Chapter 31 of The Scarlet Feather is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Scarlet Feather is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one." "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention. Come here, little one, and look after me." "It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that. Why, you positively bruised my arm."
Chapter 31 of The Scarlet Feather is here in full — 126 sentences across 26 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/25 · 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.
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading “Why, you positively bruised my arm."”
third-person singular of “decide” — reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading “DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."”
give a description of
From this reading “"It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.”
the act of grasping
From this reading “"It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.”
someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
From this reading “DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."”
introduce
From this reading “DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."”
extremely
From this reading “Why, you positively bruised my arm."”
very bad
From this reading “"Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.”
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 "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
inconsistent with reason or logic or common sense
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
later than; following
From this reading Come here, little one, and look after me."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
a human limb; technically the part of the superior limb between the shoulder and the elbow but commonly used to refer to the whole superior limb
From this reading Why, you positively bruised my arm."
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
the process whereby a person concentrates on some features of the environment to the (relative) exclusion of others
From this reading "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of
From this reading Why, you positively bruised my arm."
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come here, little one, and look after me."
third-person singular of “decide” — reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
give a description of
From this reading "It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.
someone who is a detective
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
the act of grasping
From this reading "It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Come here, little one, and look after me."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
someone who is incapacitated by a chronic illness or injury
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading "It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Come here, little one, and look after me."
for more time
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Come here, little one, and look after me."
(often followed by “of”) a large number or amount or extent
From this reading "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Come here, little one, and look after me."
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading Why, you positively bruised my arm."
a condition requiring relief
From this reading "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
not any; not one
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
introduce
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
extremely
From this reading Why, you positively bruised my arm."
pleasing by delicacy or grace; not imposing
From this reading "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
very bad
From this reading "Well, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
wanting in physical strength
From this reading "It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.
(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, I feel pretty rotten, and I need a lot of attention.
at the time that
From this reading "It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.
the cause or intention underlying an action or situation, especially in the phrase “the whys and wherefores”
From this reading Why, you positively bruised my arm."
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading DORA DECIDES "Dick, you are no longer an invalid, and it is absurd for you to pose as one."
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading "It is absurd of you to describe yourself as weak, when you have a grip like that.
Chapter 31 of The Scarlet Feather by Houghton Townley holds 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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 31 holds 126 sentences of The Scarlet Feather, unabridged, divided into 26 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Scarlet Feather by Houghton Townley exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 126 sentences, grouped into 26 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 26 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 26 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 31 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 Scarlet Feather by Houghton Townley on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5857 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #28123 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #28123, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 488 minutes of reading across 1172 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Scarlet Feather section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of The Scarlet Feather 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 Scarlet Feather, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
