The Hidden Gallery: Chapters 15–16

by Maryrose Wood
In Book 2 of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, governess Miss Penelope Lumley and the wolf-children Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia travel to London and discover more about their mysterious past.

Here are links to our lists for the book:
Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6, Chapters 7–8, Chapters 9–10, Chapters 11–12, Chapters 13–14, Chapters 15–16, Chapter 17–Epilogue
20 words 12 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. fickle
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    The fickle Fulcrum of Fortune had seesawed back again, this time with Penelope on the upward-bound seat.
  2. plaintively
    in a manner expressing sorrow
    Lady Constance Ashton cried plaintively.
  3. disdainful
    having or showing arrogant superiority
    However, she was on the receiving end of many curious, pitying, and disdainful looks.
  4. incense
    a substance that produces a fragrant odor when burned
    Quickly she extinguished her burning pots of incense and began packing up her tools of prognostication: her fortune-telling cards and her crystal ball, her drawstring bags filled with carved runes and the bleached bones of small, unlucky animals.
  5. untoward
    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper
    “I hope nothing untoward happens to him this time,” she thought.
  6. dismay
    the feeling of despair in the face of obstacles
    From this crow’s nest Penelope could see everyone in the audience—and everyone could see her, she realized in dismay.
  7. orientation
    position or alignment relative to points of the compass
    Alexander had brought his compass and was using it to determine the orientation of the stage.
  8. transfixed
    having your attention fixated as though witchcraft
    Ever interested in art, Beowulf was transfixed by the murals painted on the ceiling of the theater, which featured adorable winged cherubs playing golden harps.
  9. troupe
    an organization of performers and associated personnel
    The actors were good, as good as Leed’s Thespians on Demand, the popular troupe Lady Constance had hired to perform at the disastrous holiday ball at Ashton Place.
  10. convoluted
    highly complex or intricate
    The plot was comical and terribly convoluted, with pirates who were actually noblemen in disguise, noblemen who were being impersonated by pirates, several different intersecting love stories, a hunt for stolen treasure, and of course, eye patches, scabbards, and peg legs galore.
  11. galore
    in great numbers
    The plot was comical and terribly convoluted, with pirates who were actually noblemen in disguise, noblemen who were being impersonated by pirates, several different intersecting love stories, a hunt for stolen treasure, and of course, eye patches, scabbards, and peg legs galore.
  12. whinny
    make a characteristic sound, of a horse
    Rainbow could whinny quite prettily on command, and always came trotting up when Edith-Anne whistled “God Save the Queen,” but it was hardly the same thing.
  13. emote
    give expression to, in a stage or movie role
    And no parrot in the wild was likely to know how to emote in quite the way this one did—
    “Ahoy, matey! Caw caw! Ahoy! Ahoooooooooooooy!”
  14. rakish
    marked by a carefree unconventionality or disreputableness
    Even as Penelope dragged and cajoled them up the aisle, the eyes of the Incorrigibles remained riveted on this inexplicable bird, with its canine howls and bright green plumage, miniature peg leg, and rakish three-cornered hat.
  15. epaulet
    an ornamental cloth pad worn on the shoulder
    Alas, one of its legs was tethered by a long, thin cord to the epaulet of the actor pirate upon whose shoulder it had so recently perched.
  16. brunt
    the main part, especially of a force or shock
    The pirate to whom the squawk box was attached bore the brunt of the abuse, as the parrot flapped in a panic around his head.
  17. cutlass
    a short curved sword with one edge
    He pointed his cutlass toward the street.
  18. dank
    unpleasantly cool and humid
    As far as she knew, the wise old founder had never had to flee actors dressed as pirates by crawling through a dank, dark tunnel into the British Museum after hours.
  19. plaque
    a tablet that commemorates a person or achievement
    They moved from portrait to portrait; at each one, Simon read aloud from the accompanying plaque.
  20. ornate
    marked by complexity and richness of detail
    Barely visible beneath the dust was the letter A, in an ornate script.
Created on Tue Nov 19 04:48:36 EST 2024 (updated Mon Jan 27 20:09:00 EST 2025)

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