Chapter 13 of The Mark of Cain is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XIII
Chapter 13 of The Mark of Cain is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Des ailes! des ailes! des ailes! Comme dans le chant de Ruckert.” --Théophile Gautier. “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic? Well, well, you have Eusebius with you.
Chapter 13 of The Mark of Cain is here in full — 145 sentences across 29 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/29 · 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 “ail” — be ill or unwell
From this reading ““Des ailes! des ailes! des ailes!”
recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
From this reading “Comme dans le chant de Ruckert.””
a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry
From this reading ““Des ailes! des ailes! des ailes!”
a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm (as for a cause)
From this reading ““So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?”
moving swiftly
From this reading ““So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?”
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading ““So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading ““So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?”
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading ““So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?”
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 “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
third-person singular of “ail” — be ill or unwell
From this reading “Des ailes! des ailes! des ailes!
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
recite with musical intonation; recite as a chant or a psalm
From this reading Comme dans le chant de Ruckert.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Comme dans le chant de Ruckert.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Comme dans le chant de Ruckert.”
a Mid-Atlantic state; one of the original 13 colonies
From this reading Comme dans le chant de Ruckert.”
a potent estrogen used in medicine and in feed for livestock and poultry
From this reading “Des ailes! des ailes! des ailes!
Christian bishop of Caesarea in Palestine; a church historian and a leading early Christian exegete (circa 270-340)
From this reading Well, well, you have Eusebius with you.
a person motivated by irrational enthusiasm (as for a cause)
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
moving swiftly
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --Théophile Gautier.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading Well, well, you have Eusebius with you.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
not capable of occurring or being accomplished or dealt with
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
a chronic inflammatory collagen disease affecting connective tissue (skin or joints)
From this reading Comme dans le chant de Ruckert.”
any mechanical or electrical device that transmits or modifies energy to perform or assist in the performance of human tasks
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
take to be the case or to be true; accept without verification or proof
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Comme dans le chant de Ruckert.”
term of address for a man
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading --Théophile Gautier.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading Well, well, you have Eusebius with you.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Well, well, you have Eusebius with you.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “So you think a flying machine impossible, sir, and me, I presume, a fanatic?
Chapter 13 of The Mark of Cain by Andrew Lang holds 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 13 holds 145 sentences of The Mark of Cain, unabridged, divided into 29 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 13 of The Mark of Cain by Andrew Lang exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 145 sentences, grouped into 29 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 29 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 29 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 13 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 Mark of Cain by Andrew Lang on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2990 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #21821 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #21821, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 249 minutes of reading across 598 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mark of Cain section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Mark of Cain 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 Mark of Cain, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
