Complete classic literature • Five-line readings • Clear US narration
VELMORA ACADEMY
Academy of Archival Languages & Memory Studies
Menu Close
Whiteladies
Whiteladies

Chapter I

Cover illustration for Whiteladies
Context Illustration Reading 1/28 · 5 lines
English subtitles · tap any word to listen 1 / 5
It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.
The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.
The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.
No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.
Before that period no trace of them was to be found.
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.

Whiteladies

Chapter I

Reading 1/28 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5

Line 1
It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.
Line 2
The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.
Line 3
The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.
Line 4
No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.
Line 5
Before that period no trace of them was to be found.

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 “The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.”

Before preposition US /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading “Before that period no trace of them was to be found.”

Behind preposition US /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading “The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.”

Being auxiliary verb US /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading “No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.”

Could modal verb US /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading “No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.”

Deserted verb US /dɪˈzɜːrtɪd/

left a place or vessel without intending to return

From this reading “It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.”

Found noun US /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “Before that period no trace of them was to be found.”

Might modal verb US /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading “It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.”

Name noun US /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.”

Nothing pronoun US /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading “The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.”

One pronoun US /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading “The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.”

Suppose noun US /ˈsuppose/

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

From this reading “It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.”

Tell noun US /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.”

Time noun US /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading “The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.”

All words in this reading · 90

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 was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

aboutprepositionUS /əˈbaʊt/

on the subject of; concerning

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

andeterminerUS /æn/

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

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

andconjunctionUS /ənd/

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

asconjunctionUS /æz/

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

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

Austins

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

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

away

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

beauxiliary verbUS /biː/

used with a past participle to form the passive, or with -ing for continuous tenses

From this reading Before that period no trace of them was to be found.

BeforeprepositionUS /bɪˈfɔːr/

earlier than; in front of

From this reading Before that period no trace of them was to be found.

behindprepositionUS /bɪˈhaɪnd/

at or toward the back of something

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

beingauxiliary verbUS /ˈbiːɪŋ/

the -ing form of “be”

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

bit

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

buildings

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

butconjunctionUS /bʌt/

used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

byprepositionUS /baɪ/

showing who or what does the action

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

came

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

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

chapel

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

Church

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

clearly

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

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

closely

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

convent

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

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

conventual

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

couldmodal verbUS /kʊd/

the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

date

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

desertedverbUS /dɪˈzɜːrtɪd/

left a place or vessel without intending to return

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

destroyed

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

doubt

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

dropped

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

family

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

foundnounUS /found/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading Before that period no trace of them was to be found.

fromprepositionUS /frʌm/

showing where something starts, or who sent it

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

hadauxiliary verbUS /hæd/

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

Henry

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

house

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

how

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

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

inhabited

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

intoprepositionUS /ˈɪntuː/

moving to the inside of something

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

ItpronounUS /ɪt/

a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

itsdeterminerUS /ɪts/

belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

ivy

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

lands

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

lay

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

leaving

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

made

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

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

manor

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

manor-house

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

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

mantled

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

mightmodal verbUS /maɪt/

used to say something is possible but not certain

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

mile

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

namenounUS /name/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

nodeterminerUS /noʊ/

not any; not one

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

notadverbUS /nɑːt/

used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

nothingpronounUS /ˈnʌθɪŋ/

not one thing; not anything

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

now

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

ofprepositionUS /ʌv/

belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

old

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

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

older

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

onepronounUS /wʌn/

used to mean any person in general, including the speaker

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

orconjunctionUS /ɔːr/

used to join alternatives or possibilities

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

orchard

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

period

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

From this reading Before that period no trace of them was to be found.

place

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

possessions

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

priory

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

quarter

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

s

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

supposenounUS /ˈsuppose/

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

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

taken

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

tellnounUS /tell/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

thanconjunctionUS /ðæn/

used to introduce the second part of a comparison

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

thatconjunctionUS /ðæt/

used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt

From this reading Before that period no trace of them was to be found.

thedeterminerUS /ðə/

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

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

thempronounUS /ðem/

the people or things already mentioned, as the object

From this reading Before that period no trace of them was to be found.

thisdeterminerUS /ðɪs/

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

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

timenounUS /time/

an important story-specific word used in this passage

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

toparticleUS /tuː/

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

trace

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

From this reading Before that period no trace of them was to be found.

transfer

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

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

transferred

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

veiled

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

very

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

From this reading No one could tell very clearly how this transfer was made, or how the family of Austins came into being.

VIII

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

wall

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

wasauxiliary verbUS /wɑːz/

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

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.

wereauxiliary verbUS /wɜːr/

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

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

whenconjunctionUS /wen/

at the time that

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

whichpronounUS /wɪtʃ/

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

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

whopronounUS /huː/

which person or people

From this reading The lands were Church lands, but the house was a lay house, of an older date than the family who had inhabited it from Henry VIII.’s time, when the priory was destroyed, and its possessions transferred to the manor.

withprepositionUS /wɪð/

in the company of; together with

From this reading The conventual buildings from which no doubt the place had taken its name, had dropped away, bit by bit, leaving nothing but one wall of the chapel, now closely veiled and mantled with ivy, behind the orchard, about a quarter of a mile from the house.

youpronounUS /juː/

the person or people being spoken to

From this reading It was an old manor-house, not a deserted convent, as you might suppose by the name.