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A Bottle in the Smoke
A Bottle in the Smoke

Chapter XXXIII

Cover illustration for A Bottle in the Smoke
Context Illustration Reading 1/38 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.
Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.
Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.
As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.
It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.
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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.

A Bottle in the Smoke

Chapter XXXIII

Reading 1/38 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.
Line 2
Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.
Line 3
Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.
Line 4
As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.
Line 5
It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.

Learner Dictionary

Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, audio, and collocations from this reading.

Afternoon noun US /ˈafternoon/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.”

Complete noun US /complete/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.”

First noun US /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.”

Good noun US /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.”

Hands plural noun US /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading “As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.”

Journey noun US /ˈjourney/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.”

Mind noun US /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.”

Still noun US /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.”

Suddenly noun US /ˈsuddenly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.”

Take noun US /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.”

Waiting noun US /ˈwaiting/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading “Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.”

Well noun US /well/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.”

All words in this reading · 83

Every word is available to listen to. Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.

adeterminerUS /ə/

used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

advanced

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

afternoonnounUS /ˈafternoon/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

Alfred

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

all

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

arrangements

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

AsconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

client

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

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

communication

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

completenounUS /complete/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

deal

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

departure

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

detained

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

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

disagreeable

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

earlier

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

expected

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

extraordinary

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

firstnounUS /first/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.

folded

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

goodnounUS /good/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

handsplural nounUS /hændz/

members of a ship’s crew

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

hepronounUS /hiː/

a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

Hester

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

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

hills

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

home

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

how

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

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

hurry

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

husband's

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

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

important

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

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

inside something, or within a place, period, or state

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

interview

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

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

journeynounUS /ˈjourney/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

late

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

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

mindnounUS /mind/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

own

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

preparations

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

projected

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

realising

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

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

reckoned

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

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

return

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

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

reverted

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

sat

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.

settle

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

shape

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

From this reading It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

sighed

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

From this reading It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.

sitting

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

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

softly

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

From this reading It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.

some

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

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

stillnounUS /still/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

suddenlynounUS /ˈsuddenly/

a story-specific word describing an important person, object, action, or idea in this passage

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

takenounUS /take/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

theirdeterminerUS /ðer/

belonging to the people or things already mentioned

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

there

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

thoughts

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It seemed to take shape in her mind for the first time and she sighed softly.

toparticleUS /tuː/

used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

usual

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

verandah

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

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

visitors

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

waiting

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

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading Hester was still sitting in the verandah waiting her husband's return.

wearily

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

From this reading As she sat with folded hands wearily waiting, her thoughts suddenly reverted to the disagreeable visitors of the afternoon and their extraordinary communication.

well

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

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun

From this reading Her own preparations for the projected journey to the hills were well advanced, but there was still a good deal to settle before their departure, and she had expected Alfred to hurry home earlier than usual to complete all arrangements.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Not realising how late it was, she reckoned that he must have been detained by some important interview with a client.