Chapter 26 of The Nether Millstone is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Nether Millstone is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking. She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time. But the other voice was still more familiar. "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass? I daresay I could have helped you."
Chapter 26 of The Nether Millstone is here in full — 257 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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 “deepen” — make more intense, stronger, or more marked
From this reading “THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.”
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading “She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.”
well known or easily recognized
From this reading “But the other voice was still more familiar.”
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading “I daresay I could have helped you."”
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading “THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.”
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading “She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.”
move hurridly
From this reading “THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.”
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading “She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.”
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.
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.
having undesirable or negative qualities
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the other voice was still more familiar.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading I daresay I could have helped you."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading I daresay I could have helped you."
third-person singular of “deepen” — make more intense, stronger, or more marked
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
having lost freshness or brilliance of color
From this reading She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.
well known or easily recognized
From this reading But the other voice was still more familiar.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading I daresay I could have helped you."
past form of “help” — give help or assistance; be of service
From this reading I daresay I could have helped you."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I daresay I could have helped you."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading But the other voice was still more familiar.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
something that baffles understanding and cannot be explained
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
not any; not one
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
not the same one or ones already mentioned or implied
From this reading But the other voice was still more familiar.
go across or through
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
a rational motive for a belief or action
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
provided with a secure reputation
From this reading She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.
the utterance of intelligible speech
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
move hurridly
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
not in physical motion
From this reading But the other voice was still more familiar.
express in words
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.
depleted of strength or energy
From this reading She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She recognised the tired, faded voice by this time.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
which person or people
From this reading THE MYSTERY DEEPENS No reason to tell Mary now that it was Mrs. Speed who was speaking.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "That's bad," the man was saying, "why didn't you let me know that things had got to this pass?
Chapter 26 of The Nether Millstone by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White holds 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 26 holds 257 sentences of The Nether Millstone, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Nether Millstone by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 257 sentences, grouped into 52 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 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 52 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 26 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 Nether Millstone by Fred M. (Fred Merrick) White on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8023 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57312 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57312, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1605 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Nether Millstone section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Nether Millstone 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 Nether Millstone, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
