Chapter 4 of The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AGNES. [Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean? GERTRUDE. Yes. [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
Chapter 4 of The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith is here in full — 402 sentences across 81 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/80 · 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.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading “[There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]”
of short duration or distance
From this reading “[There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]”
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading “[There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]”
a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading “[There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]”
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading “[There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]”
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “[Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean?”
plural of “walk” — the act of traveling by foot
From this reading “[There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]”
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading “[There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]”
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 is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
from one side of something to the other
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading AGNES.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading [Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean?
of short duration or distance
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
the part of the face above the eyes
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading [Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading [Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean?
a square piece of cloth used for wiping the eyes or nose or as a costume accessory
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading [Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean?
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading [Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean?
a time interval during which there is a temporary cessation of something
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading [Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
in or at that place or location
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
plural of “walk” — the act of traveling by foot
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
used to ask for information about something
From this reading [Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean?
-ing form of “wipe” — rub with a circular motion
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
in the company of; together with
From this reading [There is a brief pause; then AGNES walks across the room, wiping her brow with her handkerchief.]
an affirmative
From this reading Yes.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading [Staring at GERTRUDE.] What, now, do you mean?
Chapter 4 of The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith by Arthur Wing Pinero holds 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 4 holds 402 sentences of The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith, unabridged, divided into 81 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith by Arthur Wing Pinero exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 402 sentences, grouped into 81 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 81 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 81 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 4 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 Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith by Arthur Wing Pinero on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #?, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
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How to work through The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
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Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in The Notorious Mrs. Ebbsmith, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
