtendərli/

with tenderness; in a tender manner

From this reading Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

thenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

thoupronounUS /ðaʊ/

an old word for “you”, as the subject, speaking to one person

From this reading "Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading One morning, as she sat at Claudia's feet, she looked up into her pale, beautiful face and said:

veryadjectiveUS /ˈveri/

precisely as stated

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

watchedverbUS /wɑːtʃt/

past form of “watch” — look attentively

From this reading Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.

wearilyadverbUS /ˈwerəli/

in a weary manner

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

WhynounUS /waɪ/

the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”

From this reading "Why art thou so sad, my dear mistress?"

wifenounUS /waɪf/

a married woman; a man's partner in marriage

From this reading The days passed very slowly and wearily to Claudia, wife of Naaman, as she awaited in her palace home the return of her husband.

wistfullyadverbUS /ˈwɪstfəli/

in a wistful manner

From this reading Leah, the little maid, watched her mistress wistfully, tenderly.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past

From this reading Sometimes her heart was filled with hope, then, again, she would be plunged into the deepest despondency, when it seemed madness to believe that any man had power to heal the leper.

Chapter 8 of The Little Maid of Israel by Emma Howard Wight holds 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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.

What does chapter 8 of The Little Maid of Israel contain?

Chapter 8 holds 72 sentences of The Little Maid of Israel, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The Little Maid of Israel by Emma Howard Wight exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 72 sentences, grouped into 15 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.

How do I study chapter 8 of The Little Maid of Israel?

Work through the 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 15 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.

Can chapter 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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.

Questions about reading The Little Maid of Israel

Common questions about reading The Little Maid of Israel by Emma Howard Wight on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Little Maid of Israel?

Yes. All 794 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #44601 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Little Maid of Israel is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #44601, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Little Maid of Israel take to read?

About 66 minutes of reading across 159 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Little Maid of Israel section by section

How to work through The Little Maid of Israel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 10 chapters of The Little Maid of Israel to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Little Maid of Israel

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Little Maid of Israel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Israel
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Maid of Israel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Great
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Maid of Israel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Distance
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Maid of Israel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Samaria
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Little Maid of Israel; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.