Chapter 26 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVI
Chapter 26 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Penelope laughed in a pitying derision. "Well, let things go on then. But they won't go on." "No, they won't go on," echoed her mother. "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
Chapter 26 of The Rise of Silas Lapham is here in full — 202 sentences across 41 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/40 · 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.
(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability
From this reading “"She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!”
contemptuous laughter
From this reading “Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.”
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading “"No, they won't go on," echoed her mother.”
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading “"She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!”
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading “Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.”
(Greek mythology) the wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for 10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
From this reading “Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.”
-ing form of “pity” — share the suffering of
From this reading “Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.”
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading “"She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!”
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 Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But they won't go on."
(usually followed by “of”) having capacity or ability
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
contemptuous laughter
From this reading Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
past form of “echo” — to say again or imitate
From this reading "No, they won't go on," echoed her mother.
an adequate quantity; a quantity that is large enough to achieve a purpose
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
possessive form of “father” — a male parent (also used as a term of address to your father)
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Well, let things go on then.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "No, they won't go on," echoed her mother.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "Well, let things go on then.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading "No, they won't go on," echoed her mother.
not any; not one
From this reading "No, they won't go on," echoed her mother.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "Well, let things go on then.
(Greek mythology) the wife of Odysseus and a symbol of devotion and fidelity; for 10 years while Odysseus fought the Trojan War she resisted numerous suitors until Odysseus returned and killed them
From this reading Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.
-ing form of “pity” — share the suffering of
From this reading Penelope laughed in a pitying derision.
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
a word or phrase that particular people use in particular situations
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Well, let things go on then.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading But they won't go on."
any movable possession (especially articles of clothing)
From this reading "Well, let things go on then.
(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)
From this reading "Well, let things go on then.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading But they won't go on."
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "She's pretty enough, and she's capable; and your father's got the money--I don't know what I'm saying!
Chapter 26 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells holds 202 sentences, grouped into 41 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 26 holds 202 sentences of The Rise of Silas Lapham, unabridged, divided into 41 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 26 of The Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 202 sentences, grouped into 41 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 41 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 41 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 26 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 Rise of Silas Lapham by William Dean Howells on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 8158 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #154 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #154, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1632 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Rise of Silas Lapham section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Rise of Silas Lapham 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 Rise of Silas Lapham, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
