The old vicarage

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of The old vicarage is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Mrs. (Catherine-Anne Austen) Hubback • Curated US English Learning Edition

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

“Let her have her proud dark eyes, And her petulant, quick replies; Let her sweep her dazzling hand, With its gesture of command, And shake back her raven hair, With the old imperious air.”

TRISTRAM AND ISEULT.

“So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

“I wonder whether she is satisfied now.”

“How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

Narrator

Speed 0.75x

AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English

LEARNER DICTIONARY

Archivist

/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/

Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Chapter XXI Reading 1/46

The old vicarage

Chapter XXI

Chapter 21 of The old vicarage is here in full — 230 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/46 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

“Let her have her proud dark eyes, And her petulant, quick replies; Let her sweep her dazzling hand, With its gesture of command, And shake back her raven hair, With the old imperious air.”

/let hɜːr hæv hɜːr praʊd dɑːrk aɪz ənd hɜːr ˈpetʃələnt kwɪk rɪˈplaɪz let hɜːr swiːp hɜːr ˈdæzəlɪŋ hænd wɪð ɪts ˈdʒestʃər ʌv kəˈmænd ənd ʃeɪk bæk hɜːr ˈreɪvən her wɪð ðə oʊld ɪmˈpɪr.i.əs er/

Line 2

TRISTRAM AND ISEULT.

Line 3

“So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

Line 4

“I wonder whether she is satisfied now.”

/aɪ ˈwʌndər ˈweðər ʃiː ɪz ˈsætəsfaɪd naʊ/

Line 5

“How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

Learner Dictionary

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.

dazzling adjective US /ˈdæzəlɪŋ/

amazingly impressive; suggestive of the flashing of lightning

From this reading ““Let her have her proud dark eyes, And her petulant, quick replies; Let her sweep her dazzling hand, With its gesture of command, And shake back her raven hair, With the old imperious air.””

gesture noun US /ˈdʒestʃər/

motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling

imperious adj US /ɪmˈpɪr.i.əs/

Assuming power or authority without justification; arrogant and domineering. (Hách dịch, độc đoán, kiêu kỳ.)

petulant adjective US /ˈpetʃələnt/

easily irritated or annoyed

raven verb US /ˈreɪvən/

obtain or seize by violence

replies noun US /rɪˈplaɪz/

plural of “reply” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

sweep verb US /swiːp/

sweep across or over

tristram noun US /ˈtrɪstrəm/

(Middle Ages) the nephew of the king of Cornwall who (according to legend) fell in love with his uncle's bride (Iseult) after they mistakenly drank a love potion that left them eternally in love with each other

From this reading “TRISTRAM AND ISEULT.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

raven hair verb + noun

In this reading ““Let her have her proud dark eyes, And her petulant, quick replies; Let her sweep her dazzling hand, With its gesture of command, And shake back her raven hair, With the old imperious air.””

dark eyes noun + noun

at the Vicarage preposition + article + noun counted as “at … vicarage”

In this reading ““So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.”

All words in this reading · 59

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.

airnounUS /er/

a mixture of gases (especially oxygen) required for breathing; the stuff that the wind consists of

From this reading “Let her have her proud dark eyes, And her petulant, quick replies; Let her sweep her dazzling hand, With its gesture of command, And shake back her raven hair, With the old imperious air.”

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

Barham

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

CharlesnounUS /tʃɑːrlz/

King of France from 1560 to 1574 whose reign was dominated by his mother Catherine de Medicis (1550-1574)

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

commandnounUS /kəˈmænd/

an authoritative direction or instruction to do something

darknounUS /dɑːrk/

absence of light or illumination

dazzlingadjectiveUS /ˈdæzəlɪŋ/

amazingly impressive; suggestive of the flashing of lightning

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading “How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

Dora

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

gesturenounUS /ˈdʒestʃər/

motion of hands or body to emphasize or help to express a thought or feeling

goingnounUS /ˈɡoʊɪŋ/

the act of departing

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

handnounUS /hænd/

the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

hearverbUS /hiːr/

perceive (sound) via the auditory sense

From this reading “How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

Hilary's

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

How

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

Huyton

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading “I wonder whether she is satisfied now.”

imperiousadjUS /ɪmˈpɪr.i.əs/

Assuming power or authority without justification; arrogant and domineering. (Hách dịch, độc đoán, kiêu kỳ.)

