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The Light That Failed
The Light That Failed

Chapter X

Cover illustration for The Light That Failed
Context Illustration Reading 1/48 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.
Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.
—_The Fight of Heriot’s Ford_.
“This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.
“Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.
0:00 / 0:00
Speed 0.75x
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 Light That Failed

Chapter X

Reading 1/48 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.
Line 2
Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.
Line 3
—_The Fight of Heriot’s Ford_.
Line 4
“This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.
Line 5
“Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

Learner Dictionary

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

Against preposition US /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading “What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.”

Believe noun US /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading ““Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.”

Dick noun US /dick/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.”

Have auxiliary verb US /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading ““Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.”

Must modal verb US /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading “What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.”

Shadow noun US /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading “What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.”

All words in this reading · 64

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 “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

againstprepositionUS /əˈɡenst/

touching and pressing; in opposition to

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

areauxiliary verbUS /ɑːr/

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

away

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

believenounUS /ˈbelieve/

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

Bessie

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

canmodal verbUS /kæn/

to be able to, or to be allowed to

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

can't

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

cheerful

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

darkness

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

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

days

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

Dick

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

down

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

fast

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

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

fight

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

foe

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

follows

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

Ford

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

From this reading —_The Fight of Heriot’s Ford_.

gathers

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

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

get

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

glow

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

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

hates

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

haveauxiliary verbUS /hæv/

used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

He's

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

Heriot's

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

From this reading —_The Fight of Heriot’s Ford_.

hirples

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

horse

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

indigestion

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

isauxiliary verbUS /ɪz/

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

later

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

letters

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

lord

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

Maisie's

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

mepronounUS /miː/

the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

Melancolia

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

mustmodal verbUS /mʌst/

used to say something is necessary, or almost certainly true

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

mydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

night

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

notion

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

overpast

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

ride

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

said

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

scrappy

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

shadownounUS /ˈʃæd.oʊ/

A dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface.

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

side

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

some

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

sunset

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

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

swift

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

Then

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

ThisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading “This is a cheerful life,” said Dick, some days later.

Torp's

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

From this reading “Torp’s away; Bessie hates me; I can’t get at the notion of the Melancolia; Maisie’s letters are scrappy; and I believe I have indigestion.

war

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

From this reading Ye war against the sunset glow; The darkness gathers fast, my lord.

What's

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

wheel

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

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

yepronounUS /jiː/

an old word for “you”, speaking to more than one person

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading What’s you that follows at my side?— The foe that ye must fight, my lord.— That hirples swift as I can ride?— The shadow of the night, my lord.— Then wheel my horse against the foe!— He’s down and overpast, my lord.