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The Girl at the Halfway House
The Girl at the Halfway House

Chapter XXIII

Cover illustration for The Girl at the Halfway House
Context Illustration Reading 1/49 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.
To-day it was an oasis and a battle ground.
Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.
He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.
He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.
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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.

The Girl at the Halfway House

Chapter XXIII

Reading 1/49 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.
Line 2
To-day it was an oasis and a battle ground.
Line 3
Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.
Line 4
He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.
Line 5
He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

Learner Dictionary

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

About preposition US /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading “Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.”

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.”

Amid preposition US /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading “He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.”

Been auxiliary verb US /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading “He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.”

Long noun US /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.”

Passed noun US /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.”

Same noun US /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.”

Something pronoun US /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading “He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.”

Strength noun US /ˈstrength/

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

From this reading “He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.”

These determiner US /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading “He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.”

Thought noun US /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.”

All words in this reading · 81

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 THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

aid

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

all

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

amidprepositionUS /əˈmɪd/

in the middle of; surrounded by

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading To-day it was an oasis and a battle ground.

any

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

associations

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

battle

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

From this reading To-day it was an oasis and a battle ground.

beenauxiliary verbUS /bɪn/

the past participle of “be”

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

comfort

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

compared

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

day

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

deftly

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

desert

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

dissatisfaction

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

duties

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

ease

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

Ellen

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

engaged

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

felt

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

Franklin

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

gave

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

girl

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

give

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

ground

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

From this reading To-day it was an oasis and a battle ground.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

Halfway

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

HepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

House

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

household

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

ifconjunctionUS /ɪf/

on condition that; in the event that

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

itpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading To-day it was an oasis and a battle ground.

knew

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

longnounUS /long/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

longed

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

low

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

MAID

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

Mary

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

necessities

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

nurtured

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

oasis

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

OFprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

old

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

own

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

passednounUS /passed/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

performed

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

place

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

quietly

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

rebellion

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

room

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

rude

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

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

samenounUS /same/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

servant

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

shepronounUS /ʃiː/

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

some

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

somethingpronounUS /ˈsʌmθɪŋ/

a thing, without saying which

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

strengthnounUS /ˈstrength/

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

surroundings

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

thesedeterminerUS /ðiːz/

the plural of “this”: the people or things near, or just mentioned

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

used for a person or thing that is near, or that has just been mentioned

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

thoughtnounUS /thought/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading He longed to give her all the aid of his own strength, and to place her again, as he felt he some day might, in something of the old ease and comfort, if not in the same surroundings.

To-day

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

From this reading To-day it was an oasis and a battle ground.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

watched

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

WAY

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

From this reading THE WAY OF A MAID The Halfway House was an oasis in the desert.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading Franklin watched Mary Ellen as she passed quietly about the long, low room, engaged in household duties which she performed deftly as any servant.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading He compared these rude necessities with the associations amid which he knew this girl had been nurtured, and the thought gave him nothing but dissatisfaction and rebellion.