Chapter 38 of The Woman in White is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVIII
Chapter 38 of The Woman in White is here in full — 322 sentences across 65 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me. She had a folded slip of paper in her hand. “The landlord’s son has brought this for you,” she said. “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.” “Quite right, Marian.
Chapter 38 of The Woman in White is here in full — 322 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.
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading ““He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.””
the power to use something or someone
From this reading ““He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.””
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading “She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.”
possessive form of “landlord” — a landowner who leases to others
of or relating to or venerating the Virgin Mary
From this reading “Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.”
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading ““He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.””
move stealthily
From this reading “She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading “Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.”
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 She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.
inflected form of “bring” — take something or somebody with oneself somewhere
From this reading “The landlord’s son has brought this for you,” she said.
a compartment at the front of a motor vehicle or locomotive where driver sits
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
the power to use something or someone
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
past form of “fold” — bend or lay so that one part covers the other
From this reading She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.
inflected form of “get” — come into the possession of something concrete or abstract
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “The landlord’s son has brought this for you,” she said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
cause to continue in a certain state, position, or activity; e.g., “keep clean”
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
possessive form of “landlord” — a landowner who leases to others
From this reading “The landlord’s son has brought this for you,” she said.
of or relating to or venerating the Virgin Mary
From this reading Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
having a systematic arrangement; especially having elements succeeding in order according to rule
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
a material made of cellulose pulp derived mainly from wood or rags or certain grasses
From this reading She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
to a degree (not used with a negative)
From this reading “Quite right, Marian.
precisely, exactly
From this reading “Quite right, Marian.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “The landlord’s son has brought this for you,” she said.
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
move stealthily
From this reading She had a folded slip of paper in her hand.
a male human offspring
From this reading “The landlord’s son has brought this for you,” she said.
platform at the top of a staircase
From this reading Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading “The landlord’s son has brought this for you,” she said.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
the act of waiting (remaining inactive in one place while expecting something)
From this reading Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Marian was at the stairhead waiting for me.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “The landlord’s son has brought this for you,” she said.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “He has got a cab at the door—he says you ordered him to keep it at your disposal.”
Chapter 38 of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins holds 322 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 38 holds 322 sentences of The Woman in White, unabridged, divided into 65 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 38 of The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 322 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 38 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.
