Chapter 17 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“You were here when I fainted, were you not?” Mercy began. “You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.” He shook his head. “I am far from thinking that,” he replied.
Chapter 17 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 254 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/50 · 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.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading “Mercy began.”
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading ““You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.””
past form of “faint” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading ““You were here when I fainted, were you not?””
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “Mercy began.”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading ““I am far from thinking that,” he replied.”
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading ““You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.””
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading “He shook his head.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading ““I am far from thinking that,” he replied.”
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 must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.”
the form of “be” used with “I”
From this reading “I am far from thinking that,” he replied.
inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading Mercy began.
a person who shows fear or timidity
From this reading “You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.”
divisible by two
From this reading “You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.”
past form of “faint” — pass out from weakness, physical or emotional distress due to a loss of blood supply to the brain
From this reading “You were here when I fainted, were you not?”
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading “I am far from thinking that,” he replied.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading “You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading “I am far from thinking that,” he replied.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He shook his head.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading He shook his head.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading “You were here when I fainted, were you not?”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He shook his head.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “You were here when I fainted, were you not?”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading Mercy began.
used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true
From this reading “You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “You were here when I fainted, were you not?”
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading “I am far from thinking that,” he replied.
experiencing or showing sorrow or unhappiness
From this reading “You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.”
a disassembled barrel; the parts packed for storage or shipment
From this reading He shook his head.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “I am far from thinking that,” he replied.
judge or regard; look upon; judge
From this reading “You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.”
the process of using your mind to consider something carefully
From this reading “I am far from thinking that,” he replied.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “You were here when I fainted, were you not?”
at the time that
From this reading “You were here when I fainted, were you not?”
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading “You must think me a sad coward, even for a woman.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “You were here when I fainted, were you not?”
Chapter 17 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins holds 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 17 holds 254 sentences of The New Magdalen, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 254 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 17 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 New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7416 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1623 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1623, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1484 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The New Magdalen section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 29 chapters of The New Magdalen 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 New Magdalen, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
