Chapter XX of The Orchard Secret, “A Dire Threat,” is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter XX of The Orchard Secret, “A Dire Threat,” is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!" "She won't. Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau. "You never can tell, Arden," supplemented Sim. "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
Chapter XX of The Orchard Secret, “A Dire Threat,” is here in full — 79 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/15 · 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.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading “Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.”
(of hair) made tidy with a comb
From this reading “Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.”
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading “"Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."”
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading “"Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."”
doomed to extinction
From this reading “"If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"”
past form of “supplement” — add as a supplement to what seems insufficient
From this reading “"You never can tell, Arden," supplemented Sim.”
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading “"If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"”
English actress (1847-1928)
From this reading “"If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"”
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.
In this reading “"If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"”
at or in the front
In this reading “Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.”
In this reading “"Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."”
In this reading “"Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."”
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 "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
an administrative unit of government
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "You never can tell, Arden," supplemented Sim.
(of hair) made tidy with a comb
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
-ing form of “do” — engage in
From this reading "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
the side that is forward or prominent
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
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
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading "You never can tell, Arden," supplemented Sim.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
no person; not anyone
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
characterized by or displaying affirmation or acceptance or certainty etc.
From this reading "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
past form of “remark” — make mention of
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
cut with a saw
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "You never can tell, Arden," supplemented Sim.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
doomed to extinction
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
past form of “supplement” — add as a supplement to what seems insufficient
From this reading "You never can tell, Arden," supplemented Sim.
carry out
From this reading "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
express in words
From this reading "You never can tell, Arden," supplemented Sim.
plural of “tell” — a Swiss patriot who lived in the early 14th century and who was renowned for his skill as an archer
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
English actress (1847-1928)
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Nobody could be so mean," remarked Arden as she combed her hair in front of the bureau.
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Some people take a positive delight in doing things like that."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
in or at the place that
From this reading "If Jessica Darglan tells where she saw us," said Terry, next morning, "we're sunk!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She won't.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You never can tell, Arden," supplemented Sim.
Chapter 20 of The Orchard Secret by Cleo F. Garis holds 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 20 holds 79 sentences of The Orchard Secret, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Orchard Secret by Cleo F. Garis exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 79 sentences, grouped into 16 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 16 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 16 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 20 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 Orchard Secret by Cleo F. Garis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4247 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40725 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40725, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 353 minutes of reading across 850 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Orchard Secret section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 28 chapters of The Orchard Secret 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 Orchard Secret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
