Chapter 15 of The Splendid Outcast is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XV
Chapter 15 of The Splendid Outcast is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Crawling in the bushes, Monsieur." The clutch on Piquette’s arm grew tighter. "What did you do with the papers?" "I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately. Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
Chapter 15 of The Splendid Outcast is here in full — 423 sentences across 85 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 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.
the act of grasping
From this reading “The clutch on Piquette’s arm grew tighter.”
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading “"Crawling in the bushes, Monsieur."”
with great urgency
From this reading “"I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately.”
-ing form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading “Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading “"I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately.”
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading “Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.”
in minute detail
From this reading “Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.”
comparative of “tight” — closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading “The clutch on Piquette’s arm grew tighter.”
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.
In this reading “"Crawling in the bushes, Monsieur."”
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 Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
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 The clutch on Piquette’s arm grew tighter.
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
treated by heating to a high temperature but below the melting or fusing point
From this reading "I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately.
plural of “bush” — a low woody perennial plant usually having several major stems
From this reading "Crawling in the bushes, Monsieur."
the act of grasping
From this reading The clutch on Piquette’s arm grew tighter.
a slow mode of locomotion on hands and knees or dragging the body
From this reading "Crawling in the bushes, Monsieur."
with great urgency
From this reading "I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "What did you do with the papers?"
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "What did you do with the papers?"
-ing form of “examine” — consider in detail and subject to an analysis in order to discover essential features or meaning
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading "I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately.
inflected form of “grow” — pass into a condition gradually, take on a specific property or attribute; become
From this reading The clutch on Piquette’s arm grew tighter.
an open recess in a wall at the base of a chimney where a fire can be built
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "Crawling in the bushes, Monsieur."
be compatible, similar or consistent; coincide in their characteristics
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
in minute detail
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading "Crawling in the bushes, Monsieur."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The clutch on Piquette’s arm grew tighter.
writing that provides information (especially information of an official nature)
From this reading "What did you do with the papers?"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The clutch on Piquette’s arm grew tighter.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
done under pressure
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately.
(used in combination) affected by something overwhelming
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "Crawling in the bushes, Monsieur."
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading "I burned them in the fireplace," she said desperately.
comparative of “tight” — closely constrained or constricted or constricting
From this reading The clutch on Piquette’s arm grew tighter.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Quinlevin rushed to the hearth and struck a match, examining the ashes minutely.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading "What did you do with the papers?"
in the company of; together with
From this reading "What did you do with the papers?"
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "What did you do with the papers?"
Chapter 15 of The Splendid Outcast by George Gibbs holds 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 15 holds 423 sentences of The Splendid Outcast, unabridged, divided into 85 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 15 of The Splendid Outcast by George Gibbs exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 423 sentences, grouped into 85 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 85 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 85 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 15 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 Splendid Outcast by George Gibbs on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7850 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #47900 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #47900, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 1570 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Splendid Outcast section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of The Splendid Outcast 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 Splendid Outcast, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
