Chapter 20 of The Princess Virginia is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XX
Chapter 20 of The Princess Virginia is here in full — 77 sentences across 16 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together. Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia. "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her. "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said. "I wanted only you.
Chapter 20 of The Princess Virginia is here in full — 77 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.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading “Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.”
determine the number or amount of
From this reading “Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.”
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading “AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.”
the male ruler of an empire
From this reading “"I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.”
have an existence, be extant
From this reading “Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.”
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading “"Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.”
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading “Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.”
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading “Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.”
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.
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.”
In this reading “Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.”
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.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
later than; following
From this reading AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.
Having no one else present.
From this reading AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
determine the number or amount of
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
hanging cloth used as a blind (especially for a window)
From this reading AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
the male ruler of an empire
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
at any time
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
all things; all of a situation
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
have an existence, be extant
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
a statement that makes something comprehensible by describing the relevant structure or operation or circumstances etc.
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
not any; not one
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
and nothing more
From this reading "I wanted only you.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
from a time in the past until now
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
inflected form of “steal” — take without the owner's consent
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
(of a nose) blocked
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
express in words
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
in contact with each other or in proximity
From this reading AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.
a state in the eastern United States; one of the original 13 colonies; one of the Confederate States in the American Civil War
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Adalbert and Count von Breitstein had stolen from the room, and had ceased to exist for Leopold and Virginia.
desired or wished for or sought
From this reading "Ever since I came to myself, I wanted no explanation," he said.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
inflected form of “go” — change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading AFTER THE CURTAIN WENT DOWN They were alone together.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "I'll tell you now, why I'm here, and everything else," she was saying; but the Emperor stopped her.
Chapter 20 of The Princess Virginia by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson holds 77 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 77 sentences of The Princess Virginia, unabridged, divided into 16 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 20 of The Princess Virginia by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 77 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 Princess Virginia by C. N. (Charles Norris) Williamson on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3282 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #29715 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #29715, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 273 minutes of reading across 657 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Princess Virginia section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 20 chapters of The Princess Virginia 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 Princess Virginia, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
