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The reigning belle
The reigning belle

Chapter XXXVI

Chapter 36 of The reigning belle is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The reigning belle
Context Illustration Reading 1/24 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE PRICE OF A BRACELET.
Eva obeyed.
Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.
Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.
“Come now, let us be off.
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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 reigning belle

Chapter XXXVI

Chapter 36 of The reigning belle is here in full — 120 sentences across 24 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/24 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE PRICE OF A BRACELET.
/ðə praɪs ʌv ə ˈbreɪslət/
Line 2
Eva obeyed.
Line 3
Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.
/pərˈhæps ʃiː wɑːz ɡlæd tuː ækˈsept ðə ˈrespɪt wɪtʃ ˈmɪsɪz ˈkɑːrtər ˈɔːfərd hɜːr/
Line 4
Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.
Line 5
“Come now, let us be off.
/kʌm naʊ let ʌs biː ɔːf/

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.

bonnet noun US /ˈbɑːnət/

a hat tied under the chin

From this reading “Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.”

bracelet noun US /ˈbreɪslət/

a band of cloth or leather or metal links attached to a wristwatch and wrapped around the wrist

From this reading “THE PRICE OF A BRACELET.”

Carter noun US /ˈkɑːrtər/

Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)

From this reading “Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.”

fastened adjective US /ˈfæsənd/

firmly closed or secured

From this reading “Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.”

obeyed verb US /oʊˈbeɪd/

past form of “obey” — be obedient to

From this reading “Eva obeyed.”

respite noun US /ˈrespɪt/

a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort

From this reading “Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.”

traces noun US /ˈtreɪsəz/

plural of “trace” — a just detectable amount

From this reading “Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.”

veil noun US /veɪl/

a garment that covers the head and face

From this reading “Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.”

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.

vain effort adjective + noun

In this reading “Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.”

all traces adjective + noun counted as “all trace”

In this reading “Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.”

All words in this reading · 51

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 THE PRICE OF A BRACELET.

acceptverbUS /ækˈsept/

consider or hold as true

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading “Come now, let us be off.

bonnetnounUS /ˈbɑːnət/

a hat tied under the chin

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

BRACELETnounUS /ˈbreɪslət/

a band of cloth or leather or metal links attached to a wristwatch and wrapped around the wrist

From this reading THE PRICE OF A BRACELET.

CarternounUS /ˈkɑːrtər/

Englishman and Egyptologist who in 1922 discovered and excavated the tomb of Tutankhamen (1873-1939)

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

ComeverbUS /kʌm/

move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading “Come now, let us be off.

coveredadjectiveUS /ˈkʌvərd/

overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

effortnounUS /ˈefərt/

earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

effortsnounUS /ˈefərts/

plural of “effort” — earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

Eva

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

From this reading Eva obeyed.

eyesnounUS /aɪz/

opinion or judgment

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

facenounUS /feɪs/

the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

fastenedadjectiveUS /ˈfæsənd/

firmly closed or secured

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

gladadjectiveUS /ɡlæd/

showing or causing joy and pleasure; especially made happy

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

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 Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

hideverbUS /haɪd/

prevent from being seen or discovered

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

From this reading “Come now, let us be off.

MrsnounUS /ˈmɪsɪz/

a form of address for a married woman

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

nowadverbUS /naʊ/

in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events

From this reading “Come now, let us be off.

obeyedverbUS /oʊˈbeɪd/

past form of “obey” — be obedient to

From this reading Eva obeyed.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE PRICE OF A BRACELET.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading “Come now, let us be off.

offeredverbUS /ˈɔːfərd/

past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

PerhapsadverbUS /pərˈhæps/

by chance

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

PRICEnounUS /praɪs/

the property of having material worth (often indicated by the amount of money something would bring if sold)

From this reading THE PRICE OF A BRACELET.

respitenounUS /ˈrespɪt/

a (temporary) relief from harm or discomfort

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

spitenounUS /spaɪt/

feeling a need to see others suffer

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

StilladjectiveUS /stɪl/

not in physical motion

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

tearsnounUS /terz/

the process of shedding tears (usually accompanied by sobs or other inarticulate sounds)

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE PRICE OF A BRACELET.

tinyadjectiveUS /ˈtaɪni/

very small

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

tracesnounUS /ˈtreɪsəz/

plural of “trace” — a just detectable amount

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

trembledverbUS /ˈtrembəld/

past form of “tremble” — move or jerk quickly and involuntarily up and down or sideways

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

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

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “Come now, let us be off.

vainadjectiveUS /veɪn/

characteristic of false pride; having an exaggerated sense of self-importance

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

veilnounUS /veɪl/

a garment that covers the head and face

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

welled

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

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading Perhaps she was glad to accept the respite which Mrs. Carter offered her.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Still her hands trembled as she fastened the tiny bonnet on her head, and covered her face with a veil, with a vain effort to hide all traces of the tears that still welled up to her eyes, spite of all her efforts.

Chapter 36 of The reigning belle by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens holds 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 36 of The reigning belle contain?

Chapter 36 holds 120 sentences of The reigning belle, unabridged, divided into 24 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 36 of The reigning belle by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 120 sentences, grouped into 24 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 36 of The reigning belle?

Work through the 24 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 24 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 36 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 36 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 reigning belle

Common questions about reading The reigning belle by Ann S. (Ann Sophia) Stephens on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The reigning belle?

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

Which edition of The reigning belle is used?

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

How long does The reigning belle take to read?

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

How to read The reigning belle section by section

How to work through The reigning belle section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

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    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 reigning belle

Words and structures a reader meets early in The reigning belle, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Chapter 1
One of the 0 chapters of The reigning belle, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.
Chapter 2
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Chapter 3
One of the 0 chapters of The reigning belle, divided into 5-sentence reading sections.