Chapter 3 of The Story of Bessie Costrell is here in full — 532 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter III
Chapter 3 of The Story of Bessie Costrell is here in full — 532 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
'I dessay,' said Bessie, polishing her cup. 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?' 'I agree as he put his box there,' said Bessie sharply. John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour. Bessie turned upon him.
Chapter 3 of The Story of Bessie Costrell is here in full — 532 sentences across 107 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/106 · 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.
expressing offensive reproach
From this reading “John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.”
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading “'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'”
utter or proclaim insistently and noisily
From this reading “John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.”
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading “'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'”
without or deprived of the use of speech or words
From this reading “John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.”
gather or bring together
From this reading “'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'”
the work of making something smooth and shiny by rubbing or waxing it
From this reading “'I dessay,' said Bessie, polishing her cup.”
on a floor above
From this reading “'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'”
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.
expressing offensive reproach
From this reading John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.
be in accord; be in agreement
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
take the first step or steps in carrying out an action
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I dessay,' said Bessie, polishing her cup.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
a (usually rectangular) container; may have a lid
From this reading 'I agree as he put his box there,' said Bessie sharply.
lacking funds
From this reading John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.
utter or proclaim insistently and noisily
From this reading John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
a small open container usually used for drinking; usually has a handle
From this reading 'I dessay,' said Bessie, polishing her cup.
a small room (or recess) or cabinet used for storage space
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'I dessay,' said Bessie, polishing her cup.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading 'I agree as he put his box there,' said Bessie sharply.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading 'I dessay,' said Bessie, polishing her cup.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Bessie turned upon him.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading 'I dessay,' said Bessie, polishing her cup.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
without or deprived of the use of speech or words
From this reading John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.
a room or building equipped with one or more toilets
From this reading John broke into inarticulate and abusive clamour.
the most common medium of exchange; functions as legal tender
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
gather or bring together
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
the work of making something smooth and shiny by rubbing or waxing it
From this reading 'I dessay,' said Bessie, polishing her cup.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading 'I dessay,' said Bessie, polishing her cup.
in an aggressive manner
From this reading 'I agree as he put his box there,' said Bessie sharply.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
in or at that place or location
From this reading 'I agree as he put his box there,' said Bessie sharply.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
moved around an axis or center
From this reading Bessie turned upon him.
a formal word for “on”
From this reading Bessie turned upon him.
on a floor above
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
(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, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading 'Well, then--to begin reg'lar, Mrs. Costrell--yo agree, don't yer, as Muster Bolderfield put his money in your upstairs cupboard?'
Chapter 3 of The Story of Bessie Costrell by Humphry, Mrs. Ward holds 532 sentences, grouped into 107 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 3 holds 532 sentences of The Story of Bessie Costrell, unabridged, divided into 107 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 3 of The Story of Bessie Costrell by Humphry, Mrs. Ward exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 532 sentences, grouped into 107 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 107 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 107 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 3 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 Story of Bessie Costrell by Humphry, Mrs. Ward on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 1582 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12181 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12181, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 131 minutes of reading across 317 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Story of Bessie Costrell section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 3 chapters of The Story of Bessie Costrell 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 Story of Bessie Costrell, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
