Chapter 29 of The Woman in White is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXIX
Chapter 29 of The Woman in White is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.” My voice faltered a little in spite of me. I forced myself from the room. It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out. As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.
Chapter 29 of The Woman in White is here in full — 321 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/64 · 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.
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading “As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.”
a special loved one
From this reading ““I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.””
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading “My voice faltered a little in spite of me.”
of or relating to or venerating the Virgin Mary
From this reading “As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.”
the act of departing politely
From this reading “It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.”
the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses
From this reading “It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.”
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading “It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.”
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading “As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.”
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 My voice faltered a little in spite of me.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.
in or to or toward a former location
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
past form of “beckon” — signal with the hands or nod
From this reading As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
a special loved one
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
time for Earth to make a complete rotation on its axis
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.
past form of “falter” — be unsure or weak
From this reading My voice faltered a little in spite of me.
to travel behind, go after, come after
From this reading As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
produced by or subjected to forcing
From this reading I forced myself from the room.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading I forced myself from the room.
the act of acquiring something
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading My voice faltered a little in spite of me.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading My voice faltered a little in spite of me.
of or relating to or venerating the Virgin Mary
From this reading As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading My voice faltered a little in spite of me.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
used when the speaker is also the object of the action
From this reading I forced myself from the room.
a condition requiring relief
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
not any; not one
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading My voice faltered a little in spite of me.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
the act of departing politely
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
an area within a building enclosed by walls and floor and ceiling
From this reading I forced myself from the room.
perceive by sight or have the power to perceive by sight
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
the act of denying yourself; controlling your impulses
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
serve a purpose, role, or function
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
in the near future
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
feeling a need to see others suffer
From this reading My voice faltered a little in spite of me.
a flight of stairs or a flight of steps
From this reading As I opened the door, I beckoned to Marian to follow me to the stairs.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading I forced myself from the room.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading My voice faltered a little in spite of me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
in the company of; together with
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
but in spite of that
From this reading It was no time, then, for parting with the self-control which might yet serve me in my need before the day was out.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I shall soon be back, my darling—soon be back to see how you are getting on.”
Chapter 29 of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins holds 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 29 holds 321 sentences of The Woman in White, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 29 of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 321 sentences, grouped into 65 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 65 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 65 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 29 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 Woman in White by Wilkie Collins on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 13004 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #583 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #583, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 2601 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through The Woman in White section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 40 chapters of The Woman in White 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 Woman in White, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
