used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
from one side of something to the other
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
afterprepositionUS /ˈæftər/
later than; following
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
anew
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
touching and pressing; in opposition to
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
come out better in a competition, race, or conflict
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
delighting the senses or exciting intellectual or emotional admiration
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/
the past participle of “be”
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
plural of “bird” — warm-blooded egg-laying vertebrates characterized by feathers and forelimbs modified as wings
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
inflected form of “blow” — exhale hard
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
inflected form of “come” — move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
a small house with a single story
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
plural of “door” — a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
dumbadjectiveUS /dʌm/
slow to learn or understand; lacking intellectual acuity
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
at any time
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
to a considerable degree; very much
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
cause to fall by or as if by delivering a blow
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
fiercelyadverbUS /ˈfɪrsli/
in a physically fierce manner
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
people in general (often used in the plural)
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
relatively large in size or number or extent; larger than others of its kind
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
state of well-being characterized by emotions ranging from contentment to intense joy
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
to a considerable degree
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
Hulda
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
Hulda's
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
location near or direction toward the left side; i.e. the side to the north when a person or object faces east
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
past form of “live” — be an inhabitant of or reside in
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
lacking companions or companionship
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
primarily temporal sense; being or indicating a relatively great or greater than average duration or passage of time or a duration as specified
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
joined in matrimony
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
plural of “mountain” — a land mass that projects well above its surroundings; higher than a hill
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
near in time or place or relationship
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
a surrounding or nearby region
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
not ever; at no time in the past or future
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
many times at short intervals
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
on one occasion
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
used to mean any person in general, including the speaker
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
Othmar
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
in accordance with truth or fact or reality
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
rejoicedverbUS /rɪˈdʒɔɪst/
past form of “rejoice” — feel happiness or joy
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
express in words
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
shepherdnounUS /ˈʃepərd/
a clergyman who watches over a group of people
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
used to say what is right, expected, or advisable
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
(quantifier) used with either mass nouns or plural count nouns to indicate an unspecified number or quantity
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
that is looked for
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
behave violently, as if in state of a great anger
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
express in words
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
in or at that place or location
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
an urban area with a fixed boundary that is smaller than a city
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
precisely as stated
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
a community of people smaller than a town
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
villagersnounUS /ˈvɪlɪdʒərz/
plural of “villager” — one who has lived in a village most of their life
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
violentlyadverbUS /ˈvaɪələntli/
in a violent manner
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
clean by virtue of having been washed in water
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
inflected form of “weep” — shed tears because of sadness, rage, or pain
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
at the time that
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
which person or people
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading ONCE upon a time there lived a shepherd and his wife, who lived in a very lonely little cottage far from town or village, near some mountains.
wife'snounUS /waɪfs/
possessive form of “wife” — a married woman; a man's partner in marriage
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
marked by extreme lack of restraint or control
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure
From this reading It was a wild neighbourhood, and the wind blew across the mountains fiercely, and the rain often fell so heavily that it seemed as if the cottage would be washed away.
(trademark) an operating system with a graphical user interface
From this reading One evening when the shepherd was out, there came on a great storm of rain which beat against the doors and the windows violently.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Then all the villagers rejoiced, and Hulda wept with happiness.
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
a late time of life
From this reading And Othmar married Hulda, and his voice never left him again; but when long years after folk would tell him his voice was sweet and far more beautiful than the birds, he would say, “But it is not really my voice, it is my wife’s, Hulda’s, for I should have been dumb for ever if she had not sought it and brought it back to me.”
