Chapter 5 of The Maids of Paradise is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter V
Chapter 5 of The Maids of Paradise is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering. "And now?" he asked, simply. "Now?" she repeated. "I don't know--truly, I do not know." She turned to me sorrowfully.
Chapter 5 of The Maids of Paradise is here in full — 417 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
the placement of the fingers for playing different notes (or sequences of notes) on a musical instrument
From this reading “There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading “There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.”
recurring again and again
From this reading “"Now?" she repeated.”
and nothing more
From this reading “"And now?" he asked, simply.”
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading “There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.”
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading “"I don't know--truly, I do not know."”
past form of “unroll” — reverse the winding or twisting of
From this reading “There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.”
marked by wrinkles
From this reading “There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.”
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 There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "And now?" he asked, simply.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "And now?" he asked, simply.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "I don't know--truly, I do not know."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I don't know--truly, I do not know."
the placement of the fingers for playing different notes (or sequences of notes) on a musical instrument
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I don't know--truly, I do not know."
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "I don't know--truly, I do not know."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She turned to me sorrowfully.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I don't know--truly, I do not know."
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "And now?" he asked, simply.
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
recurring again and again
From this reading "Now?" she repeated.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Now?" she repeated.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
and nothing more
From this reading "And now?" he asked, simply.
without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
in a sorrowful manner
From this reading She turned to me sorrowfully.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading She turned to me sorrowfully.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading "I don't know--truly, I do not know."
moved around an axis or center
From this reading She turned to me sorrowfully.
past form of “unroll” — reverse the winding or twisting of
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
marked by wrinkles
From this reading There was a silence; Buckhurst slowly unrolled the wrinkled paper he had been fingering.
Chapter 5 of The Maids of Paradise by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers holds 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 5 holds 417 sentences of The Maids of Paradise, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 5 of The Maids of Paradise by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 417 sentences, grouped into 84 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 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 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 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.
Common questions about reading The Maids of Paradise by Robert W. (Robert William) Chambers on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6873 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28295 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28295, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 572 minutes of reading across 1375 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Maids of Paradise section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 17 chapters of The Maids of Paradise 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 Maids of Paradise, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
