The Interrupted Tale: Chapters 4–5

by Maryrose Wood
In Book 4 of The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series, governess Miss Penelope Lumley and the wolf-children Alexander, Beowulf, and Cassiopeia visit Miss Lumley's former school and find it in peril.

Here are the links to our lists for the book: Chapter 1, Chapters 2–3, Chapters 4–5, Chapters 6–7, Chapters 8–10, Chapters 11–12, Chapter 13–Epilogue
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. solemn
    dignified and somber in manner or character
    With solemn authority, the tall ebony clock in the corner of Lord Fredrick’s study struck five.
  2. morosely
    in a sullen, moody manner
    “It would be poor timing if so,” she thought morosely, “for I can hardly make a speech about my successful career as a governess if I have just been fired in disgrace.”
  3. legacy
    anything handed down by someone or something in the past
    I howl, my father howled. From what I’ve been told, his father did, too. When I asked why, Father always said it was our family legacy and he’d explain when I was older.
  4. avid
    marked by active interest and enthusiasm
    Whether an avid hunter with poor eyesight posed no danger to anyone was debatable, in Penelope’s view.
  5. ironclad
    inflexibly entrenched and unchangeable
    The Incorrigible children were raised by wolves in a forest. Of course they howl. Anyone would, under those conditions. It’s an ironclad excuse.
  6. knack
    a special way of doing something
    And you do seem to have a knack for handling them, Miss Lumley.
  7. meekly
    in a humble manner
    “No, my lord. They have not,” she said meekly.
  8. oblige
    provide a service or favor for someone
    Sir, if you wish to proceed with lessons, of course I will oblige, but I should warn you—the children’s circumstances are different from yours.
  9. upbringing
    properties acquired during a person's formative years
    They have some wolfish habits, true, but the moon plays no part. It has more to do with their upbringing among the animals of the forest, as if they spoke English with a charming accent left over from their native tongue.
  10. endeavor
    a purposeful or industrious undertaking
    She paused to think of a name that was both descriptive and had an easy-to-pronounce acronym, always a great boon to any endeavor.
  11. mincing
    affectedly dainty or refined
    He read from the letter in a mincing voice.
  12. filch
    make off with belongings of others
    “Shipwrecks and cannibals. Does that ring any bells, Miss Lumley? I know you filch books from my library sometimes; don’t deny it.”
  13. predicament
    an unpleasant or difficult situation
    When Lord Fredrick Ashton told Penelope he would explain his predicament “in a nutshell,” he was not talking about acorns.
  14. milliner
    someone who makes and sells hats
    At the milliner’s shop, she chose a bonnet to match the dress, and at the shoemaker’s, a pair of sturdy oxfords that would do nicely for the fall weather.
  15. prudent
    marked by sound judgment
    The way he said it suggested that to cancel now would be a prudent thing to do.
  16. befall
    become of; happen to
    Yet what harm could befall them at Swanburne?
  17. gait
    a person's manner of walking
    Then his rolling gait retreated into the fog as the great red Bloomer engine huffed into the station, billowing steam.
  18. novelty
    originality by virtue of being refreshingly new
    Sheep-dotted meadows were hardly a novelty to three English children who lived on a country estate, but seeing the landscape flick by through the windows of a fast-moving train certainly was, and they were captivated.
  19. ruse
    a deceptive maneuver, especially to avoid capture
    In her mind Penelope counted slowly to a hundred, to make sure she gave her ruse enough time to work.
  20. elocution
    an expert manner of speaking involving control of voice
    Ought she model herself after Demosthenes, who spent months locked in an underground room with a mouthful of pebbles, practicing elocution and dramatic gestures in order to become one of the ten official orators of ancient Greece?
  21. toga
    a one-piece cloak worn by men in ancient Rome
    In Cecily’s drawing, Cato the Younger looked suspiciously like the Great Orations of Antiquity teacher in a toga.
  22. astray
    away from the right path or direction
    “Let me hold that book, if you please. It belongs to Lord Fredrick, and I do not want it going astray again.”
  23. proceeds
    the income or profit arising from a transaction
    Alas, she would be on her way back to Ashton Place by then, but she would have dearly liked to attend, especially when she read that Wardian cases would be available for purchase, “with all proceeds to benefit the society.”
  24. verdant
    characterized by abundance of vegetation and green foliage
    The stagecoach rumbled off, and the four of them stood and gazed upon the verdant meadows of the valley of Heathcote, now spread before them like a lush green blanket laid out for a picnic.
  25. noble
    having high or elevated character
    Instead of carved letters bearing noble sentiments, there was only ivy.
Created on Tue Nov 26 03:29:30 EST 2024 (updated Mon Jan 27 19:35:02 EST 2025)

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