Chapter 8 of A Perilous Secret is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter VIII
Chapter 8 of A Perilous Secret is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
LOVERS PARTED. Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven. Julia said she could not forgive him, and would not go. Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me." "Oh, with pleasure," said Julia, slyly.
Chapter 8 of A Perilous Secret is here in full — 368 sentences across 74 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/73 · 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.
an expression of regret at having caused trouble for someone
From this reading “Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.”
a hat tied under the chin
From this reading “Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."”
imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake
From this reading “Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.”
inflected form of “forgive” — stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading “Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.”
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading “Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.”
plural of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading “LOVERS PARTED.”
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading “Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.”
in an artful manner
From this reading “"Oh, with pleasure," said Julia, slyly.”
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 Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."
the form of “a” used before a word that begins with a vowel sound
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
an expression of regret at having caused trouble for someone
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
exhale hard
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
a hat tied under the chin
From this reading Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."
the past of “can”; used for possibility or polite requests
From this reading Julia said she could not forgive him, and would not go.
imaginative thoughts indulged in while awake
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
operate or control a vehicle
From this reading Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."
stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading Julia said she could not forgive him, and would not go.
inflected form of “forgive” — stop blaming or grant forgiveness
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading Julia said she could not forgive him, and would not go.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
the male already mentioned, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Julia said she could not forgive him, and would not go.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
on condition that; in the event that
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
a request (spoken or written) to participate or be present or take part in something
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
a strong positive emotion of regard and affection
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
plural of “lover” — a person who loves someone or is loved by someone
From this reading LOVERS PARTED.
produced by a manufacturing process
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."
not of long duration; having just (or relatively recently) come into being or been made or acquired or discovered
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading Julia said she could not forgive him, and would not go.
a midwestern state in north central United States in the Great Lakes region
From this reading "Oh, with pleasure," said Julia, slyly.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."
have ownership or possession of
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
having a margin incised almost to the base so as to create distinct divisions or lobes
From this reading LOVERS PARTED.
United States writer whose novels explored human alienation (1916-1990)
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
a fundamental feeling that is hard to define but that people desire to experience
From this reading "Oh, with pleasure," said Julia, slyly.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."
conforming to the established language usage of educated native speakers
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
being the one previously mentioned or spoken of
From this reading Julia said she could not forgive him, and would not go.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Julia said she could not forgive him, and would not go.
in an artful manner
From this reading "Oh, with pleasure," said Julia, slyly.
carry out
From this reading Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
go to see a place, as for entertainment
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
German conductor (1876-1962)
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
in the company of; together with
From this reading Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."
used for something imagined, polite, or habitual in the past
From this reading Julia said she could not forgive him, and would not go.
produce a literary work
From this reading Walter, little dreaming the blow his own love had received, made Percy write Julia an apology, and an invitation to visit his new house if he was forgiven.
belonging to the person or people being spoken to
From this reading Walter said, "Put on your bonnet, and take a little drive with me."
Chapter 8 of A Perilous Secret by Charles Reade holds 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 8 holds 368 sentences of A Perilous Secret, unabridged, divided into 74 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 8 of A Perilous Secret by Charles Reade exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 368 sentences, grouped into 74 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 74 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 74 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 8 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.
