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Middlemarch
Middlemarch

Chapter XXV

Cover illustration for Middlemarch
Context Illustration Reading 1/84 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
“His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”
—WORDSWORTH.
On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.
His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—
“The greatest comfort, Camden, is that you have deserved it.”
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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.

Middlemarch

Chapter XXV

Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
“His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”
Line 2
—WORDSWORTH.
Line 3
On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.
Line 4
His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—
Line 5
“The greatest comfort, Camden, is that you have deserved it.”

Learner Dictionary

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

Even noun US /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.”

Itself pronoun US /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading ““His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.””

Left noun US /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—”

Look noun US /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.”

Parlor noun US /ˈpɑːrlər/

an old-fashioned sitting room

From this reading “On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.”

Seemed noun US /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.”

All words in this reading · 78

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 His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

andeterminerUS /æn/

the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

brightness

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

Camden

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

From this reading “The greatest comfort, Camden, is that you have deserved it.”

cheeks

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

comfort

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

From this reading “The greatest comfort, Camden, is that you have deserved it.”

decisively

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

deserved

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

From this reading “The greatest comfort, Camden, is that you have deserved it.”

didauxiliary verbUS /dɪd/

the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives

From this reading “His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”

duties

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

From this reading “His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”

emotion

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

evennounUS /even/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

evening

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

eyes

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

far-off

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

Farebrother

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

fashioned

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

flush

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

give

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

greatest

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

From this reading “The greatest comfort, Camden, is that you have deserved it.”

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

heart

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

From this reading “His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

HisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned

From this reading “His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”

identity

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “The greatest comfort, Camden, is that you have deserved it.”

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “The greatest comfort, Camden, is that you have deserved it.”

itselfpronounUS /ˌɪtˈself/

used when the thing doing the action is also its object

From this reading “His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”

joy

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

June

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

knew

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

lawyers

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

lay

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

From this reading “His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”

leftnounUS /left/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

living

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

looknounUS /look/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

Lowick

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

lowliest

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

From this reading “His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”

momentary

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

mother

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

Mr

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

old

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading “His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”

only

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

parlornounUS /ˈpɑːrlər/

an old-fashioned sitting room

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

portraits

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

pretty

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

primness

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

sat

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

satisfaction

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

saying

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

seemednounUS /seemed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

self

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

showing

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

tea

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading “His heart The lowliest duties on itself did lay.”

there

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

toast

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

touching

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

untouched

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

usual

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading On that June evening when Mr. Farebrother knew that he was to have the Lowick living, there was joy in the old fashioned parlor, and even the portraits of the great lawyers seemed to look on with satisfaction.

woman

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—

WORDSWORTH

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

From this reading —WORDSWORTH.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “The greatest comfort, Camden, is that you have deserved it.”

youthful

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

From this reading His mother left her tea and toast untouched, but sat with her usual pretty primness, only showing her emotion by that flush in the cheeks and brightness in the eyes which give an old woman a touching momentary identity with her far-off youthful self, and saying decisively—