The Interrupted Tale: Chapter 13–Epilogue

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
25 words 15 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. garish
    tastelessly showy
    “A garish, wasteful display.”
  2. slipshod
    marked by great carelessness
    These improvements will mark a new day in the life of this slipshod academy.
  3. riveting
    capable of arousing and holding the attention
    I expect her thoughts on the value of a Swanburne education will be nothing short of riveting.
  4. smattering
    a small number or amount
    Mrs. Apple, suddenly in possession of her voice, shouted the rest of the quote, and earned a smattering of applause for it, too.
  5. resounding
    unmistakable; clearly revealed to the mind or judgment
    In this way, Penelope spoke from the heart, just as Miss Mortimer had advised, and if that were all she had done, her speech would have been a resounding success.
  6. rapt
    feeling great delight and interest
    Her audience was rapt, ready to spring to their feet in a thunderous ovation.
  7. pendulous
    hanging loosely or bending downward
    The earlobe fern, with its pendulous, spore-bearing clusters.
  8. stupor
    a state of being half-awake
    It should be noted that Penelope’s fernibuster did not plunge all her audience into a stupor.
  9. enthralled
    filled with wonder and delight
    Miss Mortimer seemed enthralled by the performance and approached the podium as soon as the applause died down, which, to be blunt, did not take very long.
  10. revelation
    an enlightening or astonishing disclosure
    That the dinner had been made from the archduchess’s own recipe seemed like a revelation best saved for another day, so Penelope said only, “Thank you,” and curtsied deeply.
  11. solicitor
    a British lawyer who gives legal advice
    Next was Mr. Felix Trundle, a well-off solicitor from Heathcote, and as it happened, an amateur singer of light opera.
  12. placidly
    in a quiet and tranquil manner
    Miss Mortimer stood placidly in the middle of it all.
  13. pungent
    strong and sharp to the sense of taste or smell
    It was as if someone had made a goulash out of spoiled fish, sprinkled it with pungent cheese, and then served it in an unsanitary shoe.
  14. sodden
    wet through and through; thoroughly wet
    With great care, Simon turned the sodden page.
  15. anon
    (old-fashioned or informal) in a little while
    “‘These mocking wolves, these savage beasts
    Shall know my wrath anon.’
    The admiral’s fury sealed our doom:
    ‘Ahoy! The hunt is on!’”
  16. lineage
    inherited properties shared with others of your bloodline
    And all because he is an Ashton. That is the proud lineage that I gave him, along with its curse!
  17. willpower
    the trait of firmly controlling your own behavior
    ‘You just need willpower, that’s all.’
  18. behold
    see with attention
    “Behold my son and heir, pride of the Ashton family tree!”
  19. tentatively
    in a hesitant manner
    “Fathawoo?” he howled tentatively.
  20. whinny
    the characteristic sounds made by a horse
    The horse gave a pained whinny as Edward Ashton pulled it hard around.
  21. providential
    peculiarly fortunate or appropriate
    How providential that you and those children came under my very roof! It is almost enough to make one believe in fate.
  22. ado
    a great deal of fuss, concern, or commotion
    Oh! There is one more thing: All that business about wolves at Swanburne turned out to be a false alarm. In other words, much ado about nothing.
  23. squabble
    a quarrel about petty points
    If you went through all the history books and tore out the parts where people squabble over who gets to be king, there’d scarcely be one slim volume left!
  24. exception
    an instance that does not conform to a rule
    Plucky and cheerful though they most often were, the Incorrigible children were no exception to this law.
  25. heartrending
    causing or marked by grief or anguish
    Was it possible that the parents of the Incorrigibles had done the same thing, and for the same heartrending reason?
Created on Tue Nov 26 03:38:12 EST 2024 (updated Mon Jan 27 19:36:11 EST 2025)

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