Chapter 36 of A Spirit in Prison is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter XXXVI
Chapter 36 of A Spirit in Prison is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
“Monsieur Emile, what is it?” exclaimed Vere. The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois. He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand. “It is what the people of Naples call a death-charm.” “A death-charm?”
Chapter 36 of A Spirit in Prison is here in full — 298 sentences across 60 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/59 · 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.
a former province of northern France near the English Channel (between Picardy and Flanders)
From this reading “The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.”
past form of “coax” — influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
From this reading “The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.”
the boy whose upbringing was described by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
From this reading ““Monsieur Emile, what is it?” exclaimed Vere.”
made afraid
From this reading “The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.”
yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
From this reading “He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.”
a port and tourist center in southwestern Italy; capital of the Campania region
From this reading ““It is what the people of Naples call a death-charm.””
past form of “scold” — censure severely or angrily
From this reading “The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.”
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading “The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.”
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 “It is what the people of Naples call a death-charm.”
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
a former province of northern France near the English Channel (between Picardy and Flanders)
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
showing who or what does the action
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
assign a specified (usually proper) proper name to
From this reading “It is what the people of Naples call a death-charm.”
past form of “coax” — influence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “It is what the people of Naples call a death-charm.”
the boy whose upbringing was described by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
From this reading “Monsieur Emile, what is it?” exclaimed Vere.
past form of “exclaim” — utter aloud; often with surprise, horror, or joy
From this reading “Monsieur Emile, what is it?” exclaimed Vere.
made afraid
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
showing where something starts, or who sent it
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
destroyed or killed
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
consisting of one of two equivalent parts in value or quantity
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
the (prehensile) extremity of the superior limb
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading “Monsieur Emile, what is it?” exclaimed Vere.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading “Monsieur Emile, what is it?” exclaimed Vere.
put into a certain place or abstract location
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
yellow oval fruit with juicy acidic flesh
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
used as a French courtesy title; equivalent to English “Mr”
From this reading “Monsieur Emile, what is it?” exclaimed Vere.
a port and tourist center in southwestern Italy; capital of the Campania region
From this reading “It is what the people of Naples call a death-charm.”
in the historical present; at this point in the narration of a series of past events
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading “It is what the people of Naples call a death-charm.”
(plural) any group of human beings (men or women or children) collectively
From this reading “It is what the people of Naples call a death-charm.”
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
past form of “scold” — censure severely or angrily
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
plural of “servant” — a person working in the service of another (especially in the household)
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
Complete absence of sound; a state of quietness and stillness.
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
understood in a certain way; made sense of
From this reading He had taken the lemon from Peppina, and it lay now in his hand.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading “Monsieur Emile, what is it?” exclaimed Vere.
the past form of “be” used with you, we, they, or a plural noun
From this reading The frightened servants were gone, half coaxed and half scolded into silence by Artois.
used to ask for information about something
From this reading “Monsieur Emile, what is it?” exclaimed Vere.
Chapter 36 of A Spirit in Prison by Robert Hichens holds 298 sentences, grouped into 60 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, 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 36 holds 298 sentences of A Spirit in Prison, unabridged, divided into 60 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 36 of A Spirit in Prison by Robert Hichens exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 298 sentences, grouped into 60 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 60 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 60 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 36 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, a public-domain edition. 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.
