"A String in the Harp" by Nancy Bond, Chapters 10–13

The Morgan family reunites in Wales for Christmas while still mourning the mother's sudden death a year ago. Inclement weather, uncomfortable accommodations, and strained relationships threaten the family's holiday, until the Morgans must work together to protect a valuable artifact—a harp key with unique properties.

Here are links to our lists for the book: Chapters 1–2, Chapters 3–4, Chapters 5–9, Chapters 10–13, Chapters 14–19
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. matter-of-fact
    not fanciful or imaginative
    Becky refused to let her leave anything out, but Jen tried to sound as flat and matter-of-fact as she could, adding the explanations that seemed to her to make the best sense.
  2. brusque
    rudely abrupt or blunt in speech or manner
    “Next? Miss?”
    She started when she realized the butcher was talking to her and she had to make up her mind. He was brusque and businesslike, anxious not to keep his customers waiting too long.
  3. quell
    suppress or crush completely
    “Like a message in a bottle,” observed Peter, and was instantly quelled with a frown from his father.
  4. avidly
    in a zealous manner
    It was the first time any of the Morgans had gone south out of Aberystwyth, the road was new and they all looked avidly at the unimaginative, raw, new, row houses of Penparcau and the open farm country beyond.
  5. erratic
    liable to sudden unpredictable change
    A watery sun shone on the streets of Cardiff. Choked with people, taxis, cars, and buses, they were beautiful. The air smelled of damp cement and diesel exhaust, and the shop windows were full of fascinating things to look at: shoes, clothes, books, candy, toys. They made very erratic progress along the sidewalk, dodging crowds and peering in shops.
  6. inflection
    the patterns of stress and intonation in a language
    He spoke in a smooth, precise way, giving various words particular emphasis, which made everything he said sound significant. He had only the faintest trace of Welsh inflection. “Now then, what can I do for you? Have you been round the Museum?”
  7. acutely
    in a sharp or intense manner
    Jen and Becky exchanged an apprehensive glance. Something about Dr. Owen made them acutely uncomfortable.
  8. currant
    a small red or black berry used in jellies and jams
    There, in the comfortable farm kitchen, Mrs. Evans showed Jen how to make Bara Brith—speckled bread full of currants and raisins—and flat spicy Welsh cakes in an iron skillet.
  9. precariously
    in a manner affording no ease or reassurance
    These men lived precariously close to the edge of subsistence, sheep were their livelihood, and there was a serious feeling to the crowd—faces were grim.
  10. subsistence
    minimal resources for survival
    These men lived precariously close to the edge of subsistence, sheep were their livelihood, and there was a serious feeling to the crowd —faces were grim.
  11. eaves
    the overhang at the lower edge of a roof
    Today, with the rain dripping off the low, slate eaves and no other sounds but the shuffle of feet in the hay and the quiet mutter of hens talking to themselves, Jen began to regain her sense of balance.
  12. slog
    walk heavily and firmly, as when weary, or through mud
    When they’d been gathered, the three girls slogged out in the rain and found the ewes and lambs huddled against the overhanging hedgerow: the lambs wet and miserable, the ewes patient and long-suffering.
  13. gnarled
    old and twisted and covered in lines
    Mrs. Evans was making a vast stew that could simmer for hours on the back of the stove until the men got back, tired and hungry. And Gram, whose hands were gnarled with work and arthritis, crocheted endlessly on a blue and gold afghan. Over her head, on the mantle, the black iron clock kept track of the minutes and hours of the afternoon.
  14. rangy
    tall and thin and having long slender limbs
    One minute the dogs were black-and-white Welsh sheepdogs, the next rangy, lop-eared hounds.
    Peter didn’t even try to sort the present from the past, they were too closely interwoven here, they were merging.
  15. heather
    a low purple-flowered plant grown in the northern hemisphere
    The roofs had gone from the huts, and the walls were falling in. An old miner’s cart stood upended, two of the boards broken out of its bed and one of its wheels missing. Gorse and heather had crept in over the once bare-trodden ground.
Created on Tue Feb 17 20:40:34 EST 2026 (updated Fri Feb 20 21:33:37 EST 2026)

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