Chapter 21 of Vashti is here in full — 255 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Vashti is here in full — 255 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious." "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night." "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break." "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die. Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
Chapter 21 of Vashti is here in full — 255 sentences across 51 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/51 · 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.
eagerly desirous
From this reading “"Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."”
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading “"Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.”
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading “"The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."”
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading “"Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."”
worth remembering
From this reading “"I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."”
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “"The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."”
temporarily incapable of speaking
From this reading “"Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.”
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading “"Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “"I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."”
a woman who is old
In this reading “"The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."”
as might be expected
In this reading “"Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.”
move downward and lower, but not necessarily all the way
In this reading “Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."”
to come or go into
In this reading “Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."”
In this reading “Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."”
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 "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
on the subject of; concerning
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading "Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."
eagerly desirous
From this reading "Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."
past form of “arrive” — reach a destination; arrive by movement or progress
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
move toward, travel toward something or somebody or approach something or somebody
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
past form of “die” — pass from physical life and lose all bodily attributes and functions necessary to sustain life
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
a licensed medical practitioner
From this reading "Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."
being or moving lower in position or less in some value
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
undergo an emotional sensation or be in a particular state of mind
From this reading "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
set up or found
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
a movable barrier in a fence or wall
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
of an achromatic color of any lightness intermediate between the extremes of white and black
From this reading "Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading "Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."
worth remembering
From this reading "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
used of mouth or eyes
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
deserving or inciting pity
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
temporarily incapable of speaking
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
exchange thoughts; talk with
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading "I feel so, for this has been a memorable night."
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
the act of traveling by foot
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
look attentively
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
exhaust or get tired through overuse or great strain or stress
From this reading "Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."
at the time that
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
which person or people
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
hope for; have a wish
From this reading Come down this walk, I wish to talk to you before you go into the house."
an adult female person (as opposed to a man)
From this reading "The servant who opened the gate for us said that the poor old woman died about day-break."
an affirmative
From this reading "Yes; when I arrived I found her speechless, and of course could do nothing but watch her die.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "Doctor Grey, you look weary and anxious."
Chapter 21 of Vashti by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans holds 255 sentences, grouped into 51 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, 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 21 holds 255 sentences of Vashti, unabridged, divided into 51 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Vashti by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 255 sentences, grouped into 51 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 51 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 51 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 21 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 Vashti by Augusta J. (Augusta Jane) Evans on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6667 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #31620 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #31620, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 555 minutes of reading across 1334 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Vashti section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 35 chapters of Vashti 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 Vashti, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
