The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle: Chapters 1–2

by Avi
In this work of historical fiction, thirteen-year-old Charlotte encounters adventure on the high seas as she sails from England to America.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–16, Chapters 17–22
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. transpire
    come about, happen, or occur
    But before I begin relating what happened, you must know something about me as I was in the year 1832—when these events transpired.
  2. untoward
    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper
    I certainly wanted to be a lady. It was not just my ambition; it was my destiny. I embraced it wholly, gladly, with not an untoward thought of anything else.
  3. ardent
    characterized by strong enthusiasm
    My father, an ardent believer in regularity and order, decided it would be better if I finished out my school term rather than break it off midyear.
  4. boarder
    a pupil who lives at school during term time
    First, they felt that by my remaining a boarder at the Barrington School for Better Girls (Miss Weed, eminent and most proper headmistress) I would lose no school time.
  5. eminent
    standing above others in quality or position
    First, they felt that by my remaining a boarder at the Barrington School for Better Girls (Miss Weed, eminent and most proper headmistress) I would lose no school time.
  6. lark
    any carefree episode
    So when you consider that I had but dim memories of making the crossing to England when I was six, you will understand that I saw the forthcoming voyage as all a lark.
  7. fateful
    having momentous consequences; of decisive importance
    Keeping that journal then is what enables me to relate now in perfect detail everything that transpired during that fateful voyage across the Atlantic Ocean in the summer of 1832.
  8. sallow
    unhealthy looking
    Mr. Grummage was dressed in a black frock coat with a stove pipe hat that added to his considerable height. His somber, sallow face registered no emotion. His eyes might have been those of a dead fish.
  9. agog
    highly excited
    Our little parade reached dockside in good order. There I became instantly agog at the mass of ships that lay before us, masts and spars thick as the bristles on a brush.
  10. intoxicating
    extremely exciting
    Oh yes, the smell of the sea was intoxicating to one who knew little more than the smell of the trim cut lawns and the fields of the Barrington School.
  11. hubbub
    loud confused noise from many sources
    Then too, the surging crowds of workers, sailors, and merchants—all rough-hewn, brawny men—created an exotic late afternoon hubbub.
  12. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    “Mr. Grummage, sir,” I called over the din. “What is the name of the ship I’m to sail on?”
  13. quell
    suppress or crush completely
    To prove the point he turned to move again. I, however, unable to quell my excited curiosity, managed to slip in one more question.
  14. breach
    a failure to perform some promised act or obligation
    “Are you addressing me?” Mr. Grummage inquired, making it perfectly clear that if so, the porter had committed a serious breach of decorum.
  15. decorum
    propriety in manners and conduct
    “Are you addressing me?” Mr. Grummage inquired, making it perfectly clear that if so, the porter had committed a serious breach of decorum.
  16. indignation
    a feeling of righteous anger
    “See here,” Mr. Grummage cried with indignation. “You undertook...”
    “Never mind what I undertook,” the man retorted. “It’s worth more to me to avoid that man than to close with your coin.”
  17. retort
    answer back
    “See here,” Mr. Grummage cried with indignation. “You undertook...”
    “Never mind what I undertook,” the man retorted. “It’s worth more to me to avoid that man than to close with your coin.”
  18. disdainfully
    without respect
    The man paused, looked at Mr. Grummage, at me, at the trunk. “That?” he asked disdainfully.
  19. quay
    wharf usually built parallel to the shoreline
    After guiding us through a maze of docks and quays, he came to a stop.
  20. moor
    secure in or as if in a berth or dock
    With a half turn he announced, “There she sits,” and gestured to a ship moored to the slip before us.
  21. wane
    become smaller
    But as I waited on the dock for something like half an hour—all but unmoving in the waning light of day—I could only gaze upon the ship.
  22. unduly
    to an unnecessary degree
    To say that I was unduly alarmed when I examined the Seahawk would be nonsense. I had not the remotest superstitious notion of what was to come.
  23. docile
    easily handled or managed
    In the shadowy light that twisted and distorted its features I was struck by the notion that this figure looked more like an angry, avenging angel than a docile bird.
  24. gesticulate
    show, express, or direct through movement
    My gentleman repeatedly looked down at me, and, so I thought, gesticulated in my direction as if I were the subject of a heated discussion.
  25. amiss
    not functioning properly
    “Is something amiss?" I asked in a whisper.
    “Not at all!" he snapped.
  26. intone
    speak carefully, as with rising and falling pitch
    “Miss Doyle,” Mr. Grummage intoned by way of introduction, “both Captain Jaggery and the first mate are ashore. May I present the second mate, Mr. Keetch.”
  27. succumb
    be fatally overwhelmed
    “Please lead me,” I mumbled, as near to fainting as one could be without actually succumbing.
  28. permeate
    spread or diffuse through
    The whole area was frightfully confining, offering no sense of comfort that I could see. And a stench of rot permeated the air.
  29. bulkhead
    a partition that divides a ship or plane into compartments
    As for the rest of the furnishings, there were none save a small built-in chest in the bulkhead wall, the door of which dropped down and served as a desktop.
  30. decrepit
    worn and broken down by hard use
    Standing there was a shockingly decrepit old sailor, a tattered tar-covered hat all but crushed in his gnarled and trembling hands.
  31. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    Standing there was a shockingly decrepit old sailor, a tattered tar-covered hat all but crushed in his gnarled and trembling hands.
  32. vexation
    anger produced by some annoying irritation
    It’s hardly to be wondered, then, that I burst into tears of vexation, crying with fear, rage, and humiliation.
  33. stifle
    smother or suppress
    Attempting to stifle my tears I turned about to see an old black man who, in the light of the little lantern he was holding, looked like the very imp of death in search of souls.
  34. galley
    the area for food preparation on a ship
    The old man shook his head gently. “If Miss Doyle desires tea—captain’s orders—she must come to the galley.”
  35. doleful
    filled with or evoking sadness
    “Cook, surgeon, carpenter, and preacher to man and ship. And,” he added, “all those things to you too, miss, in that complete order if comes the doleful need. Now then, shall you have tea?”
  36. ado
    a great deal of fuss, concern, or commotion
    Zachariah was waiting patiently. Without further ado he went into the galley. I followed with trepidation, stopping at the threshold to look about.
  37. trepidation
    a feeling of alarm or dread
    Zachariah was waiting patiently. Without further ado he went into the galley. I followed with trepidation, stopping at the threshold to look about.
  38. niche
    a small concavity
    From the light of his flickering lantern I could see that it was a small kitchen complete with cabinets, wood stove, even a table and a little stool. The space, though small, had considerable neatness, with utensils set in special niches and corners.
  39. scrimshaw
    a carving on whalebone, whale ivory, walrus tusk, etc.
    The knife was, as I came to understand, what’s called a dirk, a small daggerlike blade hardly more than six inches in length from its white scrimshaw handle, where a star design was cut, to its needle-sharp point.
  40. fitful
    intermittently stopping and starting
    There, fully dressed, I sought rest, fitfully dozing only to be awakened by a banging sound: my cabin door swinging back and forth—rusty hinges rasping—with the gentle sway of the ship.
Created on Fri Aug 28 21:32:17 EDT 2020 (updated Thu Sep 10 11:17:40 EDT 2020)

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