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The Mayor's Wife
The Mayor's Wife

Chapter XXIII · The Sins of the Fathers

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Context Illustration Reading 1/14 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:
“My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”
Then he relapsed again into silence.
Mrs. Packard shuddered and went on:
“It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.
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AI-generated narration by OpenAI · Slow US English
LEARNER DICTIONARY
Archivist
/ˈɑːrkɪvɪst/
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A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.

The Mayor's Wife

Chapter XXIII · The Sins of the Fathers

Reading 1/14 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:
Line 2
“My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”
Line 3
Then he relapsed again into silence.
Line 4
Mrs. Packard shuddered and went on:
Line 5
“It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

Learner Dictionary

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

Again noun US /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Then he relapsed again into silence.”

Hand noun US /hand/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.””

Himself pronoun US /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading “The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:”

Journey noun US /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading ““It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.”

Life noun US /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading ““It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.”

May modal verb US /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading ““It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.”

Myself pronoun US /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading ““It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading ““It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.”

Relieved noun US /ˈrelieved/

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

From this reading “The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:”

Silence noun US /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading “Then he relapsed again into silence.”

Upon preposition US /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading ““It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.”

Went noun US /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Mrs. Packard shuddered and went on:”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading ““It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.”

All words in this reading · 72

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 “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Then he relapsed again into silence.

allowed

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading “My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

bullet

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

From this reading “My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

columns

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

completed

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

entered

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

explanation

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

eyes

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

fall

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

following

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

forprepositionUS /fɔːr/

intended to be given to, or used by, somebody

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

hand

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

From this reading “My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”

hepronounUS /hiː/

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

From this reading Then he relapsed again into silence.

held

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

high

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

From this reading “My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”

himselfpronounUS /hɪmˈself/

used when the man or boy doing the action is also its object

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

house

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

IpronounUS /aɪ/

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

inch

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

From this reading “My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”

incredible

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

instant

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading Then he relapsed again into silence.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

journeynounUS /ˈjourney/

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

letting

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

lifenounUS /life/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

made

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

maymodal verbUS /meɪ/

used to say something is possible, or to give permission

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

moment

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

Mr

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

Mrs

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

From this reading Mrs. Packard shuddered and went on:

MydeterminerUS /maɪ/

belonging to the person speaking

From this reading “My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”

myselfpronounUS /ˌmaɪˈself/

used when the speaker is also the object of the action

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

new

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

newspaper

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

now

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading Mrs. Packard shuddered and went on:

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

Packard

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

From this reading Mrs. Packard shuddered and went on:

penetrated

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

From this reading “My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”

relapsed

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

From this reading Then he relapsed again into silence.

relievednounUS /ˈrelieved/

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

seem

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

seems

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

shuddered

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

From this reading Mrs. Packard shuddered and went on:

silencenounUS /ˈsaɪ.ləns/

Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.

From this reading Then he relapsed again into silence.

speechless

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

started

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

Steele

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

suspense

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

tense

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

ThedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

Then

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

From this reading Then he relapsed again into silence.

there

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

too

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

From this reading “My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”

trembled

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

From this reading “My hand trembled and the bullet penetrated an inch too high.”

uncle's

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

uponprepositionUS /əˈpɑːn/

a formal word for “on”

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

uspronounUS /ʌs/

the speaker and others, as the object of a verb or preposition

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

welcome

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

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

wentnounUS /went/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Mrs. Packard shuddered and went on:

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The suspense which had held us tense and speechless was for the moment relieved and Mr. Steele allowed himself the following explanation:

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading “It may seem incredible to you, it seems incredible now to myself, but I completed my journey, entered my uncle’s house, was made welcome there and started upon my new life without letting my eyes fall for one instant on the columns of a newspaper.