Secrets at Sea: Chapters 9–11

by Richard Peck
The oldest of her surviving mouse siblings, Helena recounts the adventures of her family when they hid in the trunk of a human to sail from New York to England.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–4, Chapters 5–8, Chapters 9–11, Chapters 12–16
40 words 9 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. dignify
    give status or attention to, often undeservedly
    “Oh, I did just manage one peek. I saw you on the railing, Helena. Honestly, what were you thinking?”
    I would not dignify that question with a reply.
  2. spindly
    long, thin, and often weak or fragile
    He sat back on his spindly haunches with his hand propped on one of them.
  3. sparse
    not dense or plentiful
    Lamont stroked one of his sparse whiskers as if it were one of Nigel’s gorgeous ones.
  4. flounce
    a strip of pleated material used as a decoration or a trim
    And look at Louise, in Camilla’s handkerchief with the embroidered violets, flounced, and a high Empire waistline.
  5. burnish
    polish and make shiny
    Firelight burnished the tiara between her ears.
  6. deign
    do something that one considers to be below one's dignity
    The Duchess looked us over. She was shaky on her pins, but sharp-eyed.
    “What pretty skirts,” she deigned to say, looking away.
  7. partake
    consume
    They naturally do not take tea in the Winter Garden. We rarely partake in public.
  8. wistful
    showing pensive sadness
    The Duchess looked wistful at the thought of home.
  9. tact
    consideration in dealing with others
    As for her lady-in-waiting, Lady Augusta Drear, she is mortally afraid of mice. And so I must exercise all my tact as I go about my duties.
  10. reception
    a formal party
    Her Royal Highness the Princess Louise will honor a very few of her fellow passengers at an evening reception in the near future. A little music and light refreshment.
  11. deft
    skillful in physical movements; especially of the hands
    But, oh, she was deft. With her old bent back crouched over the page, she wrote an artistic hand.
  12. aristocratic
    belonging to or characteristic of the nobility
    Wonderfully trimmed whiskers. Very aristocratic ears.
  13. genteel
    marked by refinement in taste and manners
    I inclined my head in a genteel manner.
  14. sashay
    walk with a lofty proud gait, often to impress others
    “We will have to go on our humans,” Louise said. “After all, they’re on the guest list. We aren’t. We can’t just sashay up there and slip ourselves under the door. We might be seen or stepped on.”
  15. offhand
    casually thoughtless or inconsiderate
    Then Louise said, “You can go on Olive.” Very offhand.
  16. dainty
    delicately beautiful
    Her dress may have been all wrong, but it was a pleasing pink, girlish like herself. Around the waist Camilla was only as big as a minute, in human terms. She was quite dainty, if I can say that about someone seven hundred times my size.
  17. dawdle
    waste time
    But there was no time to dawdle.
  18. apt
    at risk of or subject to experiencing something
    In all this milling about somebody was apt to step on Camilla’s train.
  19. wan
    lacking vitality as from weariness or illness or unhappiness
    We were doomed.
    I chanced a wan peek out of the flounce.
  20. paisley
    a fabric with a colorful swirled pattern of curved shapes
    I landed on the claret-red velvet of his bulging evening coat. Just above the pocket handkerchief, a paisley foulard.
  21. sumptuous
    rich and superior in quality
    When I could pull myself together, I parted two points of the pocket handkerchief and beheld the sumptuous room.
    My breath caught at its magnificence.
  22. incline
    lower or bend, as in a nod or bow
    He glanced down at Camilla, far down, bowing slightly. Camilla just inclined her head.
  23. divan
    a long backless sofa, usually with pillows
    Before her on a cut-velvet divan sat...Princess Louise, fourth daughter of the Queen of England.
  24. cascade
    rush down in big quantities
    She sat at her ease in cascading black net sprayed with diamonds.
  25. doddering
    mentally or physically infirm with age
    The Marquess of Tilbury’s doddering hand rose to his pocket handkerchief.
  26. patter
    make light, rapid and repeated sounds
    Just as the music stopped, Camilla’s string of pearls broke. Pearls leaped from the hollow of her throat, bounced off her bodice, and peppered the floor. Pearls pattered along with the applause.
  27. marooned
    cut off or left behind
    They were marooned in the midst of the room.
  28. cameo
    engraving or carving in low relief on a stone
    The cameo at her throat was the size of a stove lid.
  29. amiss
    in an improper or mistaken manner
    A terrible shadow fell across her before she even noticed in her dithering way that something might be amiss.
  30. visage
    the human face
    In all innocence, she looked up at the awful visage of Lady Augusta. Not a handsome woman.
  31. collation
    a light informal meal
    A collation of light refreshments followed. Lord Peter Henslowe brought a small gold-banded plate of supper to Camilla where she sat demurely with her loose pearls in her purse and a corsage watchful on her shoulder.
  32. drafty
    not airtight; exposed to currents of air
    Then the Marquess sneezed again, or this story would have taken a different turn. The corridor was drafty.
  33. cue
    a tapering rod used to strike a ball in pool or billiards
    I swerved another way and heard the sound of pool cue against ball.
  34. firmament
    the sphere on which celestial bodies appear to be projected
    Above in the night the sparks from the funnels spiraled upward to join the firmament of stars.
  35. heedless
    marked by or paying little attention
    I might have been headed anywhere, even onto the ballroom floor beneath the heedless feet of all those milling humans.
  36. dastardly
    extremely wicked
    That dastardly cat had lurked in the shadows by the door.
  37. din
    a loud, harsh, or strident noise
    “What is the meaning of this dreadful din?” barked the nanny in a fearful voice.
  38. stately
    refined or imposing in manner or appearance
    There stood a lady. A tall and stately human. Diamonds wound round and round her swan-like neck. Her evening gown was shimmering midnight blue, draped.
  39. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    “Mummy!” shrieked little Lord Sebastian, twisting in Nanny Pratt’s gnarled hand.
  40. dispatch
    dispose of rapidly and without delay and efficiently
    A wicked nanny had been dispatched, thanks to my quick thinking and even quicker work.
Created on Tue Apr 30 14:17:36 EDT 2024 (updated Thu May 02 12:35:03 EDT 2024)

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