The Interrupted Tale: Chapters 8–10

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. supple
    capable of moving or bending freely
    Supple as a snake, he slid into the empty chair at her table.
  2. uncompromising
    not willing to make concessions
    “He was stern. Uncompromising. Unswayed by emotion. Able to keep a secret to his grave, and beyond. Surely these are not bad qualities to have in a judge.”
  3. correspondent
    someone who communicates by means of letters
    “You must mean our collection of the letters of Agatha Swanburne. There are thousands of them, for she was a faithful correspondent. Luckily, her handwriting was superb.”
  4. indecipherable
    not easily decoded
    I wish I could read it and find out, but the pages are so faded from sun and sea as to be indecipherable.
  5. reverence
    a respectful mental attitude
    After a moment of reverence for the fallen Caesar and a round of applause from Penelope and Mrs. Apple, the three children readied themselves for their next tableau.
  6. inscrutable
    difficult or impossible to understand
    It was Edward Ashton, but with his thick Judge Quinzy glasses on, his expression remained inscrutable.
  7. converse
    carry on a discussion
    Penelope kept the cloak wrapped close ’round her and the hood drawn over her head, for she had no wish to converse with anyone who might see her on the path.
  8. demeanor
    the way a person behaves toward other people
    His low, cooing voice, slow movements, and gentle demeanor might be just what she needed to help ease her own troubled heart.
  9. wizened
    lean and wrinkled by shrinkage as from age or illness
    Of course, children easily lump anyone over the age of seventeen or so into the category of “grown-up,” with a second category of “old person” reserved for the truly wizened and silver haired.
  10. vigor
    forceful exertion
    Now she applauded with vigor.
  11. colicky
    suffering from acute abdominal pain
    “Allow me to present my colleague, Dr. Lumley,” he would announce to a lame horse or a colicky calf.
  12. bulkhead
    a partition that divides a ship or plane into compartments
    Despair lapped against her heart like a tide rising against a bulkhead.
  13. notorious
    known widely and usually unfavorably
    There have been many competent lady sailors, and even notorious lady pirates.
  14. starboard
    right side of a ship or aircraft to someone facing the bow
    “Thought I saw an enemy ship in the moonlight, a glint of light off the starboard bow....”
  15. prognostication
    a sign of something about to happen
    “You’re just the person I came to see, but it seems you found me first. Have you acquired skills of prognostication, like our friend Madame Ionesco?”
  16. hardtack
    very firm unsalted biscuit or bread
    On Sundays they serve hardtack and moldy potatoes for dinner, as a bit of a treat.
  17. matinee
    a theatrical performance held during the daytime
    Even a bunch of pirates knew the life of a bard is scarcely worth the cost of a half-price ticket to a children’s matinee.
  18. brig
    a prison, especially a military prison on board a ship
    But I was locked in the brig! Night and day I told them, ‘Let me out, and I’ll steer us safe to shore.’
  19. knave
    a deceitful and unreliable scoundrel
    I learned more than I’d care to know about being a knave and a rascal and committing roguery of all sorts, but minding our longitude and latitude was enough to keep me busy.
  20. as the crow flies
    by the shortest and most direct route
    I set a course as the crow flies to Ashton Place.
  21. peckish
    somewhat hungry
    He said I was just in time for cake, too. You don’t happen to have any, do you? I’m a bit peckish, to be honest.
  22. addled
    confused and vague; used especially of thinking
    I told you, his brain’s a bit addled. At least it’s all in the diary.
  23. confidential
    given in secret
    We pirates use it for treasure maps, secret oaths, and other confidential documents.
  24. landlubber
    a person who is unfamiliar with sailing or the sea
    At Penelope’s dismayed expression, he added, “Don’t worry. I’m allowed to cook up a batch of the visibilizer for personal use, as long as I don’t share the recipe with a landlubber. No offense.”
  25. inextricably
    in a manner incapable of being disentangled or untied
    Somehow they all seemed inextricably linked.
Created on Tue Nov 26 03:35:09 EST 2024 (updated Mon Jan 27 19:35:34 EST 2025)

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