Chapter 30 of A Spirit in Prison is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXX
Chapter 30 of A Spirit in Prison is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step. The door was open. There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage. She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room. She listened; there was no sound of voices.
Chapter 30 of A Spirit in Prison is here in full — 196 sentences across 40 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/39 · 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 act of burning something
From this reading “There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.”
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading “There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.”
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading “There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.”
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading “She listened; there was no sound of voices.”
female equine animal
From this reading “When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.”
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading “There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.”
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading “She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.”
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading “She listened; there was no sound of voices.”
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 There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
the act of burning something
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
lacking in light; not bright or harsh
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
a swinging or sliding barrier that will close the entrance to a room or building or vehicle
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
change location; move, travel, or proceed, also metaphorically
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
an interior passage or corridor onto which rooms open
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
belonging to a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
without delay or hesitation; with no time intervening
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
an artificial source of visible illumination
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
of comparatively little physical weight or density
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
past form of “listen” — hear with intention
From this reading She listened; there was no sound of voices.
limited or below average in number or quantity or magnitude or extent
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
past form of “look” — perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
female equine animal
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
(comparative of “much” used with mass nouns) a quantifier meaning greater in size or amount or extent or degree
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
not any; not one
From this reading She listened; there was no sound of voices.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
touching and supported by a surface
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
To move from a closed position.
From this reading The door was open.
the act of passing from one state or place to the next
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
past form of “reach” — reach a destination, either real or abstract
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
cut with a saw
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
only a very short time before
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
a woman, girl, or female animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
marked by exceptional merit
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
the particular auditory effect produced by a given cause
From this reading She listened; there was no sound of voices.
any maneuver made as part of progress toward a goal
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
used to introduce the second part of a comparison
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
in or at that place or location
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
being or moving higher in position or greater in some value; being above a former position or level
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
plural of “voice” — the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading She listened; there was no sound of voices.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
the past form of “be” used with I, he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading The door was open.
at the time that
From this reading When Hermione reached the door of the Casa del Mare she did not go in immediately, but waited on the step.
used to introduce a clause giving more about a thing just mentioned
From this reading There was a dim lamp burning in the little hall, which was scarcely more than a passage.
a framework of wood or metal that contains a glass windowpane and is built into a wall or roof to admit light or air
From this reading She looked up and saw a light shining from the window of her sitting-room.
Chapter 30 of A Spirit in Prison by Robert Hichens holds 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 30 holds 196 sentences of A Spirit in Prison, unabridged, divided into 40 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 30 of A Spirit in Prison by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 196 sentences, grouped into 40 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 40 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 40 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 30 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 Spirit in Prison by Robert Hichens on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 15677 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2994 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2994, unabridged. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 600 minutes of reading across 3136 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Spirit in Prison section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 38 chapters of A Spirit in Prison 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 Spirit in Prison, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
