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

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Loom of the Desert is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Idah Meacham Strobridge • Curated US English Learning Edition

Chapter 5 of The Loom of the Desert by Idah Meacham Strobridge holds 442 sentences, grouped into 89 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 5 of The Loom of the Desert contain?

Chapter 5 holds 442 sentences of The Loom of the Desert, unabridged, divided into 89 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 5 of The Loom of the Desert by Idah Meacham Strobridge exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 442 sentences, grouped into 89 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 5 of The Loom of the Desert?

Work through the 89 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 89 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 5 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 5 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 Loom of the Desert

Common questions about reading The Loom of the Desert by Idah Meacham Strobridge on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Loom of the Desert?

Yes. All 2244 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #67347 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Loom of the Desert is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #67347, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Loom of the Desert take to read?

About 187 minutes of reading across 449 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Loom of the Desert section by section

How to work through The Loom of the Desert section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 5 chapters of The Loom of the Desert 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 Loom of the Desert

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Loom of the Desert, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Courtesy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Loom of the Desert; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Editors
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Loom of the Desert; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Argonaut
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Loom of the Desert; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Criterion
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Loom of the Desert; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for The Loom of the Desert
Context Illustration Reading 1/89 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.
He hoped--prayed, the other would never know.
And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?
With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.
“Come, little one,” he said, gently, “we must go in.
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 Loom of the Desert

Chapter V

Chapter 5 of The Loom of the Desert is here in full — 442 sentences across 89 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/89 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.
Line 2
He hoped--prayed, the other would never know.
Line 3
And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?
Line 4
With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.
Line 5
“Come, little one,” he said, gently, “we must go in.

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, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.”

Velmora curated lexicon
Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading ““Come, little one,” he said, gently, “we must go in.”

Velmora curated lexicon
One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.”

Velmora curated lexicon
Silence noun US /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

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

From this reading “They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.”

Velmora curated lexicon
Would modal verb US /wʊd/

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

From this reading “They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.”

Velmora curated lexicon
All words in this reading · 65

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 They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
all

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

From this reading With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.

Pending verification
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Velmora curated lexicon
asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Velmora curated lexicon
Austin

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

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

From this reading With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.

Velmora curated lexicon
become

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
come

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
disgust

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Pending verification
ever

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
find

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Pending verification
forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
gently

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

From this reading “Come, little one,” he said, gently, “we must go in.

Pending verification
go

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

From this reading “Come, little one,” he said, gently, “we must go in.

Pending verification
guess

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
heart

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Pending verification
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Velmora curated lexicon
hoped

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

From this reading He hoped--prayed, the other would never know.

Pending verification
hour

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
how

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Velmora curated lexicon
itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Velmora curated lexicon
know

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

From this reading He hoped--prayed, the other would never know.

Pending verification
less

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
little

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.

Velmora curated lexicon
miserably

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
mountains

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “Come, little one,” he said, gently, “we must go in.

Velmora curated lexicon
nearly

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
never

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

From this reading He hoped--prayed, the other would never know.

Pending verification
night

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
other

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

From this reading He hoped--prayed, the other would never know.

Pending verification
own

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Pending verification
prayed

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

From this reading He hoped--prayed, the other would never know.

Pending verification
said

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

From this reading “Come, little one,” he said, gently, “we must go in.

Pending verification
sat

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
sickening

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Pending verification
silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
silently

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

From this reading With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.

Pending verification
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.

Velmora curated lexicon
soul

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

From this reading With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.

Pending verification
still

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Pending verification
thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Velmora curated lexicon
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
time

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
tired

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
way

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Pending verification
wepronounUS /wiː/

the speaker together with one or more other people

From this reading “Come, little one,” he said, gently, “we must go in.

Velmora curated lexicon
whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading With all his soul he silently prayed it might never be so.

Velmora curated lexicon
wondering

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification
worse

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

From this reading And (worse still) would a sickening disgust ever find its way into that other heart, as it had into his own?

Pending verification
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Velmora curated lexicon
year

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

From this reading They sat for nearly an hour in the silence of night in the mountains, Austin wondering if the time would ever come when the “little one” would guess how miserably tired of it he had become in less than a year.

Pending verification