The Wings of Icarus

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Wings of Icarus is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Laurence Alma-Tadema • Curated US English Learning Edition

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English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

GRAYSMILL, October 10th.

Sweet, your letter of Thursday comforted me wondrous much; but I have something to tell you, and my impatience will not even let me dwell on the joy it was to read words of yours again.

Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

Narrator

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.

Chapter XII Reading 1/13

The Wings of Icarus Laurence Alma-Tadema

Chapter XII

Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Wings of Icarus is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

GRAYSMILL, October 10th. Sweet, your letter of Thursday comforted me wondrous much; but I have something to tell you, and my impatience will not even let me dwell on the joy it was to read words of yours again. Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain. I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased. The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

The Wings of Icarus

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

Chapter 12 of The Wings of Icarus is here in full — 65 sentences across 13 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/13 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1

GRAYSMILL, October 10th.

Line 2

Sweet, your letter of Thursday comforted me wondrous much; but I have something to tell you, and my impatience will not even let me dwell on the joy it was to read words of yours again.

/swiːt jɔːr ˈletər ʌv ˈθɜːrzdeɪ ˈkʌmfərtɪd miː ˈwʌndrəs mʌtʃ bʌt aɪ hæv ˈsʌmθɪŋ tuː tel juː ənd maɪ ˌɪmˈpeɪʃəns wɪl nɑːt ˈiːvɪn let miː dwel ɑːn ðə dʒɔɪ ɪt wɑːz tuː red wɜːrdz ʌv jʊrz əˈɡen/

Line 3

Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

Line 4

I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

Line 5

The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

/ðə waɪnd hæd ˈrɪzən ənd ɪn ðə west ə hoʊl hæd bɪn poʊkt θruː ðə ɡreɪ ˈmæntəl ˈʃoʊɪŋ ðə ˈɡɪldɪd edʒ ʌv ə ˈsnoʊi klaʊd əˈɡenst ə pætʃ ʌv bluː/

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.

comforted adjective US /ˈkʌmfərtɪd/

made comfortable or more comfortable in a time of distress

From this reading “Sweet, your letter of Thursday comforted me wondrous much; but I have something to tell you, and my impatience will not even let me dwell on the joy it was to read words of yours again.”

gilded adjective US /ˈɡɪldɪd/

having the deep slightly brownish color of gold

From this reading “The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.”

mantle noun US /ˈmæntəl/

the cloak as a symbol of authority

From this reading “The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.”

patch noun US /pætʃ/

a small contrasting part of something

From this reading “The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.”

poked verb US /poʊkt/

past form of “poke” — poke or thrust abruptly

From this reading “The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.”

snowy adjective US /ˈsnoʊi/

marked by the presence of snow

From this reading “The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.”

Thursday noun US /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/

the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day

wondrous adjective US /ˈwʌndrəs/

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

All words in this reading · 81

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.

10th

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

From this reading GRAYSMILL, October 10th.

adeterminerUS /ə/

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

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

afternoonnounUS /ˌæftərˈnuːn/

the part of the day between noon and evening

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

againadverbUS /əˈɡen/

anew

From this reading Sweet, your letter of Thursday comforted me wondrous much; but I have something to tell you, and my impatience will not even let me dwell on the joy it was to read words of yours again.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

alladjectiveUS /ɔːl/

(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 Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

beganverbUS /bɪˈɡæn/

inflected form of “begin” — take the first step or steps in carrying out an action

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

blueadjectiveUS /bluː/

of the color intermediate between green and violet; having a color similar to that of a clear unclouded sky

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

booknounUS /bʊk/

a written work or composition that has been published (printed on pages bound together)

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

ceasedverbUS /siːst/

past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

cloudverbUS /klaʊd/

make overcast or cloudy

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

comfortedadjectiveUS /ˈkʌmfərtɪd/

made comfortable or more comfortable in a time of distress

coveredadjectiveUS /ˈkʌvərd/

overlaid or spread or topped with or enclosed within something; sometimes used as a combining form

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

daynounUS /deɪ/

time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

dinner-time

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

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

dulladjectiveUS /dʌl/

lacking in liveliness or animation

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

dwellverbUS /dwel/

think moodily or anxiously about something

edgenounUS /edʒ/

the boundary of a surface

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

evenadjectiveUS /ˈiːvɪn/

divisible by two

Feverel

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

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

gildedadjectiveUS /ˈɡɪldɪd/

having the deep slightly brownish color of gold

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

GRAYSMILL

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

From this reading GRAYSMILL, October 10th.

