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The Unseen Bridegroom
The Unseen Bridegroom

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of The Unseen Bridegroom is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By May Agnes Fleming • Curated US English Learning Edition
Cover illustration for The Unseen Bridegroom
Context Illustration Reading 1/51 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MIRIAM'S STORY.
A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.
That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.
There was no deception this time.
On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Unseen Bridegroom

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of The Unseen Bridegroom is here in full — 258 sentences across 52 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/51 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MIRIAM'S STORY.
Line 2
A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.
Line 3
That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.
Line 4
There was no deception this time.
/ðer wɑːz noʊ dɪˈsepʃən ðɪs taɪm/
Line 5
On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.

Learner Dictionary

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.

attic noun US /ˈætɪk/

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

From this reading “A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bruised verb US /bruːzd/

past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of

From this reading “On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Dane noun US /deɪn/

a native or inhabitant of Denmark

From this reading “That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
deception noun US /dɪˈsepʃən/

a misleading falsehood

From this reading “There was no deception this time.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dimly adverb US /ˈdɪmli/

in a dim indistinct manner

From this reading “A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Mollie noun US /ˈmɑːli/

popular aquarium fish

From this reading “That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
rickety adjective US /ˈrɪkəti/

inclined to shake as from weakness or defect

From this reading “A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
threshold noun US /ˈθreʃoʊld/

the starting point for a new state or experience

From this reading “That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.”

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

All words in this reading · 54

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.

AdeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
andconjunctionUS /ənd/

used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together

From this reading On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
articlesnounUS /ˈɑːrtəkəlz/

plural of “article” — nonfictional prose forming an independent part of a publication

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
atticnounUS /ˈætɪk/

floor consisting of open space at the top of a house just below roof; often used for storage

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bednounUS /bed/

a piece of furniture that provides a place to sleep

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
brokenadjectiveUS /ˈbroʊkən/

physically and forcibly separated into pieces or cracked or split

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
bruisedverbUS /bruːzd/

past form of “bruise” — injure the underlying soft tissue or bone of

From this reading On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chambernounUS /ˈtʃeɪmbər/

a natural or artificial enclosed space

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
chestnounUS /tʃest/

the part of the human torso between the neck and the diaphragm or the corresponding part in other vertebrates

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
cook-stove

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

Pending verification
cornernounUS /ˈkɔːrnər/

a place off to the side of an area

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
DanenounUS /deɪn/

a native or inhabitant of Denmark

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
deceptionnounUS /dɪˈsepʃən/

a misleading falsehood

From this reading There was no deception this time.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
delfnoun

an excavation; usually a quarry or mine

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dimlyadverbUS /ˈdɪmli/

in a dim indistinct manner

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dirtyadjectiveUS /ˈdɜːrti/

soiled or likely to soil with dirt or grime

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
dyingadjectiveUS /ˈdaɪɪŋ/

in or associated with the process of passing from life or ceasing to be

From this reading On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
fewadjectiveUS /fjuː/

a quantifier that can be used with count nouns and is often preceded by “a”; a small but indefinite number

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
figurenounUS /ˈfɪɡjər/

a diagram or picture illustrating textual material

From this reading On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
layverbUS /leɪ/

put into a certain place or abstract location

From this reading On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
lightedadjectiveUS /ˈlaɪtəd/

set afire or burning

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
littleadjectiveUS /ˈlɪtəl/

limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
Miriam

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.

Pending verification
MIRIAM'S

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading MIRIAM'S STORY.

Pending verification
miserableadjectiveUS /ˈmɪzərəbəl/

very unhappy; full of misery

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
MollienounUS /ˈmɑːli/

popular aquarium fish

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading There was no deception this time.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
oldadjectiveUS /oʊld/

(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
picturenounUS /ˈpɪktʃər/

a visual representation (of an object or scene or person or abstraction) produced on a surface

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ricketyadjectiveUS /ˈrɪkəti/

inclined to shake as from weakness or defect

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
roomnounUS /ruːm/

an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
sky-light

Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

Pending verification
standingadjectiveUS /ˈstændɪŋ/

having a supporting base

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
STORYnounUS /ˈstɔːri/

a message that tells the particulars of an act or occurrence or course of events; presented in writing or drama or cinema or as a radio or television program

From this reading MIRIAM'S STORY.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tablenounUS /ˈteɪbəl/

a set of data arranged in rows and columns

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
ThatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thedeterminerUS /ðə/

used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
ThereadverbUS /ðer/

in or at that place or location

From this reading There was no deception this time.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading There was no deception this time.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
thresholdnounUS /ˈθreʃoʊld/

the starting point for a new state or experience

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
timenounUS /taɪm/

an instance or single occasion for some event

From this reading There was no deception this time.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
tumble-downadjective

in deplorable condition

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun

From this reading That was the picture Mollie Dane saw, standing on the threshold of Miriam's room.

Velmora grammar entry · CMU Pronouncing Dictionary
womannounUS /ˈwʊmən/

an adult female person (as opposed to a man)

From this reading On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
woodenadjectiveUS /ˈwʊdən/

made or consisting of (entirely or in part) or employing wood

From this reading A miserable attic chamber, dimly lighted by one dirty sky-light, a miserable bed in one corner, a broken chair, an old wooden chest, a rickety table, a few articles of delf, a tumble-down little cook-stove.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1
wretchedadjectiveUS /ˈretʃɪd/

of very poor quality or condition

From this reading On that wretched bed lay the broken and bruised figure of the woman Miriam, dying.

CMU Pronouncing Dictionary · Princeton WordNet 3.1

Chapter 26 of The Unseen Bridegroom by May Agnes Fleming holds 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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.

What does chapter 26 of The Unseen Bridegroom contain?

Chapter 26 holds 258 sentences of The Unseen Bridegroom, unabridged, divided into 52 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 26 of The Unseen Bridegroom by May Agnes Fleming exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 258 sentences, grouped into 52 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.

How do I study chapter 26 of The Unseen Bridegroom?

Work through the 52 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 52 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.

Can chapter 26 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 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.

Questions about reading The Unseen Bridegroom

Common questions about reading The Unseen Bridegroom by May Agnes Fleming on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Unseen Bridegroom?

Yes. All 6760 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #15875 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Unseen Bridegroom is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #15875, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Unseen Bridegroom take to read?

About 563 minutes of reading across 1352 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read The Unseen Bridegroom section by section

How to work through The Unseen Bridegroom section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 29 chapters of The Unseen Bridegroom to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in The Unseen Bridegroom

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Unseen Bridegroom, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Walraven
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Unseen Bridegroom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
November
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Unseen Bridegroom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Afternoon--wet
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Unseen Bridegroom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Windy
A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Unseen Bridegroom; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.