Chapter 2 of A Thief in the Night is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of A Thief in the Night is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
"You told me a lie!" I gasped in whispers. "I did nothing of the sort," he replied. "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben. Look here!"
Chapter 2 of A Thief in the Night is here in full — 194 sentences across 39 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/38 · 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.
furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
From this reading “"The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.”
possessive form of “furniture” — furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
From this reading “"The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.”
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading “I gasped in whispers.”
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading “"The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.”
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading “"You told me a lie!"”
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading “"The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.”
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading “"I did nothing of the sort," he replied.”
plural of “whisper” — speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading “I gasped in whispers.”
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 "You told me a lie!"
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.
the past form of “do”, used in questions and negatives
From this reading "I did nothing of the sort," he replied.
furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
From this reading "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.
possessive form of “furniture” — furnishings that make a room or other area ready for occupancy
From this reading "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.
past form of “gasp” — breathe noisily, as when one is exhausted
From this reading I gasped in whispers.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading "I did nothing of the sort," he replied.
(Greek mythology) a mythical Trojan who was killed by Achilles during the Trojan War
From this reading "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.
in or at this place; where the speaker or writer is
From this reading Look here!"
a dwelling that serves as living quarters for one or more families
From this reading "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.
the person speaking or writing, as the subject of the verb
From this reading I gasped in whispers.
inside something, or within a place, period, or state
From this reading I gasped in whispers.
the form of “be” used with he, she, it, or a singular noun
From this reading "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.
be located or situated somewhere; occupy a certain position
From this reading "You told me a lie!"
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.
perceive with attention; direct one's gaze towards
From this reading Look here!"
terms referring to the Judeo-Christian God
From this reading "The furniture's the furniture of Hector Carruthers; but the house is the house of Lord Lochmaben.
the person speaking, as the object of a verb or preposition
From this reading "You told me a lie!"
not one thing; not anything
From this reading "I did nothing of the sort," he replied.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading "I did nothing of the sort," he replied.
inflected form of “reply” — react verbally
From this reading "I did nothing of the sort," he replied.
a category of things distinguished by some common characteristic or quality
From this reading "I did nothing of the sort," he replied.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading "I did nothing of the sort," he replied.
inflected form of “tell” — express in words
From this reading "You told me a lie!"
plural of “whisper” — speaking softly without vibration of the vocal cords
From this reading I gasped in whispers.
the person or people being spoken to
From this reading "You told me a lie!"
Chapter 2 of A Thief in the Night by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung holds 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 2 holds 194 sentences of A Thief in the Night, unabridged, divided into 39 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of A Thief in the Night by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 194 sentences, grouped into 39 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 39 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 39 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 2 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 Thief in the Night by E. W. (Ernest William) Hornung on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 3668 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #2098 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #2098, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 305 minutes of reading across 734 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through A Thief in the Night section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 19 chapters of A Thief in the Night 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 Thief in the Night, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
