Chapter 40 of The Mantooth is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XL
Chapter 40 of The Mantooth is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea. Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons. The two exchanged glances, and both understood. 'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said. 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
Chapter 40 of The Mantooth is here in full — 16 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/3 · 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.
plural of “button” — a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading “Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.”
changed for (replaced by) something different
From this reading “The two exchanged glances, and both understood.”
someone who causes the death of a person or animal
From this reading “'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.”
an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view
From this reading “Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.”
plural of “margin” — the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary
From this reading “Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.”
a small spineless globe-shaped cactus; source of mescal buttons
From this reading “Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.”
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading “'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.”
dangerously unstable and unpredictable
From this reading “'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'”
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 'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The two exchanged glances, and both understood.
one more of the same kind, or a different one
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
the past participle of “be”
From this reading 'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.
the two together, not just one
From this reading The two exchanged glances, and both understood.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
plural of “button” — a round fastener sewn to shirts and coats etc to fit through buttonholes
From this reading Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
United States actor (born in Ireland); father of Georgiana Emma Barrymore (1827-1862)
From this reading Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.
changed for (replaced by) something different
From this reading The two exchanged glances, and both understood.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
to or at a greater extent or degree or a more advanced stage (“further” is used more often than “farther” in this abstract sense)
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
plural of “glance” — a quick look
From this reading The two exchanged glances, and both understood.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading 'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.
someone who causes the death of a person or animal
From this reading 'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.
an expanse of scenery that can be seen in a single view
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
plural of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
plural of “margin” — the boundary line or the area immediately inside the boundary
From this reading Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
not any; not one
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.
a course of conduct
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
a small spineless globe-shaped cactus; source of mescal buttons
From this reading Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.
the act of physically reaching or thrusting out
From this reading Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.
not used up
From this reading Reaching its margins, Kalus drew out the remaining peyote buttons.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.
a division of an ocean or a large body of salt water partially enclosed by land
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
a person whose occupation is teaching
From this reading 'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
dangerously unstable and unpredictable
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading The two exchanged glances, and both understood.
fully apprehended as to purport or meaning or explanation
From this reading The two exchanged glances, and both understood.
past form of “walk” — use one's feet to advance; advance by steps
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
people who are wounded
From this reading Together the weary lovers walked across the wounded landscape to the sea.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'You have been both a teacher and a killer,' he said.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'But I have no further need of you, nor would I ask another to follow down your dark and treacherous path.'
Chapter 40 of The Mantooth by Christopher Leadem holds 16 sentences, grouped into 4 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 40 holds 16 sentences of The Mantooth, unabridged, divided into 4 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 40 of The Mantooth by Christopher Leadem exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 16 sentences, grouped into 4 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 4 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 4 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 40 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 Mantooth by Christopher Leadem on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6517 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17394 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #17394, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 543 minutes of reading across 1304 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mantooth section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Mantooth 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 Mantooth, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
