Chapter 26 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THERE was a pause. The moments passed--and not one of the three moved. The moments passed--and not one of the three spoke. Insensibly the words of supplication died away on Julian’s lips. Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
Chapter 26 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 201 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading “Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.”
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading “Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.”
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading “Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.”
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading “The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.”
the act of subjugating by cruelty
From this reading “Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “THERE was a pause.”
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading “Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.”
lengthen or extend in duration or space
From this reading “Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.”
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 THERE was a pause.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading Insensibly the words of supplication died away on Julian’s lips.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
physically or spiritually devastating; often used in combination
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading Insensibly the words of supplication died away on Julian’s lips.
(physics) a thermodynamic quantity equivalent to the capacity of a physical system to do work; the units of energy are joules or ergs
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
divisible by two
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
past form of “fail” — fail to do something; leave something undone
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
in a numb manner; without feeling
From this reading Insensibly the words of supplication died away on Julian’s lips.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Insensibly the words of supplication died away on Julian’s lips.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Insensibly the words of supplication died away on Julian’s lips.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Insensibly the words of supplication died away on Julian’s lips.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.
the act of subjugating by cruelty
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading THERE was a pause.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three spoke.
a prayer asking God's help as part of a religious service
From this reading Insensibly the words of supplication died away on Julian’s lips.
apprehension about what is going to happen
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
lengthen or extend in duration or space
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.
in or at that place or location
From this reading THERE was a pause.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading The moments passed--and not one of the three moved.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
tested and proved useful or correct
From this reading Even his energy failed to sustain him, tried as it now was by the crushing oppression of suspense.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THERE was a pause.
the words that are spoken
From this reading Insensibly the words of supplication died away on Julian’s lips.
Chapter 26 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins holds 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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.
Chapter 26 holds 201 sentences of The New Magdalen, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 201 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
