Chapter 16 of The Pillar of Light is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVI
Chapter 16 of The Pillar of Light is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted. Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs. All that was visible was her head. She looked like one of Murillo's angels. "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
Chapter 16 of The Pillar of Light is here in full — 407 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading “She looked like one of Murillo's angels.”
inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence
From this reading “"Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.”
a name given to a product or service
From this reading “STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted.”
third-person singular of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading “STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted.”
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading “Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.”
a light shade of red
From this reading “Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.”
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading “STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted.”
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading “"Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.”
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 “Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.”
In this reading “Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.”
In this reading “Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.”
In this reading “Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.”
In this reading “Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.”
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 "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
(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 All that was visible was her head.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
plural of “angel” — spiritual being attendant upon God
From this reading She looked like one of Murillo's angels.
past form of “appear” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
inspired by a feeling of fearful wonderment or reverence
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
above average in size or number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
a name given to a product or service
From this reading STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted.
to be able to, or to be allowed to
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
plural of “cheek” — either side of the face below the eyes
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
third-person singular of “explain” — make plain and comprehensible
From this reading STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted.
opinion or judgment
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
having the deep slightly brownish color of gold
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
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 Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading All that was visible was her head.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
discontinued temporarily
From this reading STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading She looked like one of Murillo's angels.
plural of “lip” — either of two fleshy folds of tissue that surround the mouth and play a role in speaking
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked like one of Murillo's angels.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked like one of Murillo's angels.
a common nonmetallic element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless inert diatomic gas; constitutes 78 percent of the atmosphere by volume; a constituent of all living tissues
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She looked like one of Murillo's angels.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She looked like one of Murillo's angels.
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
a light shade of red
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
give pleasure to or be pleasing to
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She looked like one of Murillo's angels.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
English writer (1832-1904)
From this reading STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading All that was visible was her head.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted.
a cold pudding made of layers of sponge cake spread with fruit or jelly; may be decorated with nuts, cream, or chocolate
From this reading "Please, can Mamie 'n' me see the man?" she asked, a trifle awed.
capable of being seen; or open to easy view
From this reading All that was visible was her head.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading All that was visible was her head.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading STEPHEN BRAND EXPLAINS They were interrupted.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Elsie, with her golden hair and big blue eyes, pink cheeks and parted lips, appeared on the stairs.
Chapter 16 of The Pillar of Light by Louis Tracy holds 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 16 holds 407 sentences of The Pillar of Light, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 16 of The Pillar of Light by Louis Tracy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 407 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 16 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 Pillar of Light by Louis Tracy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5796 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #40912 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #40912, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 483 minutes of reading across 1160 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Pillar of Light section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Pillar of Light 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 Pillar of Light, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
