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The Mayor's Wife
The Mayor's Wife

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of The Mayor's Wife is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Mayor's Wife
Context Illustration Reading 1/14 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:
What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?
Answer!
I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.
What did you tell her?”
0:00 / 0:00
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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.

The Mayor's Wife

Chapter XIX · Chapter 19

Chapter 19 of The Mayor's Wife is here in full — 73 sentences across 15 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:
Line 2
What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?
Line 3
Answer!
/ˈænsər/
Line 4
I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.
/aɪ æm ɪn ðɪs haʊs tuː prəˈtekt hɜːr əˈɡenst ɔːl sʌtʃ dɪˈstɜːrbənsəz/
Line 5
What did you tell her?”
/wʌt dɪd juː tel hɜːr/

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, and audio.

anger noun US /ˈæŋɡər/

a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance

From this reading “Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:”

anguish noun US /ˈæŋɡwɪʃ/

extreme mental distress

From this reading “Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:”

disturbances noun US /dɪˈstɜːrbənsəz/

plural of “disturbance” — activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption

From this reading “I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.”

message noun US /ˈmesədʒ/

a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled

From this reading ““What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?”

Nixon's noun US /ˈnɪksənz/

possessive form of “nixon” — vice president under Eisenhower and 37th President of the United States; resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1974 (1913-1994)

protect verb US /prəˈtekt/

shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage

From this reading “I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.”

throw verb US /θroʊ/

propel through the air

From this reading ““What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?”

unprovoked adjective US /ˌʌnprəˈvoʊkt/

occurring without motivation or provocation

From this reading “Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:”

All words in this reading · 49

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.

amauxiliary verbUS /æm/

the form of “be” used with “I”

From this reading I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

angernounUS /ˈæŋɡər/

a strong emotion; a feeling that is oriented toward some real or supposed grievance

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

anguishnounUS /ˈæŋɡwɪʃ/

extreme mental distress

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

AnswerverbUS /ˈænsər/

react verbally

From this reading Answer!

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

carryverbUS /ˈkæri/

move while supporting, either in a vehicle or in one's hands or on one's body

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

caughtverbUS /kɑːt/

inflected form of “catch” — discover or come upon accidentally, suddenly, or unexpectedly; catch somebody doing something or in a certain state

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

causenounUS /kɑːz/

events that provide the generative force that is the origin of something

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

demandedverbUS /dɪˈmændəd/

past form of “demand” — request urgently and forcefully

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

DeterminedadjectiveUS /dɪˈtɜːrmənd/

characterized by great determination

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

disturbancesnounUS /dɪˈstɜːrbənsəz/

plural of “disturbance” — activity that is a malfunction, intrusion, or interruption

From this reading I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

housenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

knowverbUS /noʊ/

be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

messagenounUS /ˈmesədʒ/

a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

Nixon'snounUS /ˈnɪksənz/

possessive form of “nixon” — vice president under Eisenhower and 37th President of the United States; resigned after the Watergate scandal in 1974 (1913-1994)

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

Packard

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

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

Packard's

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

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

passingnounUS /ˈpæsɪŋ/

(American football) a play that involves one player throwing the ball to a teammate

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

peremptorilyadverb

in an imperative and commanding manner

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

protectverbUS /prəˈtekt/

shield from danger, injury, destruction, or damage

From this reading I am in this house to protect her against all such disturbances.

statenounUS /steɪt/

the territory occupied by one of the constituent administrative districts of a nation

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

suchdeterminerUS /sʌtʃ/

of the kind already mentioned

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

From this reading What did you tell her?”

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

throwverbUS /θroʊ/

propel through the air

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

unprovokedadjectiveUS /ˌʌnprəˈvoʊkt/

occurring without motivation or provocation

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading Determined to know the cause of Mrs. Packard’s anguish, if not of Nixon’s unprovoked anger against myself, I caught him back as he was passing me and peremptorily demanded:

WhatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “What message did you carry to Mrs. Packard to throw her into such a state as this?

Chapter 19 of The Mayor's Wife by Anna Katharine Green holds 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 19 of The Mayor's Wife contain?

Chapter 19 holds 73 sentences of The Mayor's Wife, unabridged, divided into 15 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 19 of The Mayor's Wife by Anna Katharine Green exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 73 sentences, grouped into 15 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 19 of The Mayor's Wife?

Work through the 15 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 15 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 19 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 19 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 Mayor's Wife

Common questions about reading The Mayor's Wife by Anna Katharine Green on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Mayor's Wife?

Yes. All 3669 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #4767 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Mayor's Wife is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #4767, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Mayor's Wife take to read?

About 305 minutes of reading across 734 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Mayor's Wife section by section

How to work through The Mayor's Wife section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Mayor's Wife 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 Mayor's Wife

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Mayor's Wife, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Current
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor's Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Gossip
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor's Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Packard
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor's Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Parted
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Mayor's Wife; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.