Chapter 12 of The Portent and Other Stories is here in full — 44 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XII
Chapter 12 of The Portent and Other Stories is here in full — 44 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
_Questioning_. I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep. A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me. I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure. But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
Chapter 12 of The Portent and Other Stories is here in full — 44 sentences across 9 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/8 · 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.
a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
From this reading “But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.”
a slight indication
From this reading “I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.”
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading “I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.”
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading “I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.”
(electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
From this reading “A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.”
perplexed (as if being expected to know something that you do not know)
past form of “still” — make calm or still
From this reading “But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.”
an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)
From this reading “A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.”
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 A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
anew
From this reading But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
a vessel containing liquid in which something is immersed (as to process it or to maintain it at a constant temperature or to lubricate it)
From this reading But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
have
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
a slight indication
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
an upholstered seat for more than one person
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
causing fear or dread or terror
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
let fall to the ground
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
a rise in the temperature of the body; frequently a symptom of infection
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
as cold as ice
From this reading But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
set down according to a plan
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
in order that something should not happen
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
a characteristic state or mode of living
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
the time period between dawn and noon
From this reading But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
(electronics) a sharp transient wave in the normal electrical state (or a series of such transients)
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
perplexed (as if being expected to know something that you do not know)
From this reading _Questioning_.
Something that is kept or meant to be kept unknown or unseen by others.
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
a natural and periodic state of rest during which consciousness of the world is suspended
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
past form of “still” — make calm or still
From this reading But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
comparative of “strong” — having strength or power greater than average or expected
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
an instance of rapid strong pulsation (of the heart)
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I laid myself on the couch she had left, but not to sleep.
accumulated wealth in the form of money or jewels etc.
From this reading I dreaded a fever, lest I should talk in it, and drop the clue to my secret treasure.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
binary compound that occurs at room temperature as a clear colorless odorless tasteless liquid; freezes into ice below 0 degrees centigrade and boils above 100 degrees centigrade; widely used as a solvent
From this reading But the light of the morning stilled me, and a bath in ice-cold water made me strong again.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading A new pulse of life, stronger than I could bear, was throbbing within me.
Chapter 12 of The Portent and Other Stories by George MacDonald holds 44 sentences, grouped into 9 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 12 holds 44 sentences of The Portent and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 9 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 12 of The Portent and Other Stories by George MacDonald exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 44 sentences, grouped into 9 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 9 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 9 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 12 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 Portent and Other Stories by George MacDonald on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4173 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #8913 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #8913, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 347 minutes of reading across 835 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Portent and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of The Portent and Other Stories 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 Portent and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
