Chapter 31 of The Top of the World is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXI
Chapter 31 of The Top of the World is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again? Sure, and it's a very great pleasure!" Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard. "A very great pleasure!" he reiterated impressively, before he let it go. She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
Chapter 31 of The Top of the World is here in full — 362 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading “THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?”
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading “Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.”
the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public
From this reading “Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.”
in an impressive manner
From this reading “"A very great pleasure!" he reiterated impressively, before he let it go.”
United States circus clown (1898-1979)
From this reading “Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.”
past form of “reiterate” — to say, state, or perform again
From this reading “"A very great pleasure!" he reiterated impressively, before he let it go.”
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading “She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.”
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading “THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?”
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 Sure, and it's a very great pleasure!"
anew
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading "A very great pleasure!" he reiterated impressively, before he let it go.
British statesman famous for his oratory; pleaded the cause of the American colonists in British Parliament and defended the parliamentary system (1729-1797)
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
a young person of either sex
From this reading She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
of a color at the end of the color spectrum (next to orange); resembling the color of blood or cherries or tomatoes or rubies
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
the shame you feel when your inadequacy or guilt is made public
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
the front of the human head from the forehead to the chin and ear to ear
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "A very great pleasure!" he reiterated impressively, before he let it go.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading Sure, and it's a very great pleasure!"
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
not easy; requiring great physical or mental effort to accomplish or comprehend or endure
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "A very great pleasure!" he reiterated impressively, before he let it go.
occupied or in the control of; often used in combination
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
in an impressive manner
From this reading "A very great pleasure!" he reiterated impressively, before he let it go.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Sure, and it's a very great pleasure!"
United States circus clown (1898-1979)
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading "A very great pleasure!" he reiterated impressively, before he let it go.
a form of address for a married woman
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
past form of “offer” — make available or accessible, provide or furnish
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading Sure, and it's a very great pleasure!"
past form of “reiterate” — to say, state, or perform again
From this reading "A very great pleasure!" he reiterated impressively, before he let it go.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
start suddenly, as from fright
From this reading She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
something reduced to its minimal form
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
past form of “smile” — change one's facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
From this reading She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
plural of “smile” — a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
From this reading She smiled at him as one smiles at a shy child.
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading Sure, and it's a very great pleasure!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
inflected form of “take” — carry out
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
precisely as stated
From this reading Sure, and it's a very great pleasure!"
in the company of; together with
From this reading Kelly, his face crimson with embarrassment and good-will, took the hand Sylvia offered and held it hard.
used when the person spoken to is also the object of the action
From this reading THE SKELETON TREE "Ah, Mrs. Burke, and is it yourself that I see again?
Chapter 31 of The Top of the World by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell holds 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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 362 sentences of The Top of the World, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 31 of The Top of the World by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 362 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 Top of the World by Ethel M. (Ethel May) Dell on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 10126 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12360 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12360, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2026 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Top of the World section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Top of the World 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 Top of the World, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