greyadjectiveUS /ɡreɪ/

of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

holenounUS /hoʊl/

an opening into or through something

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

impatiencenounUS /ˌɪmˈpeɪʃəns/

a lack of patience; irritation with anything that causes delay

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

joynounUS /dʒɔɪ/

the emotion of great happiness

letauxiliary verbUS /let/

used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker

letternounUS /ˈletər/

a written message addressed to a person or organization

lookingnounUS /ˈlʊkɪŋ/

the act of directing the eyes toward something and perceiving it visually

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

mantlenounUS /ˈmæntəl/

the cloak as a symbol of authority

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

morningnounUS /ˈmɔːrnɪŋ/

the time period between dawn and noon

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

muchadverbUS /mʌtʃ/

to a great degree or extent

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

OctobernounUS /ɑːkˈtoʊbər/

the month following September and preceding November

From this reading GRAYSMILL, October 10th.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

patchnounUS /pætʃ/

a small contrasting part of something

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

pokedverbUS /poʊkt/

past form of “poke” — poke or thrust abruptly

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

rainnounUS /reɪn/

water falling in drops from vapor condensed in the atmosphere

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

readverbUS /red/

interpret something that is written or printed

Richard

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

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

risenadjectiveUS /ˈrɪzən/

(of e.g. celestial bodies) above the horizon

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

roomnounUS /ruːm/

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

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

satnounUS /sæt/

the seventh and last day of the week; observed as the Sabbath by Jews and some Christians

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

sawverbUS /sɔː/

cut with a saw

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

showingnounUS /ˈʃoʊɪŋ/

the display of a motion picture

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

skynounUS /skaɪ/

the atmosphere and outer space as viewed from the earth

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

snowyadjectiveUS /ˈsnoʊi/

marked by the presence of snow

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

SweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

tellverbUS /tel/

express in words

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

throughprepositionUS /θruː/

from one end or side of something to the other

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

ThursdaynounUS /ˈθɜːrzdeɪ/

the fifth day of the week; the fourth working day

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

untilprepositionUS /ənˈtɪl/

up to a particular time

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

upadjectiveUS /ʌp/

being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level

From this reading I sat in my room in the afternoon and read "Richard Feverel" until, looking up from my book, I saw that the rain had ceased.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

WelladverbUS /wel/

(often used as a combining form) in a good or proper or satisfactory manner or to a high standard (“good” is a nonstandard dialectal variant for “well”)

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

westnounUS /west/

the countries of (originally) Europe and (now including) North America and South America

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

windnounUS /waɪnd/

air moving (sometimes with considerable force) from an area of high pressure to an area of low pressure

From this reading The wind had risen, and, in the west, a hole had been poked through the grey mantle, showing the gilded edge of a snowy cloud against a patch of blue.

wondrousadjectiveUS /ˈwʌndrəs/

extraordinarily good or great; used especially as intensifiers

wordsnounUS /wɜːrdz/

the words that are spoken

yesterdaynounUS /ˈjestərdeɪ/

the day immediately before today

From this reading Well; yesterday was a dull day, the sky was covered all the morning, and at dinner-time it began to rain.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

yourdeterminerUS /jɔːr/

belonging to the person or people being spoken to

yourspronounUS /jʊrz/

the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to

Chapter 12 of The Wings of Icarus by Laurence Alma-Tadema holds 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 12 of The Wings of Icarus contain?

Chapter 12 holds 65 sentences of The Wings of Icarus, unabridged, divided into 13 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 12 of The Wings of Icarus by Laurence Alma-Tadema exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 65 sentences, grouped into 13 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 12 of The Wings of Icarus?

Work through the 13 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 13 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 12 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 12 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 Wings of Icarus

Common questions about reading The Wings of Icarus by Laurence Alma-Tadema on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of The Wings of Icarus?

Yes. All 2158 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #17255 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of The Wings of Icarus is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #17255, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does The Wings of Icarus take to read?

About 179 minutes of reading across 432 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

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Vocabulary met early in The Wings of Icarus

Words and structures a reader meets early in The Wings of Icarus, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Fletcher's: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wings of Icarus; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Graysmill: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wings of Icarus; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Beloved: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wings of Icarus; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Constance: A word that appears in the opening chapter of The Wings of Icarus; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.

Chapter XII · Chapter 12

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Vocabulary met early in The Wings of Icarus