Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
The Shield of Silence
The Shield of Silence

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of The Shield of Silence is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for The Shield of Silence
Context Illustration Reading 1/70 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.
He left the door open and sat down.
He was in rough clothes; he was brown and rugged.
He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.
He had never been more content in his life.
0:00 / 0:00
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.

The Shield of Silence

Chapter XXIII · Chapter 23

Chapter 23 of The Shield of Silence is here in full — 351 sentences across 71 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/70 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.
/noʊ wʌn kæn ˈtrævəl ðæt roʊd fɔːr juː juː mʌst ˈtrævəl ɪt fɔːr jərˈself ˈdeɪvɪd ˈmɑːrtən keɪm ˈɪntuː ðə ˈlɪvɪŋ ruːm ʌv rɪdʒ haʊs ˈbrɪŋɪŋ æz ɪt siːmd ðə sprɪŋ wɪð hɪm/
Line 2
He left the door open and sat down.
/hiː left ðə dɔːr ˈoʊ.pən ənd sæt daʊn/
Line 3
He was in rough clothes; he was brown and rugged.
/hiː wɑːz ɪn rʌf kloʊðz hiː wɑːz braʊn ənd ˈrʌɡəd/
Line 4
He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.
/hiː wɑːz ˈbɪldɪŋ wɪð hɪz oʊn hændz mʌtʃ ʌv ðə ˈkæbən æt ˈbloʊɪŋ rɑːk/
Line 5
He had never been more content in his life.
/hiː hæd ˈnevər bɪn mɔːr ˈkɑːntent ɪn hɪz laɪf/

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.

Blowing noun US /ˈbloʊɪŋ/

processing that involves blowing a gas

From this reading “He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.”

bringing noun US /ˈbrɪŋɪŋ/

the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)

From this reading “"_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.”

cabin noun US /ˈkæbən/

small room on a ship or boat where people sleep

From this reading “He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.”

David noun US /ˈdeɪvɪd/

patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)

From this reading “"_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.”

Martin noun US /ˈmɑːrtən/

French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)

From this reading “"_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.”

Ridge noun US /rɪdʒ/

a long narrow natural elevation or striation

From this reading “"_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.”

rugged adjective US /ˈrʌɡəd/

sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring

From this reading “He was in rough clothes; he was brown and rugged.”

travel verb US /ˈtrævəl/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading “"_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.”

All words in this reading · 55

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading He left the door open and sat down.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He had never been more content in his life.

BlowingnounUS /ˈbloʊɪŋ/

processing that involves blowing a gas

From this reading He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.

bringingnounUS /ˈbrɪŋɪŋ/

the act of delivering or distributing something (as goods or mail)

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

brownnounUS /braʊn/

an orange of low brightness and saturation

From this reading He was in rough clothes; he was brown and rugged.

buildingnounUS /ˈbɪldɪŋ/

a structure that has a roof and walls and stands more or less permanently in one place

From this reading He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.

cabinnounUS /ˈkæbən/

small room on a ship or boat where people sleep

From this reading He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.

cameverbUS /keɪm/

inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

clothesnounUS /kloʊðz/

clothing in general

From this reading He was in rough clothes; he was brown and rugged.

contentnounUS /ˈkɑːntent/

(usually plural) everything that is included in a collection and that is held or included in something

From this reading He had never been more content in his life.

DavidnounUS /ˈdeɪvɪd/

patron saint of Wales (circa 520-600)

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

doornounUS /dɔːr/

a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle

From this reading He left the door open and sat down.

downadjectiveUS /daʊn/

being or moving lower in position or less in some value

From this reading He left the door open and sat down.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He had never been more content in his life.

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 He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He left the door open and sat down.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.

HousenounUS /haʊs/

a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading He was in rough clothes; he was brown and rugged.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

leftnounUS /left/

location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east

From this reading He left the door open and sat down.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading He had never been more content in his life.

livingnounUS /ˈlɪvɪŋ/

the experience of being alive; the course of human events and activities

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

MartinnounUS /ˈmɑːrtən/

French bishop who is a patron saint of France (died in 397)

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

moreadjectiveUS /mɔːr/

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

From this reading He had never been more content in his life.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

From this reading He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

neveradverbUS /ˈnevər/

not ever; at no time in the past or future

From this reading He had never been more content in his life.

NodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

openverbUS /ˈoʊ.pən/

To move from a closed position.

From this reading He left the door open and sat down.

ownverbUS /oʊn/

have ownership or possession of

From this reading He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.

RidgenounUS /rɪdʒ/

a long narrow natural elevation or striation

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

roadnounUS /roʊd/

an open way (generally public) for travel or transportation

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

RocknounUS /rɑːk/

a lump or mass of hard consolidated mineral matter

From this reading He was building, with his own hands, much of the cabin at Blowing Rock.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

roughadjectiveUS /rʌf/

having or caused by an irregular surface

From this reading He was in rough clothes; he was brown and rugged.

ruggedadjectiveUS /ˈrʌɡəd/

sturdy and strong in constitution or construction; enduring

From this reading He was in rough clothes; he was brown and rugged.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading He left the door open and sat down.

seemedverbUS /siːmd/

past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

SpringnounUS /sprɪŋ/

the season of growth

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

travelverbUS /ˈtrævəl/

change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading He was in rough clothes; he was brown and rugged.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

yourselfpronounUS /jərˈself/

used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action

From this reading "_No one can travel that road for you, you must travel it for yourself._" David Martin came into the living room of Ridge House bringing, as it seemed, the Spring with him.

Chapter 23 of The Shield of Silence by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock holds 351 sentences, grouped into 71 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 23 of The Shield of Silence contain?

Chapter 23 holds 351 sentences of The Shield of Silence, unabridged, divided into 71 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 23 of The Shield of Silence by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 351 sentences, grouped into 71 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 23 of The Shield of Silence?

Work through the 71 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 71 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 23 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 23 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 Shield of Silence

Common questions about reading The Shield of Silence by Harriet T. (Harriet Theresa) Comstock on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Shield of Silence?

Yes. All 7056 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #18225 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Shield of Silence is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #18225, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Shield of Silence take to read?

About 588 minutes of reading across 1412 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Shield of Silence section by section

How to work through The Shield of Silence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 25 chapters of The Shield of Silence to begin.

  2. Read one section

    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 Shield of Silence

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Shield of Silence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Shall
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shield of Silence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Speak
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shield of Silence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Human
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shield of Silence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Depths
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Shield of Silence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.