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

ISEULTnoun

(Middle Ages) the bride of the king of Cornwall who (according to legend) fell in love with the king's nephew (Tristan) after they mistakenly drank a love potion that left them eternally in love with each other

From this reading TRISTRAM AND ISEULT.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

Letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

marryverbUS /ˈmeri/

take in marriage

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

MissverbUS /mɪs/

fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

MrnounUS /ˈmɪstər/

a form of address for a man

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading “I wonder whether she is satisfied now.”

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

partynounUS /ˈpɑːrti/

an organization to gain political power

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

petulantadjectiveUS /ˈpetʃələnt/

easily irritated or annoyed

proudadjectiveUS /praʊd/

feeling self-respect or pleasure in something by which you measure your self-worth; or being a reason for pride

quickadjectiveUS /kwɪk/

accomplished rapidly and without delay

ravenverbUS /ˈreɪvən/

obtain or seize by violence

reallyadverbUS /ˈrɪli/

in accordance with truth or fact or reality

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

repliesnounUS /rɪˈplaɪz/

plural of “reply” — a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

replynounUS /rɪˈplaɪ/

a statement (either spoken or written) that is made to reply to a question or request or criticism or accusation

From this reading “How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

saidadjectiveUS /sed/

being the one previously mentioned or spoken of

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

satisfiedadjectiveUS /ˈsætəsfaɪd/

filled with satisfaction

From this reading “I wonder whether she is satisfied now.”

shakeverbUS /ʃeɪk/

move or cause to move back and forth

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading “I wonder whether she is satisfied now.”

SoconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

sweepverbUS /swiːp/

sweep across or over

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading “How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

TRISTRAMnounUS /ˈtrɪstrəm/

From this reading TRISTRAM AND ISEULT.

Ufford

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

Vicaragenoun

an official residence provided by a church for its parson or vicar or rector

From this reading “So Charles Huyton is really going to marry Miss Dora Barham,” said Mr. Ufford to the party at the Vicarage.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading “How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

whetherconjunctionUS /ˈweðər/

used to introduce two or more possibilities

From this reading “I wonder whether she is satisfied now.”

WithprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

wondernounUS /ˈwʌndər/

the feeling aroused by something strange and surprising

From this reading “I wonder whether she is satisfied now.”

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “How did you hear that?” was Hilary’s reply.

Chapter 21 of The old vicarage by Mrs. (Catherine-Anne Austen) Hubback holds 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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.

What does chapter 21 of The old vicarage contain?

Chapter 21 holds 230 sentences of The old vicarage, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 21 of The old vicarage by Mrs. (Catherine-Anne Austen) Hubback exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 230 sentences, grouped into 46 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.

How do I study chapter 21 of The old vicarage?

Work through the 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 46 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.

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 21 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.

Questions about reading The old vicarage

Common questions about reading The old vicarage by Mrs. (Catherine-Anne Austen) Hubback on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The old vicarage?

Yes. All 5391 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #70732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The old vicarage is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #70732, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The old vicarage take to read?

About 449 minutes of reading across 1079 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The old vicarage section by section

How to work through The old vicarage section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 26 chapters of The old vicarage to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The old vicarage

Words and structures a reader meets early in The old vicarage, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Vicarage: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The old vicarage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Novel: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The old vicarage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Sister: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The old vicarage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
December: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The old vicarage; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XXI

What does chapter 21 of The old vicarage contain?

How do I study chapter 21 of The old vicarage?

Can chapter 21 be read aloud to me?

Questions about reading The old vicarage

How to read The old vicarage section by section

Open a chapter

Read one section

Listen and tap

Vocabulary met early in The old vicarage