Chapter 26 of The Little Missis is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Little Missis is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day. She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard. "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her. "What a dreadful cough!" "That it is.
Chapter 26 of The Little Missis is here in full — 132 sentences across 27 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/26 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
third-person singular of “coat” — put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
From this reading “THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.”
exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading “She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “"What a dreadful cough!"”
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading “"Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.”
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading “She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.”
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading “"Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.”
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading “THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.”
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading “"Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.”
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.
In this reading “THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading "What a dreadful cough!"
the past participle of “be”
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
third-person singular of “coat” — put a coat on; cover the surface of; furnish with a surface
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
exhale abruptly, as when one has a chest cold or congestion
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading "What a dreadful cough!"
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
having desirable or positive qualities especially those suitable for a thing specified
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
characterized by charm, good taste, and generosity of spirit
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
not solid; having a space or gap or cavity
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "That it is.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
the act of hearing attentively
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
marked by the reception of pay
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
excited by sudden surprise or alarm and making a quick involuntary movement
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "That it is.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
in spite of the fact that
From this reading "Good gracious!" exclaimed Bessie; though really listening for it, the sound had quite startled her.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading She had not been long in the house before the hollow cough was heard.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What a dreadful cough!"
a unit of language that native speakers can identify
From this reading THE HOME-COMING True to her word Bessie paid her visit to Mrs. Coates the next day.
Chapter 26 of The Little Missis by Charlotte Skinner holds 132 sentences, grouped into 27 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.
Chapter 26 holds 132 sentences of The Little Missis, unabridged, divided into 27 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Little Missis by Charlotte Skinner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 132 sentences, grouped into 27 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 27 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 27 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading The Little Missis by Charlotte Skinner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4070 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #35383 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #35383, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 339 minutes of reading across 814 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Little Missis section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Little Missis to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Little Missis, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
