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The Mansion

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Mansion is here in full — 252 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Henry Van Dyke • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The Mansion

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

The house was not beautiful.

There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

But it was eminently respectable, and in its way imposing.

Narrator

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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter I Reading 1/50

The Mansion Henry Van Dyke

Cover illustration for The Mansion

Chapter I

Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Mansion is here in full — 252 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied. Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain. The house was not beautiful. There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination. But it was eminently respectable, and in its way imposing.

The Mansion

Chapter I · Chapter 1

Chapter 1 of The Mansion is here in full — 252 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/50 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

Line 2

Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

Line 3

The house was not beautiful.

Line 4

There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

Line 5

But it was eminently respectable, and in its way imposing.

All words in this reading · 76

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.

a

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

about

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

air

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

an

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

and

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

applied

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

at

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

Avenue

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

beautiful

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

From this reading The house was not beautiful.

broad

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

bronze-bedecked

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

business

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

but

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

calm

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

carved

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

charm

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

chocolate-colored

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

complacency

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

corner

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

cornices

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

doors

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

eminently

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

From this reading But it was eminently respectable, and in its way imposing.

expression

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

eye

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

fascinate

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

fashionable

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

for

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

front

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

glass

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

half-disdain

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

heavy

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

house

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

From this reading The house was not beautiful.

imagination

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

imposing

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

From this reading But it was eminently respectable, and in its way imposing.

in

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

it

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

its

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

longer

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

looked

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

mahogany

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

mansion

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

money

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

no

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

not

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

nothing

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

of

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

on

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

opulence

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

or

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

plate

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

prudently

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

reserved

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

residence

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

respectable

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

From this reading But it was eminently respectable, and in its way imposing.

spoke

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

squandered

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

Standing

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

staring

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

stone

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

stoop

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

straight

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

swelling

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

that

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

the

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

There

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

tide

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

to

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

top

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

upon

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

was

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

way

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

From this reading But it was eminently respectable, and in its way imposing.

wealth

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

Weightman

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

From this reading There was an air of calm and reserved opulence about the Weightman mansion that spoke not of money squandered, but of wealth prudently applied.

wide

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

windows

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

From this reading There was nothing in its straight front of chocolate-colored stone, its heavy cornices, its broad, staring windows of plate glass, its carved and bronze-bedecked mahogany doors at the top of the wide stoop, to charm the eye or fascinate the imagination.

with

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

From this reading Standing on a corner of the Avenue no longer fashionable for residence, it looked upon the swelling tide of business with an expression of complacency and half-disdain.

Chapter 1 of The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke holds 252 sentences, grouped into 51 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 1 of The Mansion contain?

Chapter 1 holds 252 sentences of The Mansion, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 1 of The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 252 sentences, grouped into 51 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 1 of The Mansion?

Work through the 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 51 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 1 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 1 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 Mansion

Common questions about reading The Mansion by Henry Van Dyke on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Mansion?

Yes. All 503 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #704 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Mansion is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #704, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Mansion take to read?

About 41 minutes of reading across 101 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Mansion section by section

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

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 2 chapters of The Mansion to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in The Mansion

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Mansion, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Reserved: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mansion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Opulence: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mansion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Weightman: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mansion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Mansion: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mansion; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.