Chapter 22 of The Two Destinies is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXII
Chapter 22 of The Two Destinies is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE moments passed; the silence between us continued. Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me. "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked. "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house." Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
Chapter 22 of The Two Destinies is here in full — 197 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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 chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept
From this reading “Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.”
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading “"It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."”
past form of “droop” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading “Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.”
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading “Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.”
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading “THE moments passed; the silence between us continued.”
become active
From this reading “Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me.”
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading “"Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.”
doomed to extinction
From this reading “Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.”
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.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
earnest and conscientious activity intended to do or accomplish something
From this reading Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading THE moments passed; the silence between us continued.
the chest considered as the place where secret thoughts are kept
From this reading Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
without stop or interruption
From this reading THE moments passed; the silence between us continued.
reach, make, or come to a decision about something
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
recognizable; marked
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
past form of “droop” — droop, sink, or settle from or as if from pressure or loss of tautness
From this reading Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me.
posing no difficulty; requiring little effort
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
plural of “friend” — a person you know well and regard with affection and trust
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
the upper part of the human body or the front part of the body in animals; contains the face and brains
From this reading Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
the act of departing
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
move something or somebody to a lower position
From this reading Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me.
a vaguely specified concern
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me.
fail to perceive or to catch with the senses or the mind
From this reading Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me.
plural of “moment” — a particular point in time
From this reading THE moments passed; the silence between us continued.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
not any; not one
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
past form of “pass” — go across or through
From this reading THE moments passed; the silence between us continued.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
become active
From this reading Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me.
one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; located on the northern part of the island of Great Britain; famous for bagpipes and plaids and kilts
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading THE moments passed; the silence between us continued.
doomed to extinction
From this reading Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE moments passed; the silence between us continued.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "It is no easy matter," I replied, "to decide on leaving my friends in this house."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Miss Dunross made an attempt to rouse me.
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading THE moments passed; the silence between us continued.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Her head drooped lower on her bosom; her voice sunk as she answered me.
in the company of; together with
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Have you decided to go back to Scotland with your friends at Lerwick?" she asked.
Chapter 22 of The Two Destinies by Wilkie Collins holds 197 sentences, grouped into 40 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 22 holds 197 sentences of The Two Destinies, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 22 of The Two Destinies by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 197 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 22 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 Two Destinies by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5554 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #1624 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #1624, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 462 minutes of reading across 1111 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Two Destinies section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 37 chapters of The Two Destinies 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 Two Destinies, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
