Chapter 4 of Wolfville is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter IV
Chapter 4 of Wolfville is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE WASHWOMAN'S WAR. It was evening. The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity. But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight. There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
Chapter 4 of Wolfville is here in full — 162 sentences across 33 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/32 · 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.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading “There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.”
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading “The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.”
water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air
From this reading “There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.”
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading “There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.”
the act of providing vague advance indications; representing beforehand
From this reading “The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.”
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading “But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.”
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading “The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.”
familiar with many parts of the world
From this reading “But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.”
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 There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
(quantifier) used with either mass or count nouns to indicate the whole number or amount of or every one of a class
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
stay clear from; keep away from; keep out of the way of someone or something
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
(comparative of “good”) superior to another (of the same class or set or kind) in excellence or quality or desirability or suitability; more highly skilled than another
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
a man who raises (or tends) cattle
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
wearing or provided with clothing; sometimes used in combination
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
the act of drawing spatially closer to something
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
water that has condensed on a cool surface overnight from water vapor in the air
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
the latter part of the day (the period of decreasing daylight from late afternoon until nightfall)
From this reading It was evening.
something regarded with special favor or liking
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
the act of providing vague advance indications; representing beforehand
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
of comparatively great physical weight or density
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading It was evening.
inflected form of “know” — be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
12 o'clock at night; the middle of the night
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
the time after sunset and before sunrise while it is dark outside
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
the quality of being unclear or abstruse and hard to understand
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The first dark foreshadowing of the coming night clothed all in half obscurity.
(used especially of persons) having lived for a relatively long time or attained a specific age
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
a course of conduct
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE WASHWOMAN'S WAR.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
familiar with many parts of the world
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading There he was, the Old Cattleman, under a favorite tree, the better to avoid the heavy dew.
the waging of armed conflict against an enemy
From this reading THE WASHWOMAN'S WAR.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading It was evening.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading THE WASHWOMAN'S WAR.
how something is done or how it happens
From this reading But I knew the way; I could have travelled the little path at midnight.
Chapter 4 of Wolfville by Alfred Henry Lewis holds 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 4 holds 162 sentences of Wolfville, unabridged, divided into 33 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 4 of Wolfville by Alfred Henry Lewis exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 162 sentences, grouped into 33 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 33 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 33 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 4 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 Wolfville by Alfred Henry Lewis on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3978 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #3732 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #3732, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 331 minutes of reading across 796 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Wolfville section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 24 chapters of Wolfville 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 Wolfville, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
