The quest of the Silver Swan

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The quest of the Silver Swan is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for The quest of the Silver Swan

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!

The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

“Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

Narrator

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.

Chapter VIII Reading 1/16

The quest of the Silver Swan W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The quest of the Silver Swan is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

SOMETHING ABOUT LEAVING THE FARM CERTAINLY Uncle Arad Tarr had never been so filled with astonishment in his life as he was upon reading the letter of the mate of the Silver Swan to the captain’s son. Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt! The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still. “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat. Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

The quest of the Silver Swan

Chapter VIII

Chapter 8 of The quest of the Silver Swan is here in full — 82 sentences across 17 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/16 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

Line 2

Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!

Line 3

The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

Line 4

“Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

Line 5

Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

/ðen hiː pɪkt ʌp ðə reɪnz ənd droʊv ɑːn ˈʃeɪkɪŋ hɪz hed ˈsloʊli/

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, and audio.

captain's noun US /ˈkæptənz/

possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

folding noun US /ˈfoʊldɪŋ/

the process whereby a protein molecule assumes its intricate three-dimensional shape

From this reading ““Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.”

patched adjective US /pætʃt/

mended usually clumsily by covering a hole with a patch

From this reading ““Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.”

reins noun US /reɪnz/

plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse

From this reading “Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.”

Swan verb US /swɑːn/

to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

From this reading “SOMETHING ABOUT LEAVING THE FARM CERTAINLY Uncle Arad Tarr had never been so filled with astonishment in his life as he was upon reading the letter of the mate of the Silver Swan to the captain’s son.”

thrusting noun US /ˈθrʌstɪŋ/

a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)

From this reading ““Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.”

Vanderbilt noun US /ˈvændərbɪlt/

United States financier who accumulated great wealth from railroad and shipping businesses (1794-1877)

From this reading “Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!”

weakly adverb US /ˈwiːkli/

in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree

From this reading ““Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.”

Word partnerships in these lines

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.

picked up verb + adjective counted as “pick up”

take and lift upward

In this reading “Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.”

once more adverb + adjective

anew

In this reading ““Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.”

stand still verb + adjective

remain in place; hold still; remain fixed or immobile

In this reading “The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.”

with astonishment preposition + noun

In this reading “SOMETHING ABOUT LEAVING THE FARM CERTAINLY Uncle Arad Tarr had never been so filled with astonishment in his life as he was upon reading the letter of the mate of the Silver Swan to the captain’s son.”

All words in this reading · 71

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.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!

ABOUTprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading SOMETHING ABOUT LEAVING THE FARM CERTAINLY Uncle Arad Tarr had never been so filled with astonishment in his life as he was upon reading the letter of the mate of the Silver Swan to the captain’s son.

almostadverbUS /ˈɔːlmoʊst/

(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but

From this reading The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

Arad

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

Arad's

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

From this reading The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

astonishmentnounUS /əˈstɑːnɪʃmənt/

the feeling that accompanies something extremely surprising

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

Brandon

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

From this reading Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!

captain'snounUS /ˈkæptənz/

possessive form of “captain” — an officer holding a rank below a major but above a lieutenant

CERTAINLYadverbUS /ˈsɜːrtənli/

definitely or positively (“sure” is sometimes used informally for “surely”)

coatnounUS /koʊt/

an outer garment that has sleeves and covers the body from shoulder down; worn outdoors

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

DiamondsnounUS /ˈdaɪməndz/

plural of “diamond” — a transparent piece of diamond that has been cut and polished and is valued as a precious gem

From this reading Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!

drovenounUS /droʊv/

a group of animals (a herd or flock) moving together

From this reading Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

enoughnounUS /ɪˈnʌf/

an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose

From this reading Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!

er-thought

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

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

everadverbUS /ˈevər/

at any time

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

FARMverbUS /fɑːrm/

be a farmer; work as a farmer

filledadjectiveUS /fɪld/

(usually followed by “with” or used as a combining form) generously supplied with

foldingnounUS /ˈfoʊldɪŋ/

the process whereby a protein molecule assumes its intricate three-dimensional shape

