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adeterminerUS /ə/
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
admonition
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
andeterminerUS /æn/
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
andconjunctionUS /ənd/
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
antecedents
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
any
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
anybodypronounUS /ˈenibədi/
any person at all
From this reading They owed nothing to anybody.
arose
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
asconjunctionUS /æz/
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading But this was pure liberality, generosity as his friends called it.
atprepositionUS /æt/
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
authorities
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
beauxiliary verbUS /biː/
used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses
From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
belonged
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
butconjunctionUS /bʌt/
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
call
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
called
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From this reading But this was pure liberality, generosity as his friends called it.
class
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
classify
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
clerks
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
comenounUS /come/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
common
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
comprehended
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
deal
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From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
depended
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
dependents
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
difficult
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
Diroms
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
England
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
estates
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
families
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
firm
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
fling
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
friends
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From this reading But this was pure liberality, generosity as his friends called it.
fully
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
generosity
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From this reading But this was pure liberality, generosity as his friends called it.
goodnounUS /good/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
greatnounUS /great/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
happened
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
hepronounUS /hiː/
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
head
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading But this was pure liberality, generosity as his friends called it.
hold
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
ill
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
inprepositionUS /ɪn/
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
itpronounUS /ɪt/
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
joke
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
keep
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
lay
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
liberality
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From this reading But this was pure liberality, generosity as his friends called it.
littlenounUS /little/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
money
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From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
moralist
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
nature
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
neitherdeterminerUS /ˈniːðər/
not one and not the other of two
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
nodeterminerUS /noʊ/
not any; not one
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
nobodypronounUS /ˈnoʊbɑːdiː/
no person; not anyone
From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
norconjunctionUS /nɔːr/
and not; used after a negative to add a second negative
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
notadverbUS /nɑːt/
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/
not one thing; not anything
From this reading They owed nothing to anybody.
notice
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
now
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
ofprepositionUS /ʌv/
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
office
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
out
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
owed
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From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
people
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
perhaps
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
poornounUS /poor/
an important story-specific word used in this passage
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
popularly
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From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
porters
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
power
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From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
probably
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
pure
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From this reading But this was pure liberality, generosity as his friends called it.
recognized
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From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
responsibilities
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
rich
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
soconjunctionUS /soʊ/
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
society
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From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
ThedeterminerUS /ðə/
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
theirdeterminerUS /ðer/
belonging to the people or things already mentioned
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
thempronounUS /ðem/
the people or things already mentioned, as the object
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
themselvespronounUS /ðemˈselvz/
used when the people doing the action are also its object
From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
TheypronounUS /ðeɪ/
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They had a great deal of money, which is popularly recognized to be power, and they owed it to nobody but themselves.
thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/
used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned
From this reading But this was pure liberality, generosity as his friends called it.
thoughconjunctionUS /ðoʊ/
in spite of the fact that
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
toparticleUS /tuː/
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
trouble
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
underprepositionUS /ˈʌndər/
below or beneath something; less than
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
up
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From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/
a formal word for “on”
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
very
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading But this was pure liberality, generosity as his friends called it.
wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
whenconjunctionUS /wen/
at the time that
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
withprepositionUS /wɪð/
in the company of; together with
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/
not having, not using, or not accompanied by
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
wouldmodal verbUS /wʊd/
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading They had no estates to keep up; no poor people depended upon them; the clerks and porters at the office were not to call dependents, though probably--out of good nature, when they were ill or trouble arose in their families, if it happened to come under the notice of the head of the firm, he would fling them a little money, perhaps with an admonition, perhaps with a joke.
yetconjunctionUS /jet/
but in spite of that
From this reading The Diroms belonged to a class now very common in England, the class of very rich people without any antecedents or responsibilities, which it is so difficult to classify or lay hold of, and which neither the authorities of society nor the moralist have yet fully comprehended.
