Chapter 27 of A Mysterious Disappearance is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXVII
Chapter 27 of A Mysterious Disappearance is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
MR. WHITE'S METHOD The policeman spoke first. "Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said. His words conveyed no meaning to his hearer. They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
Chapter 27 of A Mysterious Disappearance is here in full — 189 sentences across 38 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/37 · 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.
Australian physician and bacteriologist who described the bacterium that causes undulant fever or brucellosis (1855-1931)
From this reading “They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.”
29th President of the United States; two of his appointees were involved in the Teapot Dome scandal (1865-1823)
From this reading “"Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said.”
someone who listens attentively
From this reading “His words conveyed no meaning to his hearer.”
in a hysterical manner
From this reading “They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.”
lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
From this reading “They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.”
so as to arouse or deserve laughter
From this reading “They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.”
not based on reason or evidence
From this reading “They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.”
possessive form of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading “WHITE'S METHOD The policeman spoke first.”
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.
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.
the past participle of “be”
From this reading "Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said.
Australian physician and bacteriologist who described the bacterium that causes undulant fever or brucellosis (1855-1931)
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
past form of “convey” — (of information) make known; pass on
From this reading His words conveyed no meaning to his hearer.
preceding all others in time or space or degree
From this reading WHITE'S METHOD The policeman spoke first.
29th President of the United States; two of his appointees were involved in the Teapot Dome scandal (1865-1823)
From this reading "Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said.
the form of “have” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said.
someone who listens attentively
From this reading His words conveyed no meaning to his hearer.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading "Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading His words conveyed no meaning to his hearer.
in a hysterical manner
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
lacking in harmony or compatibility or appropriateness
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said.
past form of “laugh” — produce laughter
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
the message that is intended or expressed or signified
From this reading His words conveyed no meaning to his hearer.
a way of doing something, especially a systematic way; implies an orderly logical arrangement (usually in steps)
From this reading WHITE'S METHOD The policeman spoke first.
a form of address for a man
From this reading MR.
not any; not one
From this reading His words conveyed no meaning to his hearer.
a member of a police force
From this reading WHITE'S METHOD The policeman spoke first.
so as to arouse or deserve laughter
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said.
for that reason; with the result that
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading WHITE'S METHOD The policeman spoke first.
used to introduce what somebody said, thought, or felt
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading WHITE'S METHOD The policeman spoke first.
subsequently or soon afterward (often used as sentence connectors)
From this reading "Has Jane Harding been here, then?" he said.
the people, animals, or things already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading His words conveyed no meaning to his hearer.
not based on reason or evidence
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading They were so incongruous, so ridiculously unreasoning, that Bruce laughed hysterically.
possessive form of “white” — a Caucasian
From this reading WHITE'S METHOD The policeman spoke first.
the words that are spoken
From this reading His words conveyed no meaning to his hearer.
Chapter 27 of A Mysterious Disappearance by Louis Tracy holds 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 27 holds 189 sentences of A Mysterious Disappearance, unabridged, divided into 38 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 27 of A Mysterious Disappearance by Louis Tracy exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 189 sentences, grouped into 38 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 38 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 38 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 27 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 Mysterious Disappearance by Louis Tracy on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 5927 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #34277 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #34277, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 493 minutes of reading across 1186 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Mysterious Disappearance section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 31 chapters of A Mysterious Disappearance 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 Mysterious Disappearance, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
