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Thelma
Thelma

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Thelma is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Cover illustration for Thelma
Context Illustration Reading 1/59 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
"O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"
SWINBURNE.
She roused herself at last.
Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.
Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
Editorial verification pending

A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

Thelma

Chapter XXVI · Chapter 26

Chapter 26 of Thelma is here in full — 297 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

Reading 1/59 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
"O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"
/oʊ maɪ lɔːrd oʊ lʌv aɪ hæv leɪd maɪ laɪf æt ðaɪ fiːt hæv ðaɪ wɪl ˌðeˈrʌv fɔːr wʌt ʃæl pliːz ðiː ɪz swiːt/
Line 2
SWINBURNE.
Line 3
She roused herself at last.
/ʃiː raʊzd hərˈself æt læst/
Line 4
Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.
Line 5
Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.
/ˈʃɪvərɪŋ æz wɪð ˌɪnˈtens koʊld ʃiː roʊz frʌm ðə tʃer ʃiː hæd soʊ lɔːŋ ˈɑːkjəpaɪd ənd stʊd əˈpraɪt məˈkænɪkli ˈɡæðərɪŋ ərˈaʊnd hɜːr ðə lɔːŋ fɜːr ˈmæntəl ðæt ʃiː hæd nɑːt æz jet ˈteɪkən ɔːf/

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.

brows noun US /braʊz/

plural of “brow” — the part of the face above the eyes

From this reading “Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.”

fur noun US /fɜːr/

the dressed hairy coat of a mammal

From this reading “Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.”

gathering noun US /ˈɡæðərɪŋ/

a group of persons together in one place

From this reading “Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.”

mantle noun US /ˈmæntəl/

the cloak as a symbol of authority

From this reading “Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.”

mechanically adverb US /məˈkænɪkli/

in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism

From this reading “Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.”

Shivering noun US /ˈʃɪvərɪŋ/

a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever

From this reading “Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.”

thereof adverb US /ˌðeˈrʌv/

of or concerning this or that

From this reading “"O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"”

upright adjective US /əˈpraɪt/

in a vertical position; not sloping

From this reading “Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.”

All words in this reading · 60

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.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

aroundprepositionUS /ərˈaʊnd/

surrounding, or on every side of, something

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

at the same time that; because; in the way that

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

backadverbUS /bæk/

in or to or toward a former location

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

browsnounUS /braʊz/

plural of “brow” — the part of the face above the eyes

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

chairnounUS /tʃer/

a seat for one person, with a support for the back

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

coldadjectiveUS /koʊld/

having a low or inadequate temperature or feeling a sensation of coldness or having been made cold by e.g. ice or refrigeration

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

feetnounUS /fiːt/

plural of “foot” — the part of the leg of a human being below the ankle joint

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

ForprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

furnounUS /fɜːr/

the dressed hairy coat of a mammal

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

gatheringnounUS /ˈɡæðərɪŋ/

a group of persons together in one place

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

hairnounUS /her/

a covering for the body (or parts of it) consisting of a dense growth of threadlike structures (as on the human head); helps to prevent heat loss

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

handsnounUS /hændz/

(with “in”) guardianship over; in divorce cases it is the right to house and care for and discipline a child

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

heavilyadverbUS /ˈhevəli/

to a considerable degree

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

herselfpronounUS /hərˈself/

used when the woman or girl doing the action is also its object

From this reading She roused herself at last.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

intenseadjectiveUS /ˌɪnˈtens/

possessing or displaying a distinctive feature to a heightened degree

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

laidadjectiveUS /leɪd/

set down according to a plan

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

lastadjectiveUS /læst/

immediately past

From this reading She roused herself at last.

lifenounUS /laɪf/

a characteristic state or mode of living

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

longadjectiveUS /lɔːŋ/

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 Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

lordnounUS /lɔːrd/

terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

LovenounUS /lʌv/

a strong positive emotion of regard and affection

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

mantlenounUS /ˈmæntəl/

the cloak as a symbol of authority

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

mechanicallyadverbUS /məˈkænɪkli/

in a mechanical manner; by a mechanism

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

OnounUS /oʊ/

a nonmetallic bivalent element that is normally a colorless odorless tasteless nonflammable diatomic gas; constitutes 21 percent of the atmosphere by volume; the most abundant element in the earth's crust

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

occupiedadjectiveUS /ˈɑːkjəpaɪd/

held or filled or in use

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

offadverbUS /ɔːf/

from a particular thing or place or position (“forth” is obsolete)

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

pleaseverbUS /pliːz/

give pleasure to or be pleasing to

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

pushedverbUS /pʊʃt/

past form of “push” — move with force

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

rosenounUS /roʊz/

any of many shrubs of the genus Rosa that bear roses

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

rousedverbUS /raʊzd/

past form of “rouse” — become active

From this reading She roused herself at last.

shallmodal verbUS /ʃæl/

used with I and we for the future, or to offer and suggest

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

ShepronounUS /ʃiː/

a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading She roused herself at last.

ShiveringnounUS /ˈʃɪvərɪŋ/

a sensation of cold that often marks the start of an infection and the development of a fever

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

sighedverbUS /saɪd/

past form of “sigh” — heave or utter a sigh; breathe deeply and heavily

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

soconjunctionUS /soʊ/

for that reason; with the result that

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

stoodverbUS /stʊd/

Maintained an upright posture.

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

sweetadjectiveUS /swiːt/

having or denoting the characteristic taste of sugar

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

SWINBURNEnoun

English poet (1837-1909)

From this reading SWINBURNE.

takenadjectiveUS /ˈteɪkən/

understood in a certain way; made sense of

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

theepronounUS /ðiː/

an old word for “you”, as the object, speaking to one person

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

thereofadverbUS /ˌðeˈrʌv/

of or concerning this or that

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

thydeterminerUS /ðaɪ/

an old word for “your”, speaking to one person

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

Unclasping

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

From this reading Unclasping her hands, she pushed back her hair from her brows and sighed heavily.

uprightadjectiveUS /əˈpraɪt/

in a vertical position; not sloping

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

whatpronounUS /wʌt/

used to ask for information about something

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

willmodal verbUS /wɪl/

used to talk about the future, or about willingness

From this reading "O my lord, O Love, I have laid my life at thy feet; Have thy will thereof For what shall please thee is sweet!"

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

yetconjunctionUS /jet/

but in spite of that

From this reading Shivering as with intense cold, she rose from the chair she had so long occupied, and stood upright, mechanically gathering around her the long fur mantle that she had not as yet taken off.

Chapter 26 of Thelma by Marie Corelli holds 297 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.

What does chapter 26 of Thelma contain?

Chapter 26 holds 297 sentences of Thelma, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 26 of Thelma by Marie Corelli exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 297 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.

How do I study chapter 26 of Thelma?

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.

Can chapter 26 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 26 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 Thelma

Common questions about reading Thelma by Marie Corelli on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Thelma?

Yes. All 11619 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3823 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Thelma is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #3823, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Thelma take to read?

About 600 minutes of reading across 2324 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Thelma section by section

How to work through Thelma section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

  1. Open a chapter

    Choose one of the 34 chapters of Thelma to begin.

  2. Read one section

    Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.

  3. Listen and tap

    Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.

Vocabulary met early in Thelma

Words and structures a reader meets early in Thelma, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Dream
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thelma; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Through
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thelma; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Outshone
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thelma; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Lighted
A word that appears in the opening chapter of Thelma; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.