Chapter 21 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories is here in full — 228 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXI
Chapter 21 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories is here in full — 228 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Let me understand,” he said at last. “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.” “He says he meant to take her—” “Do you believe that?” Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window. How long she had been there I don't know.
Chapter 21 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories is here in full — 228 sentences across 46 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/45 · 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.
react verbally
From this reading “Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.”
plural of “desert” — arid land with little or no vegetation
From this reading ““He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.””
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading ““He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.””
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading ““He says he meant to take her—” “Do you believe that?””
having a supporting base
From this reading “Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.”
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading ““He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.””
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading ““Let me understand,” he said at last.”
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading “Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.”
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 “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
react verbally
From this reading Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading “Let me understand,” he said at last.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading How long she had been there I don't know.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.
accept as true; take to be true
From this reading “He says he meant to take her—” “Do you believe that?”
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.
plural of “desert” — arid land with little or no vegetation
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading “He says he meant to take her—” “Do you believe that?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How long she had been there I don't know.
a period of fourteen consecutive days
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading How long she had been there I don't know.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading “Let me understand,” he said at last.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading How long she had been there I don't know.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading How long she had been there I don't know.
immediately past
From this reading “Let me understand,” he said at last.
used to make a suggestion or a command including the speaker
From this reading “Let me understand,” he said at last.
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 How long she had been there I don't know.
engage in
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading “Let me understand,” he said at last.
inflected form of “mean” — mean or intend to express or convey
From this reading “He says he meant to take her—” “Do you believe that?”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading “Let me understand,” he said at last.
cut with a saw
From this reading Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.
express in words
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
plural of “say” — the chance to speak
From this reading “He says he meant to take her—” “Do you believe that?”
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading How long she had been there I don't know.
having a supporting base
From this reading Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.
a wide scarf worn about their shoulders by women
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
having or feeling no doubt or uncertainty; confident and assured
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
carry out
From this reading “He says he meant to take her—” “Do you believe that?”
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading “He says he meant to take her—” “Do you believe that?”
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.
in or at that place or location
From this reading How long she had been there I don't know.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
know and comprehend the nature or meaning of
From this reading “Let me understand,” he said at last.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading Before I could answer, I saw Pasiance standing at the window.
inside; before a period of time has passed
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “He stole her, you say, to make sure; and deserts her within a fortnight.”
Chapter 21 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories by John Galsworthy holds 228 sentences, grouped into 46 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 21 holds 228 sentences of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories, unabridged, divided into 46 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 21 of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories by John Galsworthy exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 228 sentences, grouped into 46 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 46 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 46 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 Villa Rubein, and Other Stories by John Galsworthy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 7123 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2639 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2639, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 593 minutes of reading across 1425 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Villa Rubein, and Other Stories section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 33 chapters of Villa Rubein, and Other Stories 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 Villa Rubein, and Other Stories, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
