Read this excerpt from "The Masque of the Red Death" by Edgar Allan Poe.He summoned to his presence a thousand hale and light-hearted friends from among the knights and dames of his court.

Look at the surrounding words for clues to what “hale” means. The people are described as “light-hearted friends” from the court, suggesting hale means healthy or hearty. Looking at the context is more useful than simply reading the word slowly or skipping it.

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