Chapter 29 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 598 sentences across 120 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 598 sentences across 120 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE servant left them together. Mercy spoke first. “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message? If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.” He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
Chapter 29 of The New Magdalen is here in full — 598 sentences across 120 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/119 · 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.
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading “He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.”
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading “He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.”
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading “He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.”
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading ““Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?”
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading ““Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?”
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading “If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.””
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading “Mercy spoke first.”
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading ““Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?”
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 If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
farther along in physical or mental development
From this reading He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
experiencing a sudden sense of danger
From this reading He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
(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 If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
the -ing form of “be”
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
showing who or what does the action
From this reading He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
(comparative of “near” or “close”) within a shorter distance
From this reading He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
not as far along as normal in development
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading Mercy spoke first.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
a neutral achromatic color midway between white and black
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
the quality of being warmhearted and considerate and humane and sympathetic
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading THE servant left them together.
plural of “look” — the feelings expressed on a person's face
From this reading He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice
From this reading Mercy spoke first.
a communication (usually brief) that is written or spoken or signaled
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
a form of address for a man
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading THE servant left them together.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Mercy spoke first.
taken unawares or suddenly and feeling wonder or astonishment
From this reading He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE servant left them together.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading THE servant left them together.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading THE servant left them together.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
the words that are spoken
From this reading He advanced closer to her--surprised by her words, alarmed by her looks.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading If you knew all, you would know that it is far from being a kindness to me to keep me in this house.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “Mr. Gray!” she exclaimed, “why have you delayed my message?
Chapter 29 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins holds 598 sentences, grouped into 120 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 29 holds 598 sentences of The New Magdalen, unabridged, divided into 120 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of The New Magdalen by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 598 sentences, grouped into 120 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 120 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 120 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 29 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.
