The Unseen Guest: Chapters 9–11

by Maryrose Wood
In the third book of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, governess Miss Penelope Lumley and the wolf-children Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia must go on the hunt for an escaped ostrich. Along the way the children are reunited with their wolf family, and Penelope discovers some of the Ashton family's secrets.

Here are links to our lists for the book:

Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–6, Chapters 7–8, Chapters 9–11, Chapters 12–13, Chapter 14–Epilogue
25 words 16 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. expectation
    anticipating with confidence of fulfillment
    Just as a rhetorical question is one that is asked with no expectation of being answered, a hypothetical situation is one that is described with no expectation of it actually happening.
  2. self-control
    the trait of resolutely restraining your own behavior
    Penelope was deeply impressed; straightaway she wanted to reward the wolves for their superb self-control.
  3. tentative
    hesitant or lacking confidence; unsettled in mind or opinion
    Then, lifting one spindly leg at a time, she took a tentative step toward them.
  4. seemingly
    from appearances alone
    At the sound of his seemingly noiseless call, Bertha hopped forward.
  5. bracing
    refreshing or invigorating
    She waited a moment, to see if she felt silly making such a racket, but she found it rather bracing, frankly.
  6. undertake
    enter upon an activity or enterprise
    Even if Mrs. Clarke trained and practiced until she was among the fastest sprinters in the world (a purely hypothetical situation, of course, as the dear lady was much too busy with her housekeeping duties to undertake such a grueling training regimen), she would still only be able to run twenty-five miles per hour at the most, and that would be limited to a short distance.
  7. grueling
    characterized by effort to the point of exhaustion
    Even if Mrs. Clarke trained and practiced until she was among the fastest sprinters in the world (a purely hypothetical situation, of course, as the dear lady was much too busy with her housekeeping duties to undertake such a grueling training regimen), she would still only be able to run twenty-five miles per hour at the most, and that would be limited to a short distance.
  8. astride
    with one leg on each side
    He and his sister were still astride their wolves, and the beasts whimpered in sympathy.
  9. guise
    an artful or simulated semblance
    When he emerged from the coop, the girls screamed with delight and begged him to keep the coat as it was, but he thought he might frighten the cows if he made his rounds in the guise of a giant chicken.
  10. pastime
    an interest or pursuit that someone pursues regularly
    Sewing such pillows was a favorite pastime of Swanburne girls; they were often exchanged as gifts and occasionally used in pillow fights, and all the window seats at school were made cozy with them.)
  11. facade
    the front of a building
    Nature was “red in tooth and claw,” according to the admiral, yet Penelope feared it was here, among the landscaped grounds and formal gardens, in sight of the peaceful, smoke-plumed chimneys and the thoroughly civilized neoclassical facade of Ashton Place, that blood might, at last, be shed.
  12. trough
    a long narrow shallow receptacle
    The exhausted wolves lapped water from a trough (contrary to popular belief, ostriches do drink water if it is available, although they can manage without it for long stretches of time as well).
  13. bleary
    tired to the point of exhaustion
    Lord Fredrick seemed particularly unwell; his eyes were bleary and red, and there were dark, puffy circles beneath them, as if he had been up all night.
  14. gruff
    blunt and unfriendly or stern
    Surely it all meant that the strange coachman truly was a friend to her and the Incorrigibles, in spite of his gruff manner and puzzling remarks.
  15. unseemly
    not in keeping with accepted standards of what is proper
    “On second thought, an embrace would be unseemly,” she concluded, “but perhaps I could invite him to tea, as a way of saying thank you.”
  16. aristocracy
    a privileged class holding hereditary titles
    “These men of the aristocracy have no vision—no heads for business! Life’s been too cushy for them; that’s the trouble. Once I come into possession of my start-up capital, and Faucet’s Ostrich Extravaganza is up and running, they’ll be falling over each other for tickets. Let’s see who has the upper hand then. And don’t forget, governess—ostrich racing is only the beginning.”
  17. disagreeable
    unpleasant to interact with
    For example, Monsieur Jean-Jacques Rousseau believed that people were basically generous and kind, and that disagreeable behavior was caused by a poor upbringing and the corrupting influence of civilization.
  18. edification
    uplifting enlightenment
    This last book was for her own edification and not the children’s.
  19. laden
    filled with a great quantity
    “And truly, there is nothing to fret about,” she told herself as she made her way down the hall, arms laden with books.
  20. mercenary
    profit oriented
    “The admiral ought to be satisfied now as well. I fear his interest in the widow is more mercenary than romantic, but even between the two of them, things might turn out better than they look on the surface.”
  21. contemplation
    a calm, lengthy, intent consideration
    “I shall have to make up my own mind, it seems. Give me an hour, Fawsy dear. I need to spend time in quiet contemplation, as the good Sisters of Perpetual Sobbing taught me to do when my heart was troubled. You shall hear my answer upon my return.”
  22. handily
    with no difficulty
    The possibility of some new clothes had woken Lady Constance up handily.
  23. soothsayer
    someone who makes predictions of the future
    For when she and the children were in London, the semitoothless soothsayer had told Penelope some remarkable things—for example, that there was a curse upon the Incorrigible children.
  24. emanate
    proceed or issue forth, as from a source
    First she went back to the parlor, from which a strained, piggylike squealing sound continued to emanate at regular intervals.
  25. florid
    elaborately or excessively ornamented
    It was the Swanburne Academy emblem, a florid capital A entwined with a swirling letter S.
Created on Fri Nov 22 08:57:30 EST 2024 (updated Mon Jan 27 19:57:46 EST 2025)

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