The Detective's Assistant: Chapters 19–30

by Kate Hannigan
Recently orphaned, eleven-year-old Nell Warne is reluctantly taken in by her Aunt Kate, who is the first-ever female detective employed by the legendary Pinkerton Detective Agency. Nell becomes her aunt's assistant, joining her in several clandestine detective missions, risking her life, and even saving the life of Abraham Lincoln.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–6, Chapters 7–12, Chapters 13–18, Chapters 19–30, Chapters 31–Epilogue
15 words 13 learners

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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. Underground Railroad
    secret aid to help people escape slavery in the U.S.
    That’s how me, Mama, and the babies made it to the place we live now, to Saint Catharines. It was through that Underground Railroad.
  2. yammer
    talk or complain incessantly
    She could yammer on with the dust mites until suppertime for all I cared. I had important business to attend to.
  3. pretense
    the act of giving a false appearance
    We will be staying at a local hotel in Atkinson under the pretense of my being of ill health and in need of rest and recuperation in beautiful northern Mississippi.
  4. recuperation
    gradual healing through rest
    We will be staying at a local hotel in Atkinson under the pretense of my being of ill health and in need of rest and recuperation in beautiful northern Mississippi.
  5. convalesce
    get over an illness or shock
    You will be accompanying me to help me convalesce.
  6. covey
    a small flock of birds
    There was so much bobbing and grinning and nodding up and down, they looked like a covey of quails.
  7. indecipherable
    impossible to determine the meaning of
    My aunt mumbled something indecipherable and made her eyelids flutter groggily.
  8. cicada
    stout-bodied insect with large membranous wings
    When we stepped onto the back porch, the whir of the cicadas made us both jump.
  9. somnambulist
    someone who walks about in their sleep
    He’s a somnambulist.
  10. befuddled
    confused and vague, especially of thinking
    He wore a befuddled expression and sputtered at his bloodied nightshirt.
  11. moor
    open land with peaty soil covered with heather and moss
    “Good work, Mrs. Warne,” came a man’s voice, thick with a Scottish lilt. Immediately I knew it was Mr. Pinkerton. “This place reminds me of the moors—it’s full of banshees!”
  12. banshee
    a female spirit who wails to warn of impending death
    “Good work, Mrs. Warne,” came a man’s voice, thick with a Scottish lilt. Immediately I knew it was Mr. Pinkerton. “This place reminds me of the moors—it’s full of banshees!”
  13. blather
    talk foolishly
    Pushing our chairs back, we both grabbed our bonnets, blathered something to Mrs. Drysdale about getting some fresh air, and skittered out the back door.
  14. pomade
    hairdressing consisting of a perfumed oil or ointment
    “Let me slick back your hair with this pomade.”
  15. perfectionist
    one displeased by anything that does not meet high standards
    Some might call me a perfectionist, but there’s nothing wrong with trying to do a job right.
Created on Wed Nov 19 20:58:44 EST 2025 (updated Tue Dec 30 17:15:18 EST 2025)

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