Serafina and the Black Cloak: Chapters 4–6

by Robert Beatty
This first book of the series introduces twelve-year-old Serafina, who secretly lives in the basement of 19th-century Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, but she risks getting caught in order to save other children from a mysterious man in a black cloak.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–3, Chapters 4–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–19, Chapters 20–31
40 words 10 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. mewl
    cry weakly or softly
    And I heard a strange mewling, crying sound.
  2. reconcile
    bring into consonance or accord
    It was like he couldn’t reconcile his memory of that dark night with the daughter he had now, and he had to tell the story the only way he could: as if it wasn’t her at all.
  3. in earnest
    in a serious manner
    And here, finally, her father paused and looked at her in earnest. “And that’s you now, Sera,” he said.
  4. misshapen
    so badly formed or distorted as to be ugly
    It’s plain to see that you’re not like other girls, but you’re not misshapen or hideous like them nuns said you’d be. You’re remarkably graceful in your movements—fast and agile like I’ve never seen. You’re not deaf and blind like they said, but real sharp in your senses.
  5. turmoil
    violent agitation
    There was turmoil in her heart, but one thing she knew for sure: her father believed in her.
  6. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    “Maybe she is,” he relented, gently.
  7. figment
    a contrived or fantastic idea
    “I’ve been prayin’ to God in heaven that it was a figment of your imagination.”
  8. elaborate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    While her pa launched into an elaborate explanation of exactly how a dynamo generated electricity to the bewildered men, Serafina crawled along the ceiling, dropped silently to the floor behind them, and darted out the open door.
  9. hunker down
    crouch or squat into a low position
    She dashed down the corridor and crawled into a small coal chute, then curled up in the darkness and hunkered down.
  10. saunter
    walk leisurely and with no apparent aim
    But the more she thought about it, the more she reckoned that maybe her momma didn’t just go sauntering into the forest that night to give birth.
  11. putrid
    in an advanced state of decomposition and having a foul odor
    It had the size and color of one of the nasty vermin, but as she took a step closer, her nose wrinkled. It gave off a putrid, foul smell, but it wasn’t a rat.
  12. slough
    cast off hair, skin, horn, or feathers
    The flakes and patches of skin inside appeared as if they had sloughed off the hand that had last worn the glove.
  13. unkempt
    not neatly combed
    As it was, she just wasn’t sure what sort of impression she’d made, except that she was dirty, rude, unkempt, and had bad hair.
  14. galumph
    move around heavily and clumsily
    The adults spoke so loudly and made such a galumphing noise when they stomped all over the place that they were easy to avoid.
  15. frond
    compound leaf of a fern or palm or cycad
    She dashed over to the Winter Garden, where she hid beneath the fronds of the tropical plants.
  16. adorn
    make more attractive, as by adding ornament or color
    “She could be just about anywhere, Mr. Pratt,” Miss Whitney agreed, looking behind the sofa just as Serafina hid in the green velvet curtains that adorned the windows.
  17. livery
    a uniform, especially worn by servants and chauffeurs
    She had just enough time to see that Mr. Pratt was wearing white gloves, a black tie, and a black-and-white footman’s livery, but she took special notice of his black patent-leather dress shoes.
  18. perturbed
    thrown into a state of agitated confusion
    He could be anybody. And she was still mightily perturbed at him for not coming straight with her sooner.
  19. wraith
    a ghostly figure, especially one seen shortly before death
    If the Man in the Black Cloak was some sort of wraith that drifted out of the forest at night, or if he conjured himself out of the ether in the basement, then she probably wouldn’t find very much evidence of him in the upper floors of the house.
  20. ether
    a medium that was once thought to fill all space
    If the Man in the Black Cloak was some sort of wraith that drifted out of the forest at night, or if he conjured himself out of the ether in the basement, then she probably wouldn’t find very much evidence of him in the upper floors of the house.
  21. scullery
    a small room next to the kitchen for household jobs
    There were quite a few people coming and going through this busy area, but she hoped that if anyone spotted her, they’d assume she was a scullery maid or a kindling girl going about her chores.
  22. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    “No, no, no!” Mr. Crankshod shouted, knowing it was a ruse. “What’s this, now, ya little beggar? You ain’t no shoeshine girl! Who is ya? Where’d ya come from?”
  23. aristocratic
    belonging to or characteristic of the nobility
    “Ah, yes, Aunt Edith did mention something about getting my boots shined. I had quite forgotten,” he said, exaggerating the aristocratic air in his voice.
  24. furrow
    make or become wrinkled or creased
    Then he looked at her sharply and his eyebrows furrowed into a frown.
  25. paisley
    a fabric with a colorful swirled pattern of curved shapes
    As she crouched uncertainly on the floor, she could not help but marvel at the carriage’s luxuriously appointed finery with its hand-carved woodwork, brass fixtures, beveled-glass windows, and plush, paisley, tufted seats.
  26. jounce
    move up and down repeatedly
    Just as Serafina looked up at him and their eyes were about to meet, the horses pulled and the carriage jounced forward.
  27. chastise
    scold or criticize severely
    “No, Gidean,” Braeden chastised him.
  28. reprimand
    an act or expression of criticism and censure
    In any case, Gidean’s ears crumpled and his head lowered under the force of his master’s reprimand.
  29. facade
    the front of a building
    When the carriage rumbled into a turn, Serafina looked out the window and saw the grand facade of the house.
  30. turret
    a small tower extending above a building
    Chimneys, turrets, and towers formed the spires of its almost Gothic presence.
  31. spire
    a tall tower that forms the superstructure of a building
    Chimneys, turrets, and towers formed the spires of its almost Gothic presence.
  32. ominous
    threatening or foreshadowing evil or tragic developments
    But as the sun withdrew its brightness behind the surrounding mountains, it cast ominous shadows across the estate, which reminded her of griffins, chimeras, and other twisted creatures of the night that were half one thing and half another.
  33. chimera
    a mythical creature formed from the parts of other animals
    But as the sun withdrew its brightness behind the surrounding mountains, it cast ominous shadows across the estate, which reminded her of griffins, chimeras, and other twisted creatures of the night that were half one thing and half another.
  34. foreboding
    ominously prophetic
    In one moment, the estate was the most beautiful home you had ever seen, but in the next, it was a dark and foreboding haunted castle.
  35. comply
    act in accordance with someone's rules, commands, or wishes
    Gidean complied with his master’s request and lay down at his feet.
  36. aloof
    distant, cold, or detached in manner
    He wasn’t anything like what she imagined the young master of the Vanderbilt mansion would be, especially as good-looking and well educated as he was. She had expected him to be snobbish, bossy, and aloof, but he was none of these things.
  37. conspiratorial
    relating to or characteristic of a secret plot or agreement
    “I don’t think Clara Brahms is hiding,” he said in a conspiratorial tone. “Do you?”
  38. skulduggery
    misrepresentation intended to take advantage of someone
    A boy who whispered about kidnappings and skulduggery was the kind of boy she could learn to like.
  39. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    They were traveling down a narrow dirt road that wound through a thick and darkened forest, the very forest that her pa had warned her to never enter. And the very forest where she had been born. She couldn’t help but feel a pang of trepidation.
  40. decrepit
    lacking bodily or muscular strength or vitality
    All she could see was the thick density of the forest’s huge old trees, black and decrepit, which grew so closely together that she could barely tell one from the other.
Created on Wed Apr 10 15:52:08 EDT 2024 (updated Sat Apr 13 11:34:09 EDT 2024)

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