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

headnounUS /hed/

the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains

From this reading Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

heartnounUS /hɑːrt/

the locus of feelings and intuitions

From this reading The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

LEAVINGnounUS /ˈliːvɪŋ/

the act of departing

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

madeadjectiveUS /meɪd/

produced by a manufacturing process

From this reading The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

makeverbUS /meɪk/

engage in

From this reading Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!

matenounUS /meɪt/

the officer below the master on a commercial ship

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

mutteredverbUS /ˈmʌtərd/

past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

onceadverbUS /wʌns/

on one occasion

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

patchedadjectiveUS /pætʃt/

mended usually clumsily by covering a hole with a patch

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

pickedverbUS /pɪkt/

past form of “pick” — select carefully from a group

From this reading Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

pocketnounUS /ˈpɑːkət/

a small pouch inside a garment for carrying small articles

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

readingnounUS /ˈriːdɪŋ/

the cognitive process of understanding a written linguistic message

reinsnounUS /reɪnz/

plural of “rein” — one of a pair of long straps (usually connected to the bit or the headpiece) used to control a horse

From this reading Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

secondnounUS /ˈsekənd/

1/60 of a minute; the basic unit of time adopted under the Systeme International d'Unites

From this reading Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!

shakingnounUS /ˈʃeɪkɪŋ/

the act of causing something to move up and down (or back and forth) with quick movements

From this reading Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

SilvernounUS /ˈsɪlvər/

a soft white precious univalent metallic element having the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of any metal; occurs in argentite and in free form; used in coins and jewelry and tableware and photography

slowlyadverbUS /ˈsloʊli/

without speed (“slow” is sometimes used informally for “slowly”)

From this reading Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

SOMETHINGpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

sonnounUS /sʌn/

a male human offspring

standverbUS /stænd/

be standing; be upright

From this reading The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

stilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

SwanverbUS /swɑːn/

to declare or affirm solemnly and formally as true

Tarr

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

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

ThenadverbUS /ðen/

subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)

From this reading Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

thoughtnounUS /θɔːt/

the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about

From this reading The thought almost made Arad’s old heart stand still.

thrustingnounUS /ˈθrʌstɪŋ/

a sharp hand gesture (resembling a blow)

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

UnclenounUS /ˈʌŋkəl/

the brother of your father or mother; the husband of your aunt

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading Then he picked up the reins and drove on, shaking his head slowly.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

VanderbiltnounUS /ˈvændərbɪlt/

United States financier who accumulated great wealth from railroad and shipping businesses (1794-1877)

From this reading Diamonds enough to make Brandon a second Vanderbilt!

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

weaklyadverbUS /ˈwiːkli/

in a weak or feeble manner or to a minor degree

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

Who'd

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

From this reading “Who’d er-thought it--who’d ever er-thought it?” he muttered weakly, folding the letter once more, and thrusting it into the pocket of his patched coat.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

Chapter 8 of The quest of the Silver Swan by W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster holds 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 8 of The quest of the Silver Swan contain?

Chapter 8 holds 82 sentences of The quest of the Silver Swan, unabridged, divided into 17 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 8 of The quest of the Silver Swan by W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 82 sentences, grouped into 17 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 8 of The quest of the Silver Swan?

Work through the 17 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 17 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 8 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 8 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 quest of the Silver Swan

Common questions about reading The quest of the Silver Swan by W. Bert (Walter Bertram) Foster on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The quest of the Silver Swan?

Yes. All 0 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #? are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

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

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About 5 minutes of reading across 0 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The quest of the Silver Swan

Words and structures a reader meets early in The quest of the Silver Swan, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1: One of the 0 chapters of The quest of the Silver Swan, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
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Chapter VIII

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Vocabulary met early in The quest of the Silver Swan