Chapter 34 of The Woman in White is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXIV
Chapter 34 of The Woman in White is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames. “He’s dust and ashes,” said the clerk. “And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.” Those were the only two who spoke. When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
Chapter 34 of The Woman in White is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading ““He’s dust and ashes,” said the clerk.”
form, produce, or emit bubbles
From this reading “When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.”
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading ““He’s dust and ashes,” said the clerk.”
make a crackling sound
From this reading “When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.”
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading ““Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.”
plural of “sir” — term of address for a man
From this reading ““And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.””
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading “When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.”
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading “When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.”
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.
anew
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “He’s dust and ashes,” said the clerk.
the form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading “And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.”
The powdery residue left after the burning of a substance.
From this reading “He’s dust and ashes,” said the clerk.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading “And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.”
Bound written or printed works.
From this reading “And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.”
form, produce, or emit bubbles
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
one of the groups of Christians who have their own beliefs and forms of worship
From this reading “And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.”
an employee who performs clerical work (e.g., keeps records or accounts)
From this reading “He’s dust and ashes,” said the clerk.
make a crackling sound
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
remove the dust from
From this reading “He’s dust and ashes,” said the clerk.
plural of “flame” — the process of combustion of inflammable materials producing heat and light and (often) smoke
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “He’s dust and ashes,” said the clerk.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading “And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.”
and nothing more
From this reading Those were the only two who spoke.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “He’s dust and ashes,” said the clerk.
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
marked by absence of sound
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
plural of “sir” — term of address for a man
From this reading “And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.”
in the near future
From this reading “And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.”
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading Those were the only two who spoke.
(used of eyes) open and fixed as if in fear or wonder
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
(poetic) tranquil silence
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
being excited or provoked to the expression of an emotion
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
the plural of “that”: the people or things further away, or already known
From this reading Those were the only two who spoke.
the cardinal number that is the sum of one and one or a numeral representing this number
From this reading Those were the only two who spoke.
in a vacant manner
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Those were the only two who spoke.
at the time that
From this reading When they were silent again, nothing stirred in the stillness but the bubble and the crackle of the flames.
in or at the place that
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
spoken in soft hushed tones without vibrations of the vocal cords
From this reading “Where is he?” whispered the servant, staring vacantly at the flames.
which person or people
From this reading Those were the only two who spoke.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “And the books are dust and ashes—and oh, sirs! the church will be dust and ashes soon.”
Chapter 34 of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins holds 298 sentences, grouped into 60 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 34 holds 298 sentences of The Woman in White, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 34 of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 298 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 34 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.
