Chapter 36 of The Two Destinies is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter 36 of The Two Destinies is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard. For a moment more nothing happened. Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma! I said he was coming--I want to see him!" There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.
Chapter 36 of The Two Destinies is here in full — 231 sentences across 47 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/46 · 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.
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading “Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!”
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.”
indecision in speech or action
From this reading “There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.”
a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading “There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.”
informal terms for a mother
From this reading “Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!”
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading “Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!”
plural of “shutter” — a mechanical device on a camera that opens and closes to control the time of a photographic exposure
From this reading “Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!”
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading “A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.”
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 A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
the past participle of “be”
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.
possessive form of “child” — a young person of either sex
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading I said he was coming--I want to see him!"
utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading For a moment more nothing happened.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
past form of “happen” — come to pass
From this reading For a moment more nothing happened.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading I said he was coming--I want to see him!"
detected or perceived by the sense of hearing
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
indecision in speech or action
From this reading There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading I said he was coming--I want to see him!"
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.
informal terms for a mother
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
a particular point in time
From this reading For a moment more nothing happened.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading For a moment more nothing happened.
a woman who has given birth to a child (also used as a term of address to your mother)
From this reading There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading For a moment more nothing happened.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading I said he was coming--I want to see him!"
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading I said he was coming--I want to see him!"
having or emitting a high-pitched and sharp tone or tones
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
plural of “shutter” — a mechanical device on a camera that opens and closes to control the time of a photographic exposure
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
not in physical motion
From this reading There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.
an overwhelming feeling of fear and anxiety
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was still an interval of hesitation before the mother opened the shutters.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading I said he was coming--I want to see him!"
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading A CRY of terror from the room told me that I had been heard.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
feel or have a desire for; want strongly
From this reading I said he was coming--I want to see him!"
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading I said he was coming--I want to see him!"
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading Then the child's voice reached me, wild and shrill: "Open the shutters, mamma!
Chapter 36 of The Two Destinies by Wilkie Collins holds 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 36 holds 231 sentences of The Two Destinies, unabridged, divided into 47 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 of The Two Destinies by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 231 sentences, grouped into 47 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 47 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 47 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 36 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.
