Chapter 2 of A Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Because it is my pleasure.” “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye. “I thought you had already given it up. If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go. You know the forfeit.”
Chapter 2 of A Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark is here in full — 408 sentences across 82 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/81 · 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.
the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises
From this reading “If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.”
declare invalid
From this reading “If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.”
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading “If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.”
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading ““I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.”
lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime
From this reading “You know the forfeit.””
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading ““I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.”
disposed to or in a state of mutiny
From this reading ““I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.”
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading ““Because it is my pleasure.””
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.
a teenager or a young adult male
In this reading ““I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.”
In this reading ““I thought you had already given it up.”
lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime
In this reading ““I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.”
In this reading ““I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.”
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.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
the statement (oral or written) of an exchange of promises
From this reading If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.
prior to a specified or implied time
From this reading “I thought you had already given it up.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.
declare invalid
From this reading If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.
for the reason that
From this reading “Because it is my pleasure.”
pick out, select, or choose from a number of alternatives
From this reading If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.
inflected form of “cry” — utter a sudden loud cry
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
used to form questions and negatives, and to give emphasis
From this reading If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.
the organ of sight
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
gleam or glow intermittently
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
lose (s.th.) or lose the right to (s.th.) by some error, offense, or crime
From this reading You know the forfeit.”
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
acknowledged as a supposition
From this reading “I thought you had already given it up.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading “I thought you had already given it up.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Because it is my pleasure.”
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Because it is my pleasure.”
be cognizant or aware of a fact or a specific piece of information; possess knowledge or information about
From this reading You know the forfeit.”
The state of being free within society from oppressive restrictions on one's way of life.
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
an adult person who is male (as opposed to a woman)
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
disposed to or in a state of mutiny
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
belonging to the person speaking
From this reading “Because it is my pleasure.”
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading “Because it is my pleasure.”
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
in the near future
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
the content of cognition; the main thing you are thinking about
From this reading “I thought you had already given it up.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading If you choose to annul the agreement, do it, and go.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
used to talk about the future, or about willingness
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
in the company of; together with
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading “I thought you had already given it up.
(used of living things especially persons) in an early period of life or development or growth
From this reading “I will not give up my liberty so soon,” cried the young man, with a mutinous flash of the eye.
Chapter 2 of A Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark by Louisa May Alcott holds 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 2 holds 408 sentences of A Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark, unabridged, divided into 82 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark by Louisa May Alcott exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 408 sentences, grouped into 82 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 82 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 82 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 2 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 Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark by Louisa May Alcott on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3176 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #54212 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #54212, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 264 minutes of reading across 636 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 8 chapters of A Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark 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 Modern Mephistopheles, and A Whisper in the Dark, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
