Chapter 7 of A Perilous Secret is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VII
Chapter 7 of A Perilous Secret is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE. The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals. The observant girl saw he had something on his mind. She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was. "Oh, nothing," said he.
Chapter 7 of A Perilous Secret is here in full — 361 sentences across 73 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/72 · 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.
depressingly dark
From this reading “The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.”
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading “The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.”
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading “The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.”
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading “The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.”
paying close attention especially to details
From this reading “The observant girl saw he had something on his mind.”
past form of “tax” — levy a tax on
From this reading “She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.”
with tenderness; in a tender manner
From this reading “She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.”
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading “The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.”
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 to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.
past form of “ask” — make a request or demand for something to somebody
From this reading She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
education imparted in a series of lessons or meetings
From this reading THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE.
a young female
From this reading The observant girl saw he had something on his mind.
depressingly dark
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading The observant girl saw he had something on his mind.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading The observant girl saw he had something on his mind.
plural of “interval” — a definite length of time marked off by two instants
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE.
the mother of Jesus; Christians refer to her as the Virgin Mary; she is especially honored by Roman Catholics
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
inflected form of “meet” — come together
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
The element of a person that enables awareness and thought.
From this reading The observant girl saw he had something on his mind.
immediately following in time or order
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "Oh, nothing," said he.
paying close attention especially to details
From this reading The observant girl saw he had something on his mind.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, nothing," said he.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading The observant girl saw he had something on his mind.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading "Oh, nothing," said he.
cut with a saw
From this reading The observant girl saw he had something on his mind.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.
a thing, without saying which
From this reading The observant girl saw he had something on his mind.
past form of “tax” — levy a tax on
From this reading She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.
with tenderness; in a tender manner
From this reading She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE.
an instance or single occasion for some event
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
consistent with fact or reality; not false
From this reading THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The next time Walter Clifford met Mary Bartley he was gloomy at intervals.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.
in the company of; together with
From this reading She taxed him with it, and asked him tenderly what it was.
Chapter 7 of A Perilous Secret by Charles Reade holds 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 7 holds 361 sentences of A Perilous Secret, unabridged, divided into 73 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 7 of A Perilous Secret by Charles Reade exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 361 sentences, grouped into 73 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 73 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 73 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 7 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 Perilous Secret by Charles Reade on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6189 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #12470 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #12470, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 515 minutes of reading across 1238 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Perilous Secret section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 26 chapters of A Perilous Secret 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 Perilous Secret, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
