Chapter 18 of The Quaint Companions is here in full — 19 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XVIII
Chapter 18 of The Quaint Companions is here in full — 19 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
But it was not. When he woke, the day was radiant. A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily. Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night." He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
Chapter 18 of The Quaint Companions is here in full — 19 sentences across 4 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/3 · 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.
-ing form of “clatter” — make a rattling sound
From this reading “Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."”
inflected form of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict
From this reading “A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.”
free of deceit
From this reading “A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.”
given to inquiry
From this reading “He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.”
in a joyous manner
From this reading “A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.”
radiating or as if radiating light
From this reading “When he woke, the day was radiant.”
past form of “thank” — express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading “He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.”
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading “When he woke, the day was radiant.”
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 “Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."”
special attention with intent to remember
In this reading “He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.”
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 guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But it was not.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
a communist nation that covers a vast territory in eastern Asia; the most populous country in the world
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
-ing form of “clatter” — make a rattling sound
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading When he woke, the day was radiant.
inflected form of “deny” — declare untrue; contradict
From this reading A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.
free of deceit
From this reading A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When he woke, the day was radiant.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
given to inquiry
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading But it was not.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
immediately past
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
involving the mind or an intellectual process
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
in a joyous manner
From this reading A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.
a crime less serious than a felony
From this reading A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading Mrs. Kemp, in clattering the china, asked him "how he lay last night."
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading But it was not.
a brief written record
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
radiating or as if radiating light
From this reading When he woke, the day was radiant.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth
From this reading A guileless sky denied its misdemeanour merrily.
past form of “thank” — express gratitude or show appreciation to
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When he woke, the day was radiant.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
change orientation or direction, also in the abstract sense
From this reading He thanked her, and took a mental note of the locution, inquiring in his turn when the rain had ceased.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But it was not.
at the time that
From this reading When he woke, the day was radiant.
inflected form of “wake” — be awake, be alert, be there
From this reading When he woke, the day was radiant.
Chapter 18 of The Quaint Companions by Leonard Merrick holds 19 sentences, grouped into 4 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 18 holds 19 sentences of The Quaint Companions, unabridged, divided into 4 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 18 of The Quaint Companions by Leonard Merrick exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 19 sentences, grouped into 4 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 4 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 4 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 18 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 Quaint Companions by Leonard Merrick on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 4262 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #43616 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #43616, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 355 minutes of reading across 853 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Quaint Companions section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Quaint Companions 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 Quaint Companions, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
