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The Tangled Skein
The Tangled Skein

Chapter XXVIII

Cover illustration for The Tangled Skein
Context Illustration Reading 1/72 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.
And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.
Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.
To save him! to save him!
But how?
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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 Tangled Skein

Chapter XXVIII

Reading 1/72 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.
Line 2
And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.
Line 3
Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.
Line 4
To save him! to save him!
/tuː seɪv hɪm tuː seɪv hɪm/
Line 5
But how?

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 “And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.”

Alone noun US /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.”

Cruel adjective US /ˈkruːəl/

causing pain or showing no kindness

From this reading “Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.”

Great noun US /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.”

Save preposition US /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading “To save him! to save him!”

Thinking noun US /thinking/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.”

Whilst conjunction US /waɪlst/

an old and formal word for “while”

From this reading “MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.”

Without preposition US /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading “MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.”

All words in this reading · 71

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 MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

againnounUS /again/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

alonenounUS /alone/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

AndconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

apartments

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

arraigned

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

atprepositionUS /æt/

in or near a particular place or position

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

beforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

brain

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

broken-hearted

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

capricious

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

chambers

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

charge

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

Court

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

crueladjectiveUS /ˈkruːəl/

causing pain or showing no kindness

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

day

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

desires

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

England

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

eternally

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

eyes

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

followed

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

greatnounUS /great/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

Hampton

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

heavy

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

herdeterminerUS /hɜːr/

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

himpronounUS /hɪm/

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

From this reading To save him! to save him!

hisdeterminerUS /hɪz/

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

how

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

From this reading But how?

inprepositionUS /ɪn/

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

lord

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

Mary

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

MARYE

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

middle-aged

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

murder

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

NotadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

now

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

onprepositionUS /ɑːn/

touching and supported by a surface

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

only

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

own

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

passionate

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

peers

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

praying

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

premier

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

preparing

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

private

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

proud

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

queen

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

QUEENE

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

reiterated

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

sat

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

saveprepositionUS /seɪv/

except for; apart from

From this reading To save him! to save him!

see

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

smaller

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

swollen

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

THEdeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

thinkingnounUS /thinking/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

Thus

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

Tudor

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

From this reading And in one of the smaller chambers of her own private apartments at Hampton Court, Mary Tudor sat alone, praying and thinking, thinking and praying again.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

weeping

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

whilstconjunctionUS /waɪlst/

an old and formal word for “while”

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

wilful

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

withoutprepositionUS /wɪˈθaʊt/

not having, not using, or not accompanied by

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.

woman

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

From this reading Not a queen now, not a proud and wilful Tudor, passionate, cruel, or capricious, but only a middle-aged, broken-hearted woman, with eyes swollen with weeping, and brain heavy with eternally reiterated desires.

world

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

From this reading MARYE, THE QUEENE Thus day followed day, whilst in the great world without, England was preparing to see her premier lord arraigned before his peers on a charge of murder.