Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Proof of the Pudding
The Proof of the Pudding

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Proof of the Pudding is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Chapter 16 of The Proof of the Pudding by Meredith Nicholson holds 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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.

What does chapter 16 of The Proof of the Pudding contain?

Chapter 16 holds 268 sentences of The Proof of the Pudding, unabridged, divided into 54 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 16 of The Proof of the Pudding by Meredith Nicholson exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 268 sentences, grouped into 54 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.

How do I study chapter 16 of The Proof of the Pudding?

Work through the 54 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 54 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.

Can chapter 16 be read aloud to me?

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.

Questions about reading The Proof of the Pudding

Common questions about reading The Proof of the Pudding by Meredith Nicholson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Proof of the Pudding?

Yes. All 5333 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #66354 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Proof of the Pudding is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #66354, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Proof of the Pudding take to read?

About 444 minutes of reading across 1067 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Proof of the Pudding section by section

How to work through The Proof of the Pudding section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 27 chapters of The Proof of the Pudding to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Proof of the Pudding

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Proof of the Pudding, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Meredith
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Proof of the Pudding; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Nicholson
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Proof of the Pudding; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Proof
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Proof of the Pudding; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Pudding
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Proof of the Pudding; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Cover illustration for The Proof of the Pudding
Context Illustration Reading 1/54 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.
The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.
She was surprised at her light-hearted acceptance of the situation.
She hadn’t married Billy and she sang in the joy of her freedom.
Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Proof of the Pudding

Chapter XVI

Chapter 16 of The Proof of the Pudding is here in full — 268 sentences across 54 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/54 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.
Line 2
The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.
Line 3
She was surprised at her light-hearted acceptance of the situation.
Line 4
She hadn’t married Billy and she sang in the joy of her freedom.
Line 5
Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

Learner Dictionary

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, audio, and collocations from this reading.

After preposition US /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading “The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.”

All words in this reading · 59

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

ABRUPT

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

acceptance

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was surprised at her light-hearted acceptance of the situation.

afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/

later than; following

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

ANdeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading She was surprised at her light-hearted acceptance of the situation.

Billy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

brought

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

business

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

Copeland

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

delivery

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

dressed

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

ENDING

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

find

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

freedom

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She hadn’t married Billy and she sang in the joy of her freedom.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

gods

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

hadn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She hadn’t married Billy and she sang in the joy of her freedom.

hands

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

higher

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading She hadn’t married Billy and she sang in the joy of her freedom.

joy

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She hadn’t married Billy and she sang in the joy of her freedom.

Just

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

leave

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

letter

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

light-hearted

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was surprised at her light-hearted acceptance of the situation.

maid

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

married

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She hadn’t married Billy and she sang in the joy of her freedom.

marry

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

morning

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

Nan

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

next

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

ordained

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

out

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

point

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

powers

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

ready

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

relieved

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

room

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

sang

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

shouldn't

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

situation

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was surprised at her light-hearted acceptance of the situation.

special

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

surprised

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading She was surprised at her light-hearted acceptance of the situation.

taken

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading AN ABRUPT ENDING Nan sang as she dressed the next morning.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

troublesome

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

uncertainties

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.

up

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading Just as she was ready to leave her room the maid brought up a special delivery letter from Copeland.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading The gods had ordained that she shouldn’t marry Billy, and after her uncertainties on that point she was relieved to find that the higher powers had taken the troublesome business out of her hands.