Chapter 17 of The Pagan Madonna is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVII
Chapter 17 of The Pagan Madonna is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Cunningham did not answer immediately. From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him. "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo. We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly. That's your job.
Chapter 17 of The Pagan Madonna is here in full — 272 sentences across 55 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/54 · 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.
United States dancer and choreographer (born in 1922)
From this reading “Cunningham did not answer immediately.”
many and different
From this reading “We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.”
a hard kind of stone; a form of silica more opaque than chalcedony
From this reading “From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.”
a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
From this reading “"Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.”
select carefully from a group
From this reading “We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.”
past form of “recommend” — push for something
From this reading “"Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.”
travelling about without any clear destination
From this reading “From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.”
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading “We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.”
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 We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
react verbally
From this reading Cunningham did not answer immediately.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
the men and women who man a vehicle (ship, aircraft, etc.)
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
United States dancer and choreographer (born in 1922)
From this reading Cunningham did not answer immediately.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading Cunningham did not answer immediately.
many and different
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
considered likely or probable to happen or arrive
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
a hard kind of stone; a form of silica more opaque than chalcedony
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
throw a glance at; take a brief look at
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading Cunningham did not answer immediately.
the principal activity in your life that you do to earn money
From this reading That's your job.
the psychological result of perception and learning and reasoning
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
a characteristic language of a particular group (as among thieves)
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Cunningham did not answer immediately.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
select carefully from a group
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
interpret something that is written or printed
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
past form of “recommend” — push for something
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
travelling about without any clear destination
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
in secrecy; not openly
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading That's your job.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
hard to endure
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading We'll need a crew of divers, and we'll have to pick them up secretly.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading From Flint his glance went roving from man to man, as if trying to read what they expected of him.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Flint, you were recommended to me for your knowledge of the Sulu lingo.
Chapter 17 of The Pagan Madonna by Harold MacGrath holds 272 sentences, grouped into 55 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 17 holds 272 sentences of The Pagan Madonna, unabridged, divided into 55 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 17 of The Pagan Madonna by Harold MacGrath exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 272 sentences, grouped into 55 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 55 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 55 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 17 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 Pagan Madonna by Harold MacGrath on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5543 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #27339 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #27339, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 461 minutes of reading across 1109 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pagan Madonna section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 21 chapters of The Pagan Madonna 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 Pagan Madonna, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
