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Vailima Letters Being Correspondence

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence is here in full — 28 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

By Robert Louis Stevenson • Curated US English Learning Edition

Cover illustration for Vailima Letters
Being Correspondence

English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5

_Saturday_, 2_nd_ _July_ 1892.

THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

* * * * * 1 P.M.

I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

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 XVIII Reading 1/5

Vailima Letters Being Correspondence

Chapter XVIII · Chapter 18

Chapter 18 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence is here in full — 28 sentences across 6 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.

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

Line 1

_Saturday_, 2_nd_ _July_ 1892.

Line 2

THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

Line 3

This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

Line 4

* * * * * 1 P.M.

Line 5

I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

All words in this reading · 63

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.

1

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

From this reading * * * * * 1 P.M.

1892

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

From this reading _Saturday_, 2_nd_ _July_ 1892.

2

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

From this reading _Saturday_, 2_nd_ _July_ 1892.

a

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

alas

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

also

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

and

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

Apia

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

at

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

Balfour

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

Belle

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

busy

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

by

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

calling

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

character

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

cleaning

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

copying

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

cramp

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

David

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

down

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

explained

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

explains

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

Fanny

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

floor

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

hand

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

handwriting

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

have

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

heard

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

her

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

house

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

how

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

I

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

in

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

is

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

July

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

From this reading _Saturday_, 2_nd_ _July_ 1892.

laborious

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

latter

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

left

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

let

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

lie

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

Lloyd

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

long

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

M

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

From this reading * * * * * 1 P.M.

most

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

my

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

name

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

native

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

nd

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

From this reading _Saturday_, 2_nd_ _July_ 1892.

of

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

on

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

own

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

P

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

From this reading * * * * * 1 P.M.

paper

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

plain

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

Saturday

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

From this reading _Saturday_, 2_nd_ _July_ 1892.

scrivener's

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

superintending

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

task

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

THE

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

From this reading THE character of my handwriting is explained, alas! by scrivener’s cramp.

This

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

From this reading This also explains how long I have let the paper lie plain.

was

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

when

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

with

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

From this reading I was busy copying David Balfour with my left hand—a most laborious task—Fanny was down at the native house superintending the floor, Lloyd down in Apia, and Belle in her own house cleaning, when I heard the latter calling on my name.

Chapter 18 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence by Robert Louis Stevenson holds 28 sentences, grouped into 6 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 18 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence contain?

Chapter 18 holds 28 sentences of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence, unabridged, divided into 6 reading sections.

This page carries chapter 18 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence by Robert Louis Stevenson exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 28 sentences, grouped into 6 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 18 of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence?

Work through the 6 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.

Each of the 6 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 18 be read aloud to me?

Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 18 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 Vailima Letters Being Correspondence

Common questions about reading Vailima Letters Being Correspondence by Robert Louis Stevenson on this page, its source edition and its audio.

Is this the complete text of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence?

Yes. All 4155 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #387 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.

Which edition of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence is used?

Project Gutenberg eBook #387, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.

How long does Vailima Letters Being Correspondence take to read?

About 346 minutes of reading across 831 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.

How to read Vailima Letters Being Correspondence section by section

How to work through Vailima Letters Being Correspondence section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.

Open a chapter

Choose one of the 40 chapters of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence to begin.
Read one section

Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Listen and tap

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

Vocabulary met early in Vailima Letters Being Correspondence

Words and structures a reader meets early in Vailima Letters Being Correspondence, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.

Mountain: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Samoa: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
Monday: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.
November: A word that appears in the opening chapter of Vailima Letters Being Correspondence; the reader can tap it to hear it and see its dictionary entry.