Chapter 15 of The Mean-Wells is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Mean-Wells is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door. Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone. “Is--is Mr. Winter at home?” she asked. “Yes, he is,” answered the woman.
Chapter 15 of The Mean-Wells is here in full — 129 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading “Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.”
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading “Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.”
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading “WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.”
a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household
From this reading “WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.”
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading “Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.”
not done
From this reading “Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.”
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading “WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.”
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading “WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
a reception held in your own home
In this reading ““Is--is Mr. Winter at home?” she asked.”
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.
fear resulting from the awareness of danger
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
Having no one else present.
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading “Yes, he is,” answered the woman.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading “Is--is Mr. Winter at home?” she asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Is--is Mr. Winter at home?” she asked.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
a short trip that is taken in the performance of a necessary task or mission
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
not to be placated or appeased or moved by entreaty
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Yes, he is,” answered the woman.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
where you live at a particular time
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
a servant who is employed to perform domestic task in a household
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Is--is Mr. Winter at home?” she asked.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
cause to go somewhere
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Is--is Mr. Winter at home?” she asked.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
of a quantity that can fulfill a need or requirement but without being abundant
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
not done
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
occurring or encountered or experienced or observed frequently or in accordance with regular practice or procedure
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
the coldest season of the year; in the northern hemisphere it extends from the winter solstice to the vernal equinox
From this reading WINTER The housekeeper, grim and silent as usual, opened the door.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Her look and manner alone were sufficient to alarm Priscilla, and send her home with errand undone.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “Yes, he is,” answered the woman.
an affirmative
From this reading “Yes, he is,” answered the woman.
Chapter 15 of The Mean-Wells by Mabel Quiller-Couch holds 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 15 holds 129 sentences of The Mean-Wells, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Mean-Wells by Mabel Quiller-Couch exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 129 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 15 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 Mean-Wells by Mabel Quiller-Couch on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 2131 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #64258 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #64258, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 177 minutes of reading across 427 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Mean-Wells section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 16 chapters of The Mean-Wells 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 Mean-Wells, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
