Chapter 9 of The Sealed Valley is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IX
Chapter 9 of The Sealed Valley is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back. "I will not whine!" he muttered to himself. Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign. Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass. Charley awoke, and the three of them took paddles.
Chapter 9 of The Sealed Valley is here in full — 415 sentences across 83 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/83 · 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.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading “Charley awoke, and the three of them took paddles.”
the first light of day
From this reading “Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.”
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading “Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.”
inflected form of “grit” — cover with a grit
From this reading “Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back.”
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading “"I will not whine!" he muttered to himself.”
plural of “paddle” — small wooden bat with a flat surface; used for hitting balls in various games
From this reading “Charley awoke, and the three of them took paddles.”
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading “Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.”
move with a whining sound
From this reading “"I will not whine!" he muttered to himself.”
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.
any plant of the genus Helianthemum; vigorous plants of stony alpine meadows and dry scrub regions
In this reading “Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.”
In this reading “Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.”
In this reading “Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.”
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 Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
at or in the front
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
inflected form of “awake” — stop sleeping
From this reading Charley awoke, and the three of them took paddles.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back.
at or toward the back of something
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
lacking funds
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Charley awoke, and the three of them took paddles.
the first light of day
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back.
a mental representation of some haunting experience
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
the act of giving
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
inflected form of “grit” — cover with a grit
From this reading Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object
From this reading "I will not whine!" he muttered to himself.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I will not whine!" he muttered to himself.
prefer or wish to do something
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
past form of “mutter” — talk indistinctly; usually in a low voice
From this reading "I will not whine!" he muttered to himself.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
not any; not one
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
impressive in appearance
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I will not whine!" he muttered to himself.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
above and across; more than
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
plural of “paddle” — small wooden bat with a flat surface; used for hitting balls in various games
From this reading Charley awoke, and the three of them took paddles.
go across or through
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
not move; be in a resting position
From this reading Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back.
a large natural stream of water (larger than a creek)
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
inflected form of “shine” — be bright by reflecting or casting light
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
a perceptible indication of something not immediately apparent (as a visible clue that something has happened)
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
successive (without a break)
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
the star that is the source of light and heat for the planets in the solar system
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
the kind and number and arrangement of teeth (collectively) in a person or animal
From this reading Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Gritting his teeth, he forced the rest back.
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one and one
From this reading Charley awoke, and the three of them took paddles.
from one end or side of something to the other
From this reading Dawn broke over the river ahead of them, and the sun rose and shone straight through the noble pass.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading "I will not whine!" he muttered to himself.
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Charley awoke, and the three of them took paddles.
move with a whining sound
From this reading "I will not whine!" he muttered to himself.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading "I will not whine!" he muttered to himself.
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading Nahnya sat behind him like a ghost woman, giving no sign.
Chapter 9 of The Sealed Valley by Hulbert Footner holds 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 9 holds 415 sentences of The Sealed Valley, unabridged, divided into 83 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 9 of The Sealed Valley by Hulbert Footner exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 415 sentences, grouped into 83 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 83 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 83 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 9 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 Sealed Valley by Hulbert Footner on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7294 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #57139 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #57139, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1459 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Sealed Valley section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 18 chapters of The Sealed Valley 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 Sealed Valley, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
