Chapter 25 of A Duel is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXV
Chapter 25 of A Duel is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it. Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along. Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom. But the pieces were small. Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.
Chapter 25 of A Duel is here in full — 175 sentences across 35 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/35 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
comparative of “black” — being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading “Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.”
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading “Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.”
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading “Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.”
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading “Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.”
an attack that penetrates into enemy territory
From this reading “Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.”
plural of “revelation” — the speech act of making something evident
From this reading “Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.”
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading “Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.”
closely encircling
From this reading “Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.”
English keeps certain words together, and knowing the pair is worth more than knowing each word alone. Every partnership below was counted across our whole published library, and earns its place by appearing far more often than two unrelated words of the same frequency would.
Shown as this reading writes them, with the form the library counts, what kind of pairing it is, and how often it occurs.
In this reading “Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.”
In this reading “AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
following the length of something from one end toward the other
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.
in the space, time, or range separating two things
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
comparative of “black” — being of the achromatic color of maximum darkness; having little or no hue owing to absorption of almost all incident light
From this reading Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading But the pieces were small.
past form of “cease” — put an end to a state or an activity
From this reading Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.
separate with or as if with an instrument
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
absence of light or illumination
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
a state of partial or total darkness
From this reading Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.
used with a past participle to form the perfect tenses
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
belonging to the thing or animal already mentioned
From this reading Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.
light in a transparent protective case
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
used to say something is possible but not certain
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
lasting for a markedly brief time
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.
not allowed to continue to bat or run
From this reading Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.
having or demonstrating ability to recognize or draw fine distinctions
From this reading Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.
an attack that penetrates into enemy territory
From this reading Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.
plural of “piece” — a separate part of a whole
From this reading Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.
possession of controlling influence
From this reading Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.
plural of “ray” — a column of light (as from a beacon)
From this reading Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.
plural of “revelation” — the speech act of making something evident
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
past form of “seem” — give a certain impression or have a certain outward aspect
From this reading Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.
a deliberate discourteous act (usually as an expression of anger or disapproval)
From this reading Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading But the pieces were small.
inflected form of “stride” — walk with long steps
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
closely encircling
From this reading Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading Its penetrating power was slight; where its penetration ceased the darkness was blacker than before.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
in or at that place or location
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Its rays seemed to cut pieces out of the surrounding gloom.
plural of “tree” — a tall perennial woody plant having a main trunk and branches forming a distinct elevated crown; includes both gymnosperms and angiosperms
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
in or at the place that
From this reading Where the lantern looked there were momentary revelations as they strode along.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading AT THE DOOR Between the trees the darkness was as if you might have cut it.
Chapter 25 of A Duel by Richard Marsh holds 175 sentences, grouped into 35 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the source edition, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 25 holds 175 sentences of A Duel, unabridged, divided into 35 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 25 of A Duel by Richard Marsh exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 175 sentences, grouped into 35 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 35 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 35 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 25 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading A Duel by Richard Marsh on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6291 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #38054 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #38054, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 524 minutes of reading across 1259 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Duel section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 27 chapters of A Duel to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in A Duel, